The Wilson Family Letters

Nov. 24th 1867

Mr. Wilson

My Own Dearest

It is the holy Lord's day, a cloudy, dreary, cold sabbath, quite different from last & I natural feel gloomy knowing that all I love, cherish & hold dear is far from me this morning. O! Mr. Wilson, it is impossible for one to tell how lonely I have been since you left. I never felt so bad as I did the afternoon that you left me. I felt that it was more than I could bear. I wandered immediately off to the Ranch where you so often have been. I felt that the surrounding scenery was in unison with my feelings that it was a soothing sweetness to be among objects that you was so familiar with & if you could know what pleasure I felt in wandering there at liberty & beholding the Sky & woods all around me I think you could not blame me. I came home fatigued & wearied, went to bed & haven't sit up of any consequence since 'till this morning. I am feeling much better, physically speaking. I have dismissed my school for I felt that it was too confining for me & I didn't feel that I could stand it during bad weather & I didn't wish all my time taken up 'till Christmas & as it is I think I will regain my health & get all my sewing done as I have a great deal on hand. I don't know who they will employ as a teacher.

Pa has gone to Falls City on business to be gone all week. Mrs. Ritter is quite ill again not expected to live. she had Mr. Folden called in to sing & pray for her. Elder Presson preached in town last night & today. quite a number in attendance, I presume. I was not in attendance. I feel like I will never want to go anywhere or see any person again untill you are restored to me. O! My dear Mr. Wilson, Heaven knows my feelings only. there is a vacancy everywhere I turn to look, everything wears a sorrowful aspect to me. I presume as this reaches you, you will be in the enjoyment of Home & the affectionate caresses of your dear Parents, Brothers & sisters. I have been very uneasy for fear something would happen you. But I trust that all is right & that you will have a pleasant visit which I doubt not & pray & trust that the Lord will preserve from all dangers of life & restore you to the embrace of her who so fondly, so devotedly loves you. I feel that I am blest thrice. happy in possessing one of the noblest hearts that ever throbbed in man. I look forward to the appointed time of your return with many bright anticipations. O! how hopeful & trusting does the future appear when I think of you being my constant companion through life. Pa came up the evening you left & told me that he had given me away. that it was rather hard to give away a child, but he thought he had given me to a genuine man. said he thought there was few as clever as you. the family all miss you. Harry says he does love Mr. Wilson & is going to write to you in a few days. Sister & Kate have taken several cries because you are gone. Ma & Pa often speaks of you. Now my dearest don't forget to write every week. I will write again in a few days. My regards to your dear Ma & all the family. hoping to hear from you very soon. I close praying that the blessing of Heaven will be with you. Goodbye my own dearest & believe this to be from your own Devoted Bettie. I trust I will hear from you in a few days. I am so anxious about you. You must try & have your Pa come through with you. I would feel much better if I knew you had company. I feel like I could say a great deal more. I am by writing like I used to be by talking to you. I don't know when to stop but will forbear 'till next time all. join me in love today. Affectionately your,

Bettie A. Tebbs

10 o'clock p.m.

