Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #15
by Tonya Graham McQuade
In my last post, I shared some excerpts from the historical fiction novel I am writing, Missouri Daughter, that included a letter written from the Oregon Trail by Jane Kennedy Hale and her son, William Simpson Hale, to the family back in Andrew County, Missouri. Now, I will share an excerpt from the nonfiction book I am working on, A State Divided; The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree, which provides some additional information from a more historical perspective:
Chapter 7: Nodaway Township, Andrew County, Missouri – January to March 1864
In January, James was finally able to go home on furlough. He had missed Christmas once again, but he was in time for his grandson’s first birthday. His family likely met him at the train depot in St. Joseph, and eagerly looking forward to the months ahead.
While there are no letters to confirm his daily activities at this time, one can easily assume James contented himself with chores around the farm – cutting firewood; making repairs to the house and barn; checking on stores of grain, corn, potatoes, onions, molasses, and feed for the stock; examining the hogs, cattle, and chickens; and looking over the financial records. He likely spent plenty of time with his family – going fishing with his son Mc; listening to his daughter Eliza read for the first time; admiring Manda’s sewing; playing with his new grandson Jimmy; and catching up with his brother Elijah who lived nearby.
James was also tasked by his sister-in-law Jane with finding a tombstone for his brother Meshack (who had been killed by Confederate sympathizers in 1861 - see Post #10). Not having the money to buy one before she left for Walla Walla weighed heavily on her heart, and she had written him specifically to make that request. He may have sought his brother Elijah’s help in purchasing the tombstone and placing it on Meshack’s grave.
About a year earlier, Jane had written to the family to inform them that she and her son William had finally made it safely to Walla Walla, Washington, after about six months on the Oregon Trail and quite a few trials and adventures along the way (see Post #14). There had been numerous stampedes and losses of cattle, several dangerous river crossings, various Indian attacks, hazardously washed-out mountain passes, shortages of food and water, disagreements among the travelers, and lots of sickness and death. Along the way, they had observed numerous freshmade graves – two where faithful dogs were lying atop the graves, refusing to leave their masters behind.
They had even witnessed an execution when Jane’s brother, Captain Kennedy, was called upon by another wagon train to help punish a man who had killed his mining partner so he could keep all the profits and equipment for himself. Captain Kennedy had pulled together a group of men to serve as a jury, and when they found the man guilty, they had agreed that death was the proper punishment. They let the man choose whether he preferred to die by hanging or firing squad, and when he chose being shot, Kennedy had twenty-four men fire upon him, though not all had ammunition in their guns, while about a thousand people from various wagon trains looked on.
This book tells the story of the Kennedy Train of 1862
The fate of his dead brother’s family must have weighed heavily on James’s mind, and he wrote to Jane when he returned home on furlough. Soon, he received a response:
Washington Territory, Walla Walla - March 21, 1864
Dear brothers and sisters,
I take my pen in hand to let you know we received your letter and was glad to hear from you all and that you was at home with your family, James, for they did not know what it was to do without you. Maybe for the better, for we are a dissatisfied people on the account of the war. So let us try to do the best we can in this life, and when we come to die, we will meet in heaven where parting will be no more.
I feel dissatisfied here, but it might be if I was there it would be no better under the circumstances. If Meshach was alive and here, I sometimes think I would be satisfied here, but I hope my loss is his gain, and I will do the best I can and try to be contented. This is the best place to make money I ever saw, but somehow I think I would rather live there.
If you would come out here, you could soon make money enough to buy you a farm and go back there or to some other country. This is the greatest place. The grass grows all winter. They don’t feed anything here. All you make is clear gain. We have five hundred dollars clear of all expenses. We have worked very hard, but if we had been there, we could not have anything – just something to eat and a little to wear.
James, I don’t want you to enlist any more. You might get killed. Come out here and make money, and then when the war is over, settle yourself somewhere you like. James, you did not write if you could get any tombstones there or not to put to Meshech’s grave. I wish you would see and let me know, and I will send the money, for I feel bad about it, and then I will be satisfied.
John Kennedy has gone to the mines. Robert is there, and Mary is there, too. She has married since we came out here and has gone there and is doing well and has a fine son. Her last name is Allison, and Rhoda Ellis is living about seven miles from her. They have two children, and they are all well. Emily Francis Neel married James Kennedy and lives down in Willamette Valley and has two children. James was at the mines and come by and wanted us to go home with him, but we could not go with him.
I think we will go down to Oregon as soon as we can get money. That is the best place to make money, they say, and there they have plenty of everything – fruit of all kind – and I think I would like there or California. You have no idea of the people that is in the mines. There are thousands of families there, and that is a better place to get gold than here. There is no gold mines here - we can get by working for it.
The men all like here better than there. They do not have to feed anything here. They just kill beef here all winter without feeding them anything, so the men go to the mines and come back here and winter and make gold plenty here, and the farmers raise plenty of vegetables here, and they bring up fruit from Willamette Valley. They say that is the prettiest valley in the world.
William S. Hale is going to school to the Sisters from the seminary. I pay ten dollars for eleven weeks. I have sent him all I could. School is high here, and when we got here, we had nothing but our clothing and bedding, and I sold one of my beds and divided the other and made two. We have had our health pretty well. I have not paid any doctor bills yet. William S. had the mumps and some bad colds.
I have been able to work all the time since we came here, and we have a room to ourselves. I get six dollars a week, and William S. works for his board night and morning. The house has five rooms. The man is a merchant, and they have one child. It is a good place, and we will stay here all summer at six dollars per week.
James - write and let me know how times is there and all the death and wedding. We remember our love to all inquiring friends if any. Tell Elizabeth to write. So no more at present but still remains sister and nephew until death.
We remember you all,
Jane Hale & William S. Hale
James and the family kept up their correspondence with Jane and William for many years. In 1865, Jane married a man named William McMeeken in Linn County, Oregon. Her son William ended up marrying one of William McMeeken’s daughters, Minerva McMeeken (1849-1892). Jane passed away on December 30, 1892 in Albany, Linn County, Oregon.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this early peek into my book, A State Divided. If you have, be sure to click “Follow” above and sign up for email notifications for future posts.
Check back in future posts to hear some of the facts I’ve learned as a result of my research related to Jane’s letters, including information about Fort Laramie, Big Platte, the Kennedy Train, the Mormon Trail, the “Sisters” at Whitman Seminary, and Walla Walla, Washington. I’ll also be discussing and sharing photos from my April trip to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, where I visited the Museum of Westward Expansion and learned a lot more about the road west.
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