The following letter was written by Joseph M. McKee (1845-1907), the son of Anthony Wayne McKee (1815-1873) and Emeline E. Bonner (182401876) of Ripley county, Indiana. During the Civil War, McKee served in Co. D, 123rd Indiana Volunteers from December 1863 to August 1865. After the war, Joseph went with his parents and siblings to Elmerdaro, Lyon county, Kansas. He married Lucy Craig (1853-1908) in 1871

McKee wrote the letter to Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) W. Planalp (1849-1935) of Spades Station (or Spades Depot) in Adams Township, Ripley county, Indiana Elizabeth was the daughter of Melchior Abplanalp (1803-1865), and emigrant from Switzerland, and his wife, Mary Mehl (1820-1902) of France. “Lizzie” was married in 1870 to Rev. Jacob Bockstahler (1845-1920)—a minister in the Central German Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Hartford, Kansas
May 20, 1867

Miss Planalp, kind friend,

It is with pleasure that I seat myself for the purpose of addressing you a few lines in answer to your kind and ever welcome letter of the 29th of January which was received some two months ago. I am ashamed to write to you after so long a delay. The only apology that I can offer is as follows. I was under such obligations to another person that I concluded I would delay writing to you until I was released from those obligations and then I could write you my feelings confidentially, So I hope you will be kind enough to forgive me for not writing sooner and I will try and be more faithful in the future. And as now I am released from all obligations to anyone, I ask you permission to correspond with you as a lover. I make this request through pure motives and nothing else. From our first acquaintance I loved you but circumstances would not permit me to make it known to you beyond friendship until now. I feel that I have done wrong by you in not writing to you sooner and disobeyed the law of etiquette in one particular, but probably in the future I will explain the matter to you satisfactorily so that you will not blame me for so doing.

I have been very much troubled here lately. Prospects looked very gloomy for a while. The citizens have left here considerable on the account of the fear that the grasshopper would destroy all vegetation that was planted, but the prospects look more favorable now. I cannot say that I am entirely satisfied with this country but I may like it better when I get better acquainted. We have very good society here. The people are mostly professors of religion. We do not have any saloons or gambling houses, or anything of that kind. The young men and ladies have found an excellent society in Hartford and it is doing a good thing toward bringing the young people to the path of duty. Their Oath of Enlistment is that they shall not drink any intoxicating liquor, go to no dances or any other immoral gathering, and I think it a very good institution.

There is one article in your letter that I do not exactly understand and that is to allusion of time. Please enlighten me on the subject. Scot has not written to me yet and I do not think he will for the reason that he knows he is guilty of a wrong and I can say he would not receive anything from my pen to pacify his conscience for I would write to him and tell him what I think if him and also I would send you a copy of the letter and then he could have no chance for dodging by misrepresenting my letter to you.

I will change the subject for I don’t suppose that it is at all interesting to you. If you do not accept of my proposition or approve it, do not fail to write as a friend for it will afford me much pleasure to receive a letter from you. If your affections are placed on another, excuse my intrusion. Do not delay in writing so long as I did for I am anxious to hear from you. I ask you again to pardon my long delay. Lizzie, I would like very much to see you and spend a few hours in social conversation but the distance is far between us so we will have to live in hope and await the future. I believe I have written all of importance for the present. This leaves me in the enjoyment of good health and I hope it may find you the same. Answer soon. Your admiring friend, — J. M. McKee of Hartford, Kansas

P. S. Thank you for the valentine.