DeSoto-Tate County MsArchives History - Letters .....1868 Letter Written By Michael William Shanahan July 4, 1868 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/ms/msfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kathy Rhodes LittleHouseAntiques@att.net March 17, 2005, 11:39 pm Book Title: Senatobia, Mississippi July 4, 1868 Dear Sister, If apologies would, or could, justify me in my negligence in not writing sooner, I would make several, but as I feel my culpability, all that I shall say is that I acknowledge my sin and crave your pardon. I will, however, say that I would have written you on receipt of your last letter but that you requested me to see Delia and tell her to write to you oftener, and I waited some time hoping that I would have an opportunity of going over to the Drs., but the opportunity never presented itself and whilst waiting, the weeks saw into months. How true it is, the longer we postpone a duty, the less we feel disposed to perform it. The citizens had a picnic at Senatobia yesterday. I met the Dr. there and asked him when they had heard from you, he told me a few days ago. I also saw Delia, but found no opportunity of speaking with her, she was with "Backy Girls" all the time. Seeing her in such company made me feel sad. She is indeed experiencing the loss and the need of a mother. If her dear mother was alive she would have mingled with the first and best of the party, but alas, she was not, and the poor child looked as blank and desolate as if she had no part in the gay throng and the festive scenes being enacted around her. And Drew, the dear, bright, and joyous little heart was not there. What the father has in store for the dear children, I am unable to say. I am fully convinced that a sainted mother will watch over the sweet children, if pure spirits are permitted to exercise guardian care over their dear ones on earth. But socially, I fear they will be brought down to the vulgar level of those whom they now have to associate. If they were boys their case would be quite different, then they could work for and select their associates. Little Sidney if he lives can paddle his own canoe. My sweet pet Jessie (?) will grow up knowing nothing of anything better than she finds around her. Drew, although having tasted good society, will in time be weaned from its influences for she was quite young, but, with the bright and flashing intellect which she always displayed for a child of her years, she might, when she becomes a woman shine a brilliant ornament in the best society, if she could but have proper training and ??? in the mean time. But for Delia, she has tasted of the pleasures and enjoyed some of the advantages of good society, for her to be dragged down to a dead level with the "backwoods gals" - backwoods in everything, mentally, morally and socially, it is heartrending. In regard to the Dr. having bankrupted on you, you have but one recourse, and that is to fall on his securities as guardian. Now I do not know who his securities are, but it has been my impression that Steve Williams and Mr. Spivy are the parties. If they are of course you know it and you ought to give the case into the hands of an able lawyer and I believe you can make your money or a portion of it for Steve Williams is entirely solvent. About Spivy I do not know so well, but I rather think that he owns nothing in law and therefore could not be reached. I wrote to Billy two or three months ago but have not yet heard from him, however, I could wait 150 or 200 years as I have a great deal of patience although I would like very well to hear from him, yet I wait his convenience. I received a letter from Andy Moore some time ago in which he set forth in (his) glowing terms the extreme felicity and comfort of hymeneal life, all of which I fully and cheerfully endorsed. He further remarked that, "a man was nobody until he married", and tendered me the following morsel of (unasked) advice by way of a stomachic, "My advice to you is to marry, be a man and don't be a dog any longer." I appreciated the advice very much but I could not help thinking that he had been a dog a long time before he became a man. By the way, the classic known as "Dog Latin" must have originated with him - no laughing Lee. I have not responded to him and I do not know that I will. The fact is, I think I shall let his letter go by default, for he never interests, but always disgusts me. He is always full of egotistical expressions, senseless twaddle or else a rehash of some former letter, and I am not at all partial to that sort of dish unless it is more highly flavored. I heard from Jim (?) Moore a short time since, he was getting along (in Memphis) badly, gets very little work, finds it difficult to get board because he owes everybody therefore (Poor Callie). Whilst writing of the Dr. awhile ago, I forgot to mention that he and this Mr. Spivy are certainly going to Texas next Fall and want me to go with them, but I honestly think I will not. The Dr. is looking for Mrs. Spivy out here next week. Let me know if you ever hear from Pastey's (?) wife and how she writes. I saw Miss Roxie at the picnic yesterday and had a long conversation with her principally about you. Spoke of having a received a letter from you and your inquiries concerning me. Why were you so astonished at my having joined the church? But let this pass for a little while. You ask me in your letter how Miss Roxie and I were making it. I answer, not at all. The truth is I have treated the Carlock family badly since I have been on this side of the railroad. Notwithstanding, I have been repeatedly invited to visit them by every member of the family. Miss Roxie's sister Miss Sallie is staying with them now. I do not think she is so good looking as Miss Roxie was. Speaking of marrying reminds me of ladies Oh! I have the cart before the horse. Well, please change them about. I wish to say that so far as the writer is concerned, he does not think, at the present writing that to use a hopeless expression "he will ever marry in this country" if you know that the woman he