Franklin County: David Hafer to His Wife, July 5, 1865
Summary:
David Hafer writes to his wife about the prospects of his return home, and about their need
to follow the scriptures as a guide to raising their family.
July the 5" 1865
Camp Niar Alexandria VA
Dear Wife
I sit me down to answer your verey
kinde letter wich I just received this
morning. I was truly glad to hear that the children ware all well, but
sorry to hear that you ware not well, but I hope you are well now, and
do hope you all may remain in good health till I get hom, for it hurts me to hear that you or enny of the
children are not well, and that I can not be there to see after you
see that you get the attendance that you need, but I hope if you are not well that we have some
freinds, but donte let trobble be your complaint I dont want you
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to trobble yourself about me not geting home for
thats all wright I think I'll get home pretty
soon I think in two weeks from now I'll be at home if not before, the order is ishuede to muster us out as soon as they can so it must hit us some time before long, and if you can make shift without money till then I'll not risk to send enny, some sends there money home in letters but there is so
maney letters goes astray that I think id
better carry it myself I do not think it will be enny longer than that
till I will get home that money that I got from the butter man just
let that stand as it is till I get home myself and then I'll settle with him, and if you can shift without going to town till I get home do so then you can buy all you neede and I'll take you in wright
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away. so George W Foper thought he had better save his life and loose his money, but the scriptur says he that saveth his
life shall loose it, I think that was A nice cowardly off come for
Poper so that the people would give him wright in leaving, but I think
he had better stade and got his pay and an onerable discharge wich he had so dearly earned for its
something that may be throwed up to him and perhaps to his children, I always said that Id stay till I got that and if they would keepe me till my time was up, I have had no
letter from Mr Keller yet I wrote to him before we left goldsboro and have no answer yet but
the next one I write he'll answer I give him my adress if I mistake not but he neglcted
writeing so long that he thought that would hardly do enny more
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he requested me to write and I did so and of corse I looked for him to to reply, but its hardly worth his while to
comenc to write now enny mor for if he
waits about two weeks more he can talk to me if he has enny thing
to say for him self, I'm glad you got the hay made, tell Abraham I
am very thankfull to him that he sees that you have plenty of flour
and feede and he shall furnish you with fower
and feed till I get home, and then I'll pay
all and I want you to feed your hogs pretty well so that they make good hogs till fall, when you write again tell me where you put your hay and how
the hogs looks, you stated in your letter that I should not let myself be led into bad habbits you dont
neede to be affraid god knows the army would
never corrupt my morrols I believe the longe I am in the army the more morrol I get. for there is so
much hard swarring and all kinds of bad works going on in the army
that I get so disgusted against it so that it make me think about chaing my way of living and do better, you know that when I came home from the army
before I did not [unclear: Swe] half as much as I did when I left but sorry to say
that
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got pretty well in the hang of swaring again
before I left and swore by times yet if I get provoked but I hope god may give me grace to
over come all such bad habits for we are raising A family and I do
think we ought to chang our way of living for I finde in the testement what responcibility
lise upon the parents I read the criptures
daly now and you do so to and I hope we may be profited by it religion
is what we all ought to have thats the only thing that is shure, I
ofton
studdy and consult my self about and I hope
that I may hve to studdy and have no rest
till I take holde of the work
wright I think the best we can do is to cerch the cripture and try to get an understanding of it
for that our guide, and the only
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true guide we have god grant that we may take holde of the work write before it is to late, I'll soon have to stop for I'll soon have to go on gard you must excuse this bad writing for I must write in A hurry for I am
on gard
to day and must write inbetwene the reliefes but I hope I'll not have many letter to
write till I get home for the prospects are good the day our muster
out rooles are here now to be made out but I dont know wether thats correct or not. but our mager said this hole division would be mustered
out in side of two weeks and I hope it may be true, for god knows
that I am anxious to get home I'll now close telling you that I am well
and do hope this will you all the same,
so much from ever loving husband
David Hafer
good bye write as soon as you get this
I for
got about uncle Wall I can not tell you where is but he is
discharged and I suppose he is at home
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