LETTER OF
The GOSPEL TRUTH 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
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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
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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
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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.