Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #14
by Tonya Graham McQuade
As mentioned in an earlier post, I am now working on TWO books - one nonfiction and one historical fiction - based on the various family letters I recently acquired (see Post #1). That was a decision I made after learning that many Civil War sites only carry nonfiction titles. So, in addition to the historical fiction novel I originally started, I am now drafting A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree, which will just include the actual letters, along with historical context and explanations.
I’m really most excited, though, about the historical fiction novel I’m working on, Missouri Daughter, which will include the letters, along with additional “made up” elements. Every other chapter will focus on the family members back at home, with special focus given to James’s daughter, MaryAnn “Mollie” Hale Petree. Those “at home” chapters will include some imagined activities, conversations, worries, and emotions - but will be based on extensive research and many facts mentioned in the various letters. Most of the letters I have were directed to Mary Ann and her husband, Bailis Petree - my great great grandparents. However, when James volunteered for the army, he also left behind his wife, Elizabeth, and three children: Amanda (14), McDonald (12), and Eliza (6). Many of his letters were also addressed to them.
My next few posts will include excerpts from both books - so you’ll be able to see my different approaches - as I share some of the letters written by Jane “Jinny” Kennedy Hale and her son, William Simpson Hale, to the Hale family back in Missouri as they traveled along the Oregon trail in 1862 and eventually settled in Walla Walla, Washington.
Jane married James’s brother, Meshack Hale, in 1831. Their son, William, was born in 1850 and was very close in age to his cousin, James’s son McDonald “Mc” Hale. Meshack, as explained in Post #10, was killed by Confederate sympathizers in 1861. The following year, Jane and William headed west with her brother, Captain John Knox Kennedy, with what became known as the “Kennedy Train.” I discovered that a book was actually written about this particular wagon train, and some of the details I learned find their way into both books.
Here is an excerpt from Missouri Daughter, chapter 1, in which I first introduce these characters, taking what is known about Meshack’s death and embellishing the details based on historical research and sometimes “guesswork”:
Just last year, a group of Confederate guerrillas had killed Mollie’s poor Uncle Meshack, shooting him dead after burning down his barn. What a devastating day that had been for the family! A neighbor had smelled the smoke and reported that he saw a group of men riding off, whooping and hollering as they rode, but he hadn’t been able to stop them. Mollie was glad that at least they hadn’t scalped Uncle Meshack – that would have been too awful to bear. They did that sometimes, she knew – and sometimes even cut off their victims’ fingers and ears. A shiver went down her spine at the thought.
Fortunately, Aunt Jinny and cousin William had been off visiting Aunt Jinny’s sister and were unharmed by the attack, but now Aunt Jinny had decided she and William needed a fresh start, and they had joined her brother, Captain John Knox Kennedy, a few months ago in a wagon train headed out toward Walla Walla, Washington, traveling along the Oregon Trail. Mollie hoped they were safe. She missed hearing Aunt Jinny’s happy laughter, and she knew her brother Mc really missed cousin William, who was just a few months younger than he. The two of them were like two peas in a pod – always joking, swapping stories, going hunting, looking for arrowheads, and coming up with new ways to avoid work and get into trouble around the farm. Mc had been moping around for months now.
Later in Missouri Daughter, I have the family sit down to read the letter they finally received from Aunt Jane - but I don’t have them receive it until Christmas, where it serves as a sort of Christmas gift for them all. It cheers them all up a bit since they are all disappointed that their father, James Calaway Hale, could not come home for Christmas on furlough. I don’t know when the family actually received the letter, but if Jane waited to mail the letter until she reached Walla Walla, it’s possible that many months would have passed since she first set pen to paper.
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 3, describing that scene:
After they had all enjoyed some warm cookies and milk, Mama held up an envelope. “I have a surprise,” she said. “Uncle Elijah stopped by the post office in Savannah today, and he picked up this letter for us. It’s from Aunt Jinny!”
It had been months since Aunt Jinny and cousin William had left for Iowa to join the wagon train heading west, and they had all been wondering if they had made it safely to Washington. Eagerly, they encouraged Mama to open the envelope, and when they saw that the letter was many pages, they excitedly urged her to begin reading:
Nebraska Territory – June 2, 1862
Dear friends and brothers and sisters,
I take my pen in hand to let you know that we are all well at this time, thanks be to god for his mercy. Hoping these few lines find you all in the same state of health. We are traveling on the north side of Big Platte. We are within twenty-five miles of Fort Laramie, and we will go not far from there. It is on the other side of the Platte River.
