The following letter was written by 15 year-old Rosina Markland, the daughter of George Markland (1794-1863) and Mary Nancy Nelson (1808-1864) of Jacksonville, Indiana. In her letter, Rosina speaks of her older brother Thomas “Garah” Markland (1836-1863) who served as a private in Co. D, 93rd Indiana Infantry and contracted a fever and died in the service at Lagrange, Tennessee on 13 January 1863. Se also mentions her sister Esther (1840-1913) who never married and lived with Rosina’s family. Rosina married George Philip Muret (1844-1921) in 1866 and eventually moved to Cowley county, Kansas.

Rosina write the letter to her sister Cynthia (Markland) Aldrich’s family who lived in Indianapolis. Cynthia (1834-1910) married John D. Aldrich (1839-1903), a master carpenter, in 1858 and their childrens’ names were Albert (b. 1859), James, (b. 1861), and Rosa (b. 1869).

Rosina penned her letter from Jacksonville, a small village near Centre Square in Jefferson township in Switzerland county, several miles inland from the Ohio River town of Vevay. This correspondence, crafted in the wake of Lee’s invasion of Maryland, captures the palpable unease gripping the civilian populations just north of the Ohio River. Compounded by the unsettling news of Braxton Bragg’s army advancing into Kentucky with intentions set on Cincinnati or Louisville, her words seethe with the tension and apprehension of the time.

Transcription

[Jacksonville, Switzerland county, Indiana]
September 29, 1862

Dear Brother and Sister,

I received your letter on last Friday and was glad that you answered my letter so soon. We are all well but Mother has had the toothache but is better now. I wish you could come and eat peaches for they are beginning to get ripe now. Garah has been home on furlough but has gone back again and we have got a letter from him. He is well and likes camp life first rate. I received a letter from [cousin] Della Nelson last Friday. They are all well. Uncle John is in the army. Mother has been spinning but she is half done spinning. She has sat down to rest now.

There was an awful alarm the other night. The boys had to go to Vevay two nights to guard it for fear the rebels coming over and the next night they camped out at Center by the meeting house. Mother belongs to the Soldiers’ Aid Society. They meet at Mr. Ransom’s every Thursday afternoon and make things for the soldiers. I will have to quit and read for Mother. I have wrote a letter to Aunt Margaret today and will have to write one tomorrow to Della besides this one. It keeps me writing letters all the time for we get one from Gid every week.

There is not much news to write. I thought I would write but one letter which will do both for I have not much news to write. Esther is not at home now. Jim came and got her 4 weeks ago and has kept her ever since. Today is Rose Stout’s birthday. She is 12 years old. Aunt Ether and Rose have gone up to Ira Stout’s. Their child is dead and is to be buried today.

I will close. No more. John, I was very glad to have you write some. No more. Write soon. Your affectionate sister, — Rosina Markland

To John, Cynthia, Albert & Frank Aldrich

I would like to see you all. Mother sends her love to all. Excuse y small letter paper. It is so very small.