Mr. Wilson

My Own Dearest

Tis after prayers & all have retired except my humble self, and sitting by the Stove alone & thinking of you & how much I miss you. I feel that I can't retire without first penning a few lines for your dear self. Notwithstanding, I wrote last Sabbath I feel that it is all that I can do to ease my poor, depressed feelings & I sometines feel that pen & ink are rather poor substitutes for one who loves as dearly & affectionately as I do you. absence only serves to endear you to me. I feel that if I only had you back I would never give up. for you to be absent one week let alone 4 or five no one knows how hard it is for me to bear, it really seems that you have been gone a month. I feel some better than I did when I last wrote. I can sit up most of the day now. The health of the people is improving, generally speaking. There has fallen a little snow today for the first. nothing new transpired since you left that I am aware of. But I can assure you St. Deroin would be an empty bubble were it not that I have the blest assurance of your return & with you life would be happiness, let that be where it will. "tis home wherever the heart is " is a true maxim. O! should we be severed by death, which I know is all that can part, I feel that it would crush every feeling & every hope (except that beyond the grave) that this poor, frail body would not be able to contain the wounds of a blighted heart. I dream of you every night & when I awake & find it a dream you don't know how bad I feel. don't think hard of me, my own dearest, for I can't help my feelings. would that I could. I was looking at your picture tonight when Cowper's words came upon me so forcible, "O! that those lips had utterance" I am becoming so anxious to hear from you & truly trust I will in a few days. O! how happy I will be when you get back. no tongue can tell. My eyes have been so blinded with tears ever since I began writing I fear I have made a good many mistakes all of which I hope you will forgive. Now my dear Mr. Wilson don't neglect writing every week, for know how anxious I am about you, darling, leaving you in the hands of the Lord, trusting in Him. I resign you praying that you may soon be restored to her who so devotedly loves you. Goodbye my dearest & believe this to be from your Own Devoted, Bettie

Harry wrote to you a few days ago

Dec. 4th, 1867

Mr. Wilson

My Own Dearest

'tis wednesday eve Dec. 4th two weeks ago this afternoon since you left here ____ since I last saw the original of him who is dearer to me than all on Earth besides. the last two weeks have been the longest that I ever realized, but I am trying to bear it the best I can trusting that you are enjoying yourself with your Dear Parents, brothers & sisters & that I will soon have the privilige of your restoration to me. O! how happy I will be when you get back, it's all that I can think of or talk of. I am so very anxious about your dear self. I have been expecting a letter from you every mail this week, but to no avail. I took a hearty cry about it this morning. I haven't heared a word from you since you started. you can imagine my anxiety. this is the third letter I have written you, besides one Harry wrote to you. I think I certainly will get one this week, at least I flatter myself so. I know that you have done your duty & if I don't the fault will be in the Mail-Route. We are all tolable well. I am about as I have been ever since you left. I don't expect to feel natural anymore 'till you get back, how can I, how can I. would that I were with you this evening then all would be right. So far as the local news of this place I don't know of any, things, I presume, are winding on after the old-style meetings as usual, I believe, although I have not been in attendance & don't expect to be 'till you get back. haven't been no where nor seen no one & don't feel that I care to go anywhere or see any person 'till you are restored to me. haven't heared from Brother yet. we don't know what to think. My dear Ma is so anxious about him it distresses her. I have written to his betrothed asking her if they are married or if she knows where he is & c. Harry is going to Brownville tomorrow on business. We are having beautiful weather now. there are three Boats above. one at the Landing tonight on its way to St. Joseph. O! my dearest you don't know how you are missed. Pa & Ma often speak of you & how lonely it is without you. Harrys little manly bosom starts oft times with tears when we speak of you. O! my darling take care of yourself. don't expose yourself in anyway. I feel that it would be more than I could bear if I were to hear of your illness. O! Mr. Wilson how earnest I plead for your safety & welfare both in this world & in the future state of existance & I feel that all will work well to those who trust in the Lord. thank Heaven tis but 4 weeks 'till New Year. dearest, write to me immediately. tell how you are & how you are enjoying yourself & all for you well know anything you would write would be treasured as sacred. your Dear sweet face encircles my neck, my constant companion, my own precious Husband. dearest its getting late & I will close. My regards to your Ma, Pa & family. My love you know is all your own, asking God to protect, defend & keep you ever under his watchful care & restore you to her whose life, whose heart is devoted to you. I ascribe myself Your Own Devoted

