The Mad Genealogist

This letter was sent by one of my removed ancestors, Mrs, Ben Starling (Josephine Handley’s Mother) to Lillian Nichols McKeown, telling about her family’s experiences during the Civil War. This is more than likely a common story to most southern families during this time.

The treachery of war is horrible, and left scars untold. The years of 1861 to 1864 was not erased when I was born in 1870, and after I was old enopugh to remember, the privations told of to me, or where I could hear. I remember hearing father tell how it hurt him when he came home after the surrender of Civil War and his baby boy did not know him and was afraid of him, when he wanted to take him in his arms and embrace him.

Do not see how Yankee’s could destroy the valuable things they did when they could not use them. I heard one woman tell of how they had many negro’s on their fine old farm and had a large smoke house with lots of meat hanging up to smoke and dry to feed them. The men were all gone, also all the mules were taken except two that they left hid under a bluff near a large creek. Whenevers they heard “The Yankee’s were coming”, it was her task to hide the mules and one time the Yankee’s got there before she got back to the house. One of the Officers saw her and accused her of reporting or hiding something – spoke rudely to her and she talked back just as he did – another Officer made him hush and seeing how her bare feet and legs were scratched and bleeding, gave her a pair of his boots to wear. They had two rows of peices of meat hung, one above the other, in the smokehouse and they took it down and had the negro woman cook all they could eat and left the rest lieing around to be destroyed by anything that would do so.

This woman ( a girl then) was Miss Bashey Nichols, one of the best women I ever knew. She married Mr. Jim Brooks and is Buried in Rock Spring Cemetery.

This is 1942 another war is raging and we are asked top help. I want to help every way I can but 71 years of toil, pleasure’s and disappointment, also afflictions, makes me know I cannot do as much for defense as I would like to. I scarcely ever can leave the house because I am unable to walk most of the time and writing is my chief enjoyment.

You said you enjoy family histories in your letter received yesterday, and I thought Ide send this for you to read. We have two children, two daughters. We live with the youngest one and this is written on letters she has received. Had no thought of anyone, (or a stranger) seeing this but I will send it to you to read. Please send it back at an earlier date.

Yoiurs Truly, Mrs. Ben Stark, Star Route, Monticello, Ark.