Augusta County: Kit Hanger to Julia Houser, April 28, 1864
Summary:
Kit writes her cousin after months of delay, with news of family and battles.
April 28th 1864
Augusta CountyVirginia
Dear Cousin Julia
I with the greatest of pleasure take my seat to answer your very kind letter which I received
so long ago that I am really ashamed of myself but i hope you will
pardon me for this time & I will do better in the future. I was very much pleased with those samples of cotton that you sent me but we haven't
anything to dye like you all we have to send to the woods for our
dyestuffs
instead of the store I was very sorry to hear of your being ill but
I hope you have gotten well long before this time I will send you some samples of cotton in
this letter but they are not at all pretty but I will get some soon
I will send you in the next letter that perhaps you will admire
more than these. I haven't any news that would interest you we have
had a great deal of bad weather this spring
but the last week has been most beautiful I am in hopes that we will
have fine crops this year for the failure of the crops here last year
has caused a great
scarcity Cousin I so seldom write
a letter that I am alas out of practice & have no news but
war news & I have gotten so tired of that I hate to hear of it unless there should be peace & then I would not care how much they would talk then.
we still have a wedding in the neighborhood once &
awhile I suppose the girls has come to the conclusion that the war lasts so long that they will be old maids & they had better get married when they can if you see Cousin Mun & Cousin Jim give them my most
pious regards and tell Mun that I formed the Idea that when he would get back to North Carolina that he would not answer a letter
from his cousin in Virginia tell him I don't
blame him for I know just exactly how I once did a cousin of mine I
must soon close for the want of some news
[page 2]
I hope you will pardon me for not writing
sooner please write soon & give me all the news &
tell me whether any of your friends was killed or wounded in the battle out there we are expecting a large fight to come off in the valley
& I dread it very much I must close by asking you to give my
doubled & twisted love to all your friends & relatives & receive a due
portion for yourself
I must close by asking you to give my doubled & twisted love to all your friends & relatives & receive a due portion for yourself from your Cousin
Kit
