Letter from Christopher Duff
Ancer (sic) is a consistent misspelling of Answer.
Christopher has consistently written 'have' as 'hafe'. This transcription will use 'have' throughout. He also consistently wrote 'know' as 'no'. Small words that end in 'e' appear to have a double 'ee' at the end. 'Mee' [Me], 'Wee' [We] and 'Bee' [Be] using the same strokes as in 'see' and 'Been'.
Contemporary and common 18th and 19th misspellings include: ware = were; thare = there; verry = very; evry = every; evning = evening; perhapse = perhaps; attacted = attacked; fiew = few; fs = ss (e.g. fifses = misses); do = ditto;
https://diyhistory.lib.uiowa.edu/tips
Fort Smith
Sept the 10, 1887
To My Dear Katy
and My to Dear Boys
It gives me pleasur again to sit Down to Ancer your Most Kind and Welcom letter of the 3 of this Month and this leaves Me Pray well But not to say strong As I Donr think I me will be strong again.
But Dear Katy
I will try and make up My Mind to
Ancer your questions the Best I Can
and you Must Read the Ancers and
forgive me if you can
you Asked Me If I was Maried to that woman well no Dear Katy I never was but when I found I had lost your love and lost My to Dear little sons all so I thought I would Make the Best of a Bad job and Make It Aper [appear] that she was My wife But god nose you are My only wife and the only woman I ever marid and you give Mee new life when you say you Do love Mee still and [just] [now] I [have] never see a hapy day since we [have] Been Parted But joel [just?] as [good?] and If It Bee his will we will all Bee together in a Short Time never to Part no more While on this [lrth] Do Dear Kate [have] [Paion] for a while and all will Bee All Rit again
Dear Kay
you want Mee to send you
My Discharges so as you can get
them framed you wrote to Mee for them
and Before [] I got them and Put them
in a envelope to send to But By some
Means I lost them But or that horad [horrid]
woman Destroyed them Rather then I shold
send them to My family But I will [tll]
you have you will get them to last Discharge
all so My to first Discharges that as fore an
all By writing to the War Department at
washington and you will get a Copy of each
one which will Bee 5 years each and
have them framed seprately and I will send
you the money to get nice frames for them
and If ever you shold need to use them
for any Benifet for your self or the Boys you
will [have] them I no I never was wounded in the
service But I served them 20 years faithful and
I dont no Part where U.S may Bee kind a [niff]
to give Mee or you something for out time
I will Enclud you as you I spent 10 years of
your life in the Army with Mee and our
2 first Children wear Born in the good old
7th infantry and them wear the Best and Happyist
days in My life
yes Dear
Katy you Must not neglect sending or at least
writing for the Copies of those Discharges
and [have] them [Aaress] in your self for if they
shold Come hear I May loose agan and
By you [waing] for them you will [have] them
Remember Dear Katy I give them to you they
May do you some good some time and tharefore
I give them to you for your one Property and
if ever thare is any government land any Plase
that you May go you will Bee Able to get 160 acer
and that will Bee yours and I will helpe you work it and tend it if I live
now this is the Best I Can Do In Regards to the Discharges is to Post you whare you Cane get the Copies of them thy will not Do any one els any good But [got?] for you Are ely one and only wife on erth and the only wooman I ever Maride all tho Crule fate has seprated us and Made soro [sorrow] for both you and Mee and I [naiy] that it was all My one falt and that it [lise] one My one sholalis I am sincerally Repented and god nose I [have] suferd a noff for My Doings
Dear Katy
I often times feel sory for the
[littel] girl I would like to Do Something
for her But as I no she is not My
Child Dont Care to to Do any thing
and Dont think I [have] any Rite
to Do any thing I [have] sent her to
school
of a woman has tried to Make Mee Believe
that the Child was Mine and you no
that the Child was Born Before you
an I Parted a year if not More and
the Child has no More [Clenil] [claim?] one Me
than she has
Dear Katy
Do you think the Boys will Bee as
willing for Mee to come back as you are
I want you all to be Perfectly willing
and not Drive Mee a way After I come
as for you I no I Can Depend one you
But the Boys May [have] some objections to My Coming But I am coming with the help of god Because I am not hapy as I am
So you May looke for Mee to Roal [roll?] an sooner then you expect Dear Katy Is that a Prty good Country to live In and what would Bee the Chance for Mee to [___et?] a [good?] farm to Rent I [have] some good [Mils? Mules?] and horses and wagons and would Bee Prety well [fisct] for farming I like farming Beter than any thing I ever trid or worked at [jet] you Kean hafl a watch out and if you hear or no of a good plase that you think would sut us you Can let Mee no for I am In a hury to Bee with you and the to Boys.
and as long as you are single and free I Can Come and [] you as [just?] are Mine and no Body [Cane?] [have] [gol?] while I [line?] I herd that you got Marrid and that the Man there you Marid Did not optain lisence and that the Marige was not any good and that It was Prenounced nil and voyed and that when you found it out you would not live with him well I hope this is so as I would Bee Sory to see any one [have] the [Plesur] or hapness of My one Dear Katy the only one one [erth] I ever loved and the truest wife a Man ever had [dont] [sit?] Down now and By your self sick over this letter I am only [Rellning] the war of of My hart in talking or writing this letter for It dose [Rellne] Mee to write to one that I no onced loved Mee Dearly Dear Katy
I want you to write to St Patricks Church Philadelpia and get our Marige Cirtifeet get It an a [bury?] form and [have] It framed and you can write in the [secting?] of St Patrick and Ask him or Enquier of him if ever our Babys hed stone was put up and let Mee no as I ourdered one Put in her hed while I was In long vilu Texas
now Dear Katy I think I [have] writen a nuff to keep Redin all night and will Cloas for this time asking you to Remiber all what I [have] writen to you and [Anees] [Answer?] on Recept of this
with My love to My to Dear Boys and a [Dashd?] Share for your self and May god Bless you and keep you Is the Prayers of your Husband Christopher Duff
This is from your one Dear Christopher
Those discharges I give to you and sinc My Holl Claim of them or what ever Benifet May Bee optained By them I wish to [have] it under stood that it is to Bee yours and no Person [ells?] to [have] them no s the Proseds thare of But you whill you [line?] you Can do with them what you like After you get throught with them
Sind By My Self Christopher Duff In the Presence of [blured] [blured] [blured] [blured]
Images created from scans from the National Archives
of Edward gary of Eurikie Springs and Charly Blake of Mimfes Ten
Dear Katy
I give you these Discharges the same as I gave My little Son chris that desk [imildat?] to him In the Presence of Pour Crime Swift and JackeoCane If you Remember now I give and will those papers of mine to you they May never Bee of any use But It will Bee some satsfaction to you to [have] them and I am glad I can give them to you god Bless you D My Prayrs those to Meen thare traveling for thare helth and when I Asked them to sine this as witnesses of Cours It led to a littel explination and the [eldist?] one of the to Edward gony he shed ters and told Mee By all Means to go to My one Dear wife and family which I am going to do in a short time now But as I sed Before I [have] to take things ease
good By for
this Time