There is fifty wagons in this train, and my brother John Kennedy is captain of the company. I never saw the like in my life of people going to Oregon and to Pike’s Peak. You cannot see from the one end of the train to the other they say. There are nine hundred Mormons on the other side of the river.
I’m very well satisfied so far. William S. Hale is well satisfied too. He wishes Mc was along and all of you. He wants to see you all, and we were sad you weren’t able to come see us before we left. I intended to give you my clock and a great many other things, but we took the things along with us and sold them on the road and done well with them. We swapped the wagon and horses for a yoke of oxen for eighty dollars. They are fine cattle.
They all treat me well, and I feel better satisfied than I did there all alone. There is no sickness as yet and no bad luck. They have preaching on Sabbath when convenient. They have singing. John’s daughter Rhoda is along and has two children. His daughter Mary is not married yet. She is a good-looking girl. There are five women in our tent. That makes it light on me. John has four wagons for his family, one for us, and five more wagons for other families. I have all my bed clothes and both beds, and that is all I wanted. We have camped now.
Big Platte - June 9, 1862
Now we are about starting. We are up among the Indians. We have had no trouble with them yet. We have come through two tribes of them. This morning of June marks one year since Meshach died, and I was sorrow that I could not get Harriet’s and his graves fixed, but so it is. I think just as much of them as if I had them fixed. I tried hard to get them fixed, but I could not get the money.
Sixth day of June, we started on Big Platte again. We are all well this morning – only William S. got his arm sprained, but it is getting well. Seventh morning of June we have been traveling three days without seeing a house. We don’t see no Indians here. They are away back in the bluff a herding the buffalo to keep the whites from killing them. We don’t see none of this tribe. They keep hid away.
We are both well satisfied if it don’t rain. There have been some hard rains for the last week. Today it is a fine morning. I hope we will get through this safe. I had my fortune told, and he said I would get through safe and have good luck after I did get through.
June 20, 1862
I take up pen in hand to let you know how we are getting along. We are all well at this time. We was all at a wedding last evening and there was about two hundred people there. We have been traveling for two weeks without seeing a house, not much wood, Indians plenty. It is like a camp meeting. I don’t mind if we have had good luck so far.
John has not lost any of his stock and has had no sickness. Only one of his step daughters has been put to bed and is a doing well - Miss Neely. She has two little girls and a third just born. There was one man’s teams run off and killed one of their sons and then broke their wagon. They had to unload his wagon into another wagon, and they will fix his wagon when we get to the fort tomorrow.
William S. Hale is very well pleased, and he has been well ever since we started. I hope he will stand it and live to get through and then we can get along there better. John Kennedy was at Lewis Hale’s and saw Emily Francis Neel. She was married to James Kennedy and they was doing well. Jane Hale was well and more hearty than he ever saw her.
John remembers his love to all of you and he says he would like to see you all and wants you all to come to Oregon and bring your children where they can get land. You and Liza might fix and come while your children is little. There is a great many old men along and they stand it well.
When we get there we will write to you and let you know where to write to us and let us know how all people is doing and who has married. Read this to all inquiring friends. I must come to a close as they are about starting. William S. Hale says he would like to see all of the children.
Always remains our love,
Jane Hale & William S. Hale to all inquiring friends
Mama carefully folded the letter, then opened it up again to look at the final date: June 20. She wondered when and where Jane had finally been able to mail this letter – and just where she and William might be right now. She hoped they would be celebrating Christmas in a new home in Washington, with family and friends close by. She didn’t like to think of them being alone.
“I sure miss William,” Mc said. “But what an adventure he’s having! I think I’d like to go see him in Washington someday. Maybe go see Lewis and Jane Hale in California, too, and take a look at those big trees he mentioned in his last letter” (see Post #13).
… Aunt Jinny’s letter had cheered them all up enough to sing a few Christmas carols, then say an extra special prayer for Papa. They hoped he was warm, healthy, and safe, and that he would get something special to eat for Christmas. They would be eating a Christmas ham, cut from the hog they had recently butchered, along with some sweet potatoes, cooked greens, cranberries, plum pudding, and apple pie. Bailis’s brother Benjamin and his family would be joining them after the church service that morning, as would Papa’s brother, Uncle Elijah, and his family. Maybe this could still be a happy Christmas after all.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these early peeks at my book, Missouri Daughter! If you have, be sure to click “Follow” above and sign up for email notifications for future posts.
Check back Saturday to see an excerpt from my nonfiction book, to learn some additional facts about the Kennedy Wagon Train, and to see another letter from Jane and William to the family.
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