Augusta County: John H. McCue to His Wife, January
10, 1855
Summary:
John McCue sends his love to his wife and discusses his law practice, local
church activity, and politics.
Jan'y 10th '55
Staunton,
My Own Dearest Wife,
It has been several days since I have written to you and several since I heard
from you. I am anxiously expecting a letter from My Dear Absent Honey: Your
presence my love is indispensable to my happiness. The longer I live in the
world the more necessary are you to my peace of mind. The more I know you, the
more is my love strengthened. It increases daily. May God in his mercy spare us
to each other years to come, for how long could one live without the other!
During the day, when my mind is absorbed with business, its perplexities
& annoyances, I do not so sensibly experience that you & my
children are from me, but when night begins to settle around me in glooming
silence, there is an aching void. My thoughts revert to you & them. I
wish I could but hear your sweet [unclear: ceurding] angelic voice
& the merry laugh of my merry & interesting children. God bless
them! Do they ever speak of their absent Papa, and express the desire to see
him? That laughing, merry, ever moving little [unclear: Olie]--How I
miss her as mornings breaks into my chamber! No little cherub
[unclear: lum] to crawl upon my breast, wake me with a kiss and whisper
"Papa." It is now past eleven at night: to the commencement of this letter, Mr I
& myself have been engaged in business with two gentlemen in Mr. I's
parlor: He has gone to bed, and I am now at
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his table in the parlor
engaged in holding sweet commune with my wife! Wife!!
How endearing that name. How many lies and associations connected with the past,
and hopes connected with the future are embraced in that simple word wife!! But this is indulging in reflections that make
me sad: the distance is short, separating us. The time I trust will not be long
before I shall see you, kiss you and embrace you in my arms.
I saw Otelia C. this morning. She will not depart for Martinsburg before Saturday, in as much as James [unclear: Daman] as informed her thro letter that he will be here Friday to see her. His last letter to her recd yesterday, is long, most interesting & shows his affection to be strong as ever. She regrets exceedingly to leave without seeing you. Says she loves you as a sister, and fears her visit to you was not as pleasant to you as it should have been- -&c. I assured her to the contrary. I think she is a noble girl--& her resolve to teach, to be useful, to live to a purpose is the strongest evidence of her elevation of character & nobleness of soul.
I believe I told you of Mr Castleman's call to Baltimore at a salary of $2000. An
effort is now being made to raise his salary here to $1400 as an inducement for
him to remain amongst us. He has greatly improved of late as a preacher and if
he is not retained, I fear another as acceptable cannot be had. But $1400 is too
much for a village
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church to pay, and give a house. More anon.
Mr Wilson has accepted the call of the Presbyterian's & will be here in
the spring. Dont fail to have Mr. Imboden invited to Conny's wedding. He will go
if he possibly can. Our Special Court commences the 24th and not the 10-(to day)
as I supposed. If we go, you must, if you expect to return home the last of the
month, make your arrangements to return the day after the wedding, for we have
been retained in the big suit of McDowell Exon vs Hugh John Crawford, which may
be called up the first day of the court. I expect to go to Roanoke in a few
days, probably Friday. If not then, on Monday next. If we go
[unclear: South], it will be out of our power to do so, until after the
rising of the Court. It will then be later in the Spring and decidedly more
pleasant. At the season of the year proposed by you, we might have a terrible
time of it. Dr. [unclear: Seehass] is here & family. Cousins
Sally & Eliza called on her to day. They report her to be a most
pleasant lady. The Dr has thrown himself into our hands, and we have provided a
snug place for him. You know [unclear: Moupin] acting no doubt under the
advice of Stuart threw him off because Dr H would not consent to make his paper
the organ of him, Sandy. He Dr H is to go into the Messenger as a partner of
[illeg.]
[illeg.] and that sheet is to be known as the "American Reformer" and
too
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advocate the principles of the American party, known by some
as the Know Nothing party. This is to be a profound secret until the paper is
issued, which will not be till next week. So my love you must not speak of it to
any one. For I would not be the means of divulging it for the world. Sandy has
become very cool towards us. Never comes to our office, & never calls us
into his. He has all this time been making a tremendous effort to win us to his
support for governor, but we would not be caught in that [unclear: way].
We are determined to let the K. N.s nominate
& then we will support their ticket. This is the advice now of all the
Whig papers & Stuart is bound to yield.
Save now to our dear Small Mama, God bless her. A thousand kisses to you love--& my children--love to Annie, [unclear: Leil] & Nellie. Mr I, Cousin E. & Maj. E, send [unclear: march] [illeg.] Good night. You are dreaming I know, of your absent husband--[unclear: Ihercam on] darling--[unclear: the wishes of the pass] & innocent are always pleasant. May god protect you from harm & my children & our dear [unclear: nickted] & [illeg.] is the prayer of your
Devoted Husband,
JH McCue
