Letter from elizabeth buffum chace,  april 3, 1859

Valley Falls, April 3rd 1859

Dear Children--I have not time to write much because we are having company and Antislavery meetings today but I know how disappointing it is to get no letter when we expect one and then I have a few words to say to you often. E.H. Heywood is here and he is a beautiful, noble, young man. I have been quite ill all the week but today I am better so I can go to the meeting. Sammy’s letter to Mary was a matter of great rejoicing to her. But it seems a long time since we had any letter from Arnold. We have ten chickens and another heifer calf. The house is nearly done. I think the carpenters will get quite out of it before you come home. I cannot say yet whether I will go to the Emancipation or not I shall try to. I hope you will write to us just as after as though (?) you were not coming home so soon; for, we were just as anxious to hear from you.

Sammy writes very coolly about going into Providence and coming out in the afternoon. Well, if I am with you, we’ll see. I hope you will not abate in your watchfulness over yourselves that no word or deed or thought of your shall be such as you can have cause to regret, after you come home. You are having an influence on those around you for good or evil, which will operate forever; and for yourselves you are laying a foundation on which defends in a great measure your future lives. Bring home with you pure hearts, and strong determinations to do right.

Your Loving Mother

letter from elizabeth buffum chace, August 19, 1862

Home 19/8 ‘62

Dear Sammie--Arnold’s nice letter written at Bernardston day before yesterday seems to him & you very near home. He says you will come to Springfield today. So tonight you will not be more than 80 miles away; and I suppose we shall see you seventh day night. I hope to get a loving letter from thee in a day or two; at least before you come. Thou must I think have begun one on first day and will finish it to send from Springfield. But if those did not and has non begun when though gets this written as much as thee has time to and send from Woodstock that we may hear from thee once more. It is very good of thee to write little notes where thee has no long letters because it does us so much good to get a word from you. Do you see [...] perhaps? And do you see that the Grand Army has enacted the peninsula (?) ? And by the order of the President (probably) Gen. Hunter has disbanded his Negro regiment? How strange that such blindness prevails! That white men must go by hundreds of thousands even by draft when volunteering is exhausted, to put down this atrocious rebellion, but the colored men must be saved! So that it seems likely if things go on this way, that the country will ere long be inhabited by women and children and negroes. Oh! how I long to hear the right word spoken that of Universal Freedom which would so soon put an end to this war! When will it come? Thy father and I went to see John Peck. He looks quite miserable. Tho’ his mother said he was much better than when he came home. He told us a good deal of your travels and proceedings which were very interesting to us.

Arnold’s letter gives us very interesting details. I am glad you went over Dartmouth College. How much you have enjoyed which you can [...] for future use. I hope thou has kept a journal. It will be so pleasant through thy whole life to have it to refer to. This journey will always be an era to you and I hope that in all your experiences you have like the bee extracted the honey tearing the useless material behind.

Did you Capt. receive a letter from me at the Branford House? I wrote one to him there.

Do not fail to write to me at Woodstock. Say where you will be here and all about it. Say when you will be here and all about it. Much love to you both from thy affectionate mother.