The following letter was written by Elias Prather Musgrave (1844-1864)m the son of Jacob Eli Musgrave (1805-1857) and Elizabeth Flake (1813-1899) of Martinsville, Morgan county, Indiana. Elias and Mattie Evans were married in May 1863. Elias wrote the letter to his mother and siblings but primarily to his cousin George W. Flake (b. 1840) who lived in Martinsville too.

A relative, Walton Musgrave (1828-1874), is mentioned in the letter. In 1860, Walton was a farmer in Warren township, Marion county, Indiana. He was married to Olive Smith (b. 1841) in 1856.

Transcription

Indianapolis [Indiana]
January 23, 1862

Dear cousin, Mother, sister, and brothers,

This is to inform you that I am well and I might say I believe I enjoy the best health now that I ever enjoyed and my wish to is that when these lines come to you, that they may find you all in good health which is one of God’s great blessings. Health is good in the city; there has been a few cases of sickness but most of them have [not] proved fatal.

One of Walton Musgrave’s little twin girls has gone to the spirit land. Its remains were deposited in the graveyard last Lord’s day. All of the rest of the folks are well as far as I know.

The small pox has made its appearance just one square from where I live; the subject is a girl of 18 or 20 years of age. It has been some 5 or 6 days since the pox came out and I suppose she will be well in a few days.

I have not written this to give you uneasiness. I just merely thought I would tell you for there are several houses closer than the one in which I stay and it is certain that if it should spread enough to come to where I am, people would think it could not be checked. But this is not so. It is very easy checked and it is not considered as destructive as the measles. I would say there is no danger and you must not give yourselves any uneasiness for it is certain if I stay away from this disease and let it alone, it will let me alone.

I am better pleased this term than I have been since I entered college. The reason of this is I am out from under the teacher in the preparatory department. He is a good teacher but he cannot make the show as a teacher like those who are employed in the regular class of college teachers those to whom I recite this term have been teachers from five to forty years and their experience of course helps them to a considerable degree.

My happy days as a student are just beginning to dawn and if such pleasures as these are just the dawn of student’s life, who could describe scenes that would decorate his life near the close of his college course. If any life will give one joy and pleasure, it is the life spent in college.

George, many thing would I write had I the time but hope these few will serve for the present. But one thing more—that is I do hope that you and I will be permitted to live out our days in college life so far it goes for I do say with some experience there are more beauties in one year in college than in a dozen on the farm, or if you will let e use a figurative expression, the life of a student is as much more pleasant as a nice garden, all covered with flowers is more beautiful that a field covered with briars.

Time is precious. I must come to a close by asking one favor of you and that is this. Ask Michael if he has forgotten to write and if he has, just remind him of his duty. Yours truly, — E. P. Musgrave