marries, he must love her next only to his God and better than himself, and he does not feel that depth of affection for any angel sojourning in this part of the vineyard. This reminds me again that when I was soldiering in that portion of Ky in which you now reside I frequently saw, and was favorably impressed with the appearance of the girls of that country, and I therefore request that you will select me a sweetheart among your newly formed acquaintances. You know the style of one that would suit me as well, or better than I do myself and I hereby and herein firmly obligate myself by those present to abide by your choice and to come after her within four calendar months from this instant provided, of course, the fair one is willing and further, I do hereby authorize and give you full power of attorney, in my absence, to do my courting for me. Tell her all my faults, what a bad boy I am, etc., and if you find that you are likely to get through telling them before the expiration of the four months, stop, and leave a little of the courting for me to do myself, for you know I like it where I feel a heart interest. Now in regard to my profession of religion. Why did you express such astonishment in Miss Roxie's letter? You are aware that the greatest sinners sometimes turn suddenly from their evil courses and look back with horror and with loathing on their past lives, and forward into a dread future in which is dimly seen a faintly glimmering ray of hope, which say, if perceived, glows and burns brighter and brighter until the wanderer finds himself enveloped in a blaze of holy light and finds that peace "which the world cannot give nor take away." Well such was my feeling and experience. I did not shout. I made no noise. How was it brought about? I will tell you by first prefacing my story with a few remarks. You are aware that fear forms a very small, if any, portion of my composition and if the fear of hell, or of the devil was the only thing to deter me from sin, I am afraid I would always be a sinner. I hope I have still less ingratitude than fear. Now to my narrative. As a teacher I have always felt that a moral obligation rested on me. I do not know that I ever recognized any spiritual obligation to impress a moral lesson occasionally on the mind of my students, so one day I asked them, each in turn, if they ever prayed, commending those who did, and reproving those who replied negatively. When I had finished catechizing, one of the litter girls, a member of Carolina Church and a sweet child, turned on me with, "Mr. Shanahan do you ever pray?" I could not say yes, and I would not say no, so I said nothing but a five year old child might have read no in my always expressive face. The child's question set me to thinking and Oh! how small and contemptible I felt and how I loathed myself for my base ingratitude to a merciful Father. ____ all my life in _____, as I have been, on any ____________had been so dearly merciful and kind to me, and to a dear and loving Savior who died that I base ingrate that I was, might live. Would you believe it? Get out your brushes and pallet and paint a rough, war worn, battle scarred reb crying, aye absolutely "blubbering like a baby", as if his heart would break. Think not that this is written in a spirit of levity, far from it. It is because I endeavor to show _____ humor into everything. Religion with me is not, by any means, a dismal somber affair, but an enlivening, pleasure inspiring possession which makes me always feel glad and thankful. Well, while in the above condition I resolved, in the midst of tears and prayers, that if there was any favor in heaven for me, I would, with divine assistance, find it, and I did find it, prostrate in spirit at the foot of the cross. You have my story. What church should I join? The church of those with whom I had lived in the relations of close intimacy for several years and whom I always found loving and shining lights and whose heart glowed with fervent love for the Masters name and cause and to whom I am, and always shall be indebted for good moral and spiritual lessons and for innumerable motherly and sisterly attentions and kindnesses. I joined Carolina Church and was baptized on the 17th last May. Again I ask your forgiveness for my long silence and sincerely desire that our correspondence shall last as long as life. Write to me soon and don't postpone because I did. Remember that two wrongs do not make one right. I ________ punctual in future. Present my respects to Mrs. Hardy and Miss Dink. My fraternal regards to Lee and although youkiss the baby enough to nearly smother her, yet give her just a thousand for me. And believe me, Your Brother, M. Wm. Shanahan P.S. It is 1 o.c. A.M. so I will prepare to retire. I thought I would ______ (not offer???) apologys for this long and I fear uninteresting letter, but I will. MWS Additional Comments: Notes: Michael William Shanahan born 29 Sep 1841 in Limerick, Ireland Immigrated in 30 Sept 1856 on board the ship "Rocklight". Fought in the War between the states, CSA, 2nd Lt. Co. B, 9th MS Infantry. Served from 1861 to 1865. Fought in numerous battles; wounded at least twice, once at the battle of Atlanta. Married in Senatobia DeSoto Co MS on 15 Nov 1868 to Sallie Margaret Potter daughter of Daniel D. Potter and Mary Rebecca Smith. Became a naturalized Citizen of the United States in DeSoto Co, MS 21 Sept 1876. Member of the Old Carolina Baptist Church. Died 26 May 1887 in Coldwater, Tate Co, MS and is buried Palestine Cemetery, Tate Co, Coldwater, MS. For other explanations of the many people mentioned in this letter please reference my footnotes at: http://home.att.net/~littlehouseantiques/mws1868.html Surnames: Shanahan, Potter, Smith, Slaughter, Hardy, Richardson, Carlock, Moore, Howard, Ham, Williams, Spivey, Spivy, Boone, Phillips, Stewart, Freeze, Wilkerson, Embrey, Jones, Flippin, Sowell, Key, Tucker File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ms/desoto/history/letters/1868lett3gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/msfiles/ File size: 12.5 Kb