Bettie A. Tebbs

forgive all mistakes & imperfections in writing

Feb 13th 1868

Mr. Allen Wilson

and Lady

My Own Dear Parents,

It is with pleasure I attempt to write you this evening & tell you how happy I am once more in Life & that your dear beloved Son & my own dear Husband has returned after being on the road near three weeks, but through the divine favor of Providence he reached us at last & O! we all are so happy. Mr. Wilson felt quite wearied when he first came, but feels much better now . He reached here the Sixth inst. O! my dear Parents it's beyond utterance to tell you how happy I am now in the society of my Dear Husband, his stay in Ohio seemed years instead of months. I looked, longed & prayed so fervently for his return, but unfortunately I received but two letters during his absence, them being misplaced in the mails. I had dispaired of his return & O! how wretched I was for four weeks before his return. I felt that if such had to be my fate that life's charms were over. But thank Heaven, God never intended two Hearts that loved so devoted as ours to be severed forever & feel that future has in store many, many happy days. by the aid of Heaven we will always be happy. Pa, I was so happy to receive your picture. it looks like as I imagined you to. Mr. Wilson gave me such a minute description of you that I formed a very correct idea of you. I am sorry that I didn't get Ma's & the rest of the family's. We intend to have our Photographs taken for you as soon as we can. Mr. Bogg's family are well. tell Grandma that her tokens of Love caused tears of gratitude. all those tokens, how dearly appreciated are they by me. Pa, that half Dollar O! how I prized it & all those tokens of affection shall ever be cherished by me. My Parents seem to be perfectly devoted to my dear Husband. Ma says that we are so devoted to him that she is afraid that the Lord will remove him from us, but I trust not. trusting to hear from you soon. a few more lines & I close. our love to all the family & kiss dear little Charlie for me & Henry too. love to Grandma & Grandpa. tell Uncle Ben we would be so happy to receive a letter from him. write soon. Your affectionate Children till Death

Benjamin F. Wilson

and Lady

P.S. Mr. Wilson is sitting present reading Vallandigham's speech.

Johnson Co.Mo.

Mr. Allen Wilson

And John Wilson

Mrs. Rebeca Wilson Henry Wilson

Dear Pa and Ma,

I again after long delay retain my pen for the purpose of penning you a few lines. from the caption of this letter you will perceive that we have left Neb. I have been here among my relations some two weeks. I came down on the cars and left Mr. Wilson to come horse-back but he has not got here yet, but I am looking for him every day. We would have been in Arkansas before now had it not for our great misfortune of losing our team in the Missouri River. he was driving across on the ice & the ice gave way & lost horses, waggon, harness & all which we realize as quite a loss. He had got the waggon brawn new from up in St. Joe for to go South in. Nebraska is a good country and we should of remained there if it had not of been that the climate did agree with either one of us. My health I lost almost entirely & Mr. Wilson has poor health this winter. We are rather unsettled. I don't know what we will do untill he comes. I have been anxious to go to Ohio ever since we were married, but Mr. Wilson don't seem disposed to come, but if he will I am going to try to have him come this spring & stay a year anyway. I am so anxious to see you all. I have a longing which shall never be satisfied till we come. If we should come I would want you to come out, & all settle together in Arkansas. Pa, will you come with us if we come, tell me when you write. I would feel happier if you were close to us. If we come we will be there by the middle of April, although Mr. Wilson has not said anything at all about it, but I am not at all pleased with this part of Missouri & I know he won't be when he comes, so I think it more than likely we will come. If we don't come now it is hardly possible we ever will. Write & tell us what you think about it. Well Pa, I want you to write immediately on the exception of this & tell me how you all get along & how Ma's health is. Mr. Wilson often wishes to see his dear Ma. O! Pa, I have a dear, sweet husband. I love him so dearly. he is so kind & affectionate. He told me to write as soon as I landed here, but postponed it till now, give my love to all your family, yourself and Ma. Kiss dear little Charlie for me. My love to Grandma & Grandpa & Brother George & family & Uncle Ben. Special tell Dock we would love to hear from him. I always thought so well of Dock he seems like a brother & I know my dear husband would join my love to you if he were here. O! I am so anxious about him. I hate to be from a day. I am about 150 miles south of St. Deroin. Dear Pa, write immediately on exception of this & excuse bad writing. My pen is so bad. Direct to Ben F. Wilson, Holden, Johnson Co., Missouri

Your affectionate daughter, Betty A. Wilson