The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

CHARLES G. FINNEY

1868

To Julia Monroe

16 July 1868

 

[MS in Finney Papers, supplement #164]

 

Oberlin Ohio U.S.A. 16th July 1868

My Dear Julia,

Yours of the 23d of may came duly

to hand, & a day or two later we recd

yours of Feb. the lost letters as we had

supposed. They came without any

explanation for their delay.

I presume they had been lying at

the State department at Washington

unforwarded.

I understand that a box is to be sent

you from here & send you a valuable

book. Kitto's History of the bible. It will

I hope instruct & interest you.

Sarah is with us again, Ange went to

Rochester to attend the funeral of Louise

& brought Sarah & left her with us. She is

as pretty & as sweet as ever.

Ange looked worn when she was here

as she had had sickness in her family

for some time & finally had been ill herself.

She is well now I believe. Norton & family

were here a week or two since. All well.

Do you remember Adeline Chapin. She

[page 2]

lived with us about the time of your

birth I believe. She came with us from

New York & lived with us and worked

for several years. She has had three husbands

& is now a widow old, feeble, & very poor.

She has recently been very ill with a

most dangerous Carbuncle. She is so

weak & poor that we have invited her

to come & spend some time with us.

She used to love your mother very

dearly & your mother loved her

& as long as she lived used to send

Adaline a dress I believe yearly.

She is as black almost as a half blood

African. But she is a pious praying

woman & has great faith in God.

It is a blessing to have such a humble

Christian in our house. She is full of

gratitude & I rejoice to be able to afford

her a place.

Your mother has to day got a new

girl for the kitchen. Miss White is

still here but dont like to continue

in the kitchen. We are having the

[page 3]

most extremely warm weather that has

ever been kno[w]n in this lattitude I

think. This is your cool season, but here

day after day the thermometer ranges from

94, to 104, as I see by the papers.

Many are dying from sun stroke,

in various places. You will see by

the papers that the democrats at their

late nominating convention have risked

the nomination of a real copperhead

ticket. Republicans are well pleased

with this & many democrats are

disgusted. Emma is doing well

she is a nice girl & was one of the

principal singers at the anaversary [sic]

of the young Ladies Society yesterday.

I have read of the selfregestering thermo

meter of which you write but have

never seen one. They must be highly

convenient & useful. I suppose James

is very busy. wonder when you will

return. Does he expect ever to live in

Oberlin again & can he endure this

climate? I suppose many of your friends

[page 4]

will write you so that I need not tell

you how they are.

My own health remains quite good.

Upon the whole better than for several

years past. Mr Preslar still occupies

the cottage. Mother is well but whether

she will get time to write this mail

I can not say. Willie Cochran is here

& is a nice well behaved young man

as you need to see. A good scholar

& a good teacher & has excellent health.

We expect Dolson here at commencement

as he is to address one of the societies.

Whether Helen will come I do not

know. I presume not on account of the

illness of little Kenny.

State of religion here as usual at

this season of the year. All are prepar

ing for commencement which occurs in

two weeks from now. after which we now

have a vacation of some three weeks.

Poor Hobarts health is very much prostrated

by long & incessant nursing } God bless you

Mother send any amount of love} all.

C. G. Finney

 

Footnotes:

John Kitto, An Illustrated History of the Holy Bible, was first published in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1866. Further editions followed.

Sarah Ford Finney (1863-1949) the 5-year old daughter of Finney's son Charles G. Finney Jr. and his wife, Angelina.

Zilpa Louise Sibley Atkinson, the wife of Hobart Ford Atkinson (1825-1908), a banker in Rochester. Hobart was the eldest brother of Angelina.

The Lorain County News (Oberlin)for July 8, 1868, p. 3 stated:

Saturday, the Fourth, was the hottest day of the season. the thermometer indicated 98o and not a breath of air was stirring.

The Lorain County News for July 15, 1868, p. 2, stated:

Ten sunstrokes in Buffalo within 48 hours. Seven proved fatal.

And on page 3 there was the report of an Oberlin man struck down by sunstroke, who was recovering.

Emma, the eldest daughter of James Monroe, had returned from Brazil to enter her senior year at Oberlin College.

James Monroe was in his second term as United States Consul to Rio de Janeiro.

General J. Dolson Cox gave the address to the Society of Alumni on Tuesday evening August 4th on "What Knowledge is of Most Worth." (It seems he had given an address with the same title earlier in the day, to the Literary Society of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, which was reported in the Cincinnati Commercial [August 5, 1868], p. 1. See Eugene David Schmiel, "The Career of Jacob Dolson Cox, 1828-1900; Soldier, Scholar, Statesman." Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, 1969, p. 220). He also spoke at the Alumni Dinner the next day at the conclusion of Commencement. (See The Lorain County News [Oberlin], 6 August 1868], p. 3).

Hobart Atkinson.