1854-1866 Handwritten Letters Civil War Era Arbogast Dock Freeburg PA Soldier

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1854-1866 Handwritten Letters Civil War Era Arbogast Dock Freeburg PA Soldier :
$256.00

I want to start off by saying that on a weekly basis I get questions from buyers asking if I split up family lots of diaries and sell them separately. So I thought I’d post something to ease everyone’s mind before they buy. I am very passionate about diary collecting and history and I can’t even imagine buying a diary lot from one particular family and then splitting them up and selling each separately. Its heart wrenching when I see this happening and you have my promise that if I have more then one diary, no matter how many I have, I will always sell family lots together in one sale. But I think it’s a good question you should always ask your sellers just in case you want to try and keep a lot together. And with that said…..

Then I need to put that it is illegal by ’s rules to copy all or any part of the description here for purposes of selling elsewhere. Their policy is listed here;

I have no problem at all with anyone purchasing my item and reselling it, however my description that I’ve worked hours on is not allowed to be copied by anyone for the above purposes. The main reason I write this is because I was contacted about a listing where someone had copied my exact sale and tried to sell a diary that they didn’t even have. It ended up being a fraudulent sale and I’m thankful they caught it in time. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Up for sale today are 24 handwritten letters and all have to do with Sarah Arbogast of Freeburg, Snyder County Pennsylvania. They date from 1854-1866 and contain about 52 pages of writing between them all. They are from her friends, family and her husband Henry Dock. Most of them are to Sarah but a few are to her husband Henry. I found a genealogy web site that says Sarah and Henry married August 26th, 1858 but there’s a letter that says “Dear Wife” and it’s dated December 18th, 1857. The letter is signed “Your Friend, Henry Dock.” So I’m a bit confused as to when they got married. Actually what I’m thinking is that he just calls her wife early on but they don’t marry until 1858. A couple letters are to Henry from his brother and one of them in very interesting because (and I’m not sure if I read it right) but it sounds like Henry needs to leave the particular place he was at because another woman might possibly be pregnant. I’ve quoted from that particular letter and it’s the 3rd letter down with the highlighted the part. Henry’s brother is also a Lieutenant in the army during the civil war serving in “Co. E. 12th US H. Infantry” or at least that’s what I think it says. He’s in Columbus Kentucky when writing his second letter in 1866. I’ve quoted a bit from that letter too. Not sure if this is his company or not but thought I’d include this web site;

I’ve also taken several more excerpts from various letters to give you a better idea of the contents and please note some of the writers are a bit illiterate and I’ve quoted them exactly the way they write….

“Northumberland December 18th, 1857

Dear Wife,

This with pecisure (pleasure?) that I set down to night very tired and not well at all. I feel if I should lay down but I promise to write to you and to fulfil it I mest write to you. I let you know that I don’t like tis place at all because such a drinking whiskey I never did see. It beats all and fighting I can’t hardly stand it till my time is up because they are all strangers to me and I don’t care ether if I get acquanted with them or not for they are a darned set of hogs and nothing else. Love I don’t know when I be at home but think till about the 5 of January if I keep my health but I hope it will get better before long. Love I can’t write much to night to you but I say this yet. Remember me my love as good as I remember you. My heart and mind is fix upon you as my best and long loved friend so much of your true lover friend. I send my best respect to Abby and Samuel and my friends in Freeburg. Don’t answer back because I don’t now how long I will stay. Perhaps I go next week and may be not so long just as accident will happen I come home. Your friend, Henry Dock.”

“Freeburg Snyder Co. Aprl 21st, 58’

My Dear Friend,

I have received your affectionate letter for about two weeks ago and there had no time to answer right away so I took sick with the measles and was not able to be up till in about a week after I took sick and herd that you felt so sorry been you write to me but indeed Sarah I always thought that you was one of my best friends in this world but by your talk it must be quiet different but I hope you will forgive me. I heard you wasent pleased because I dident tell you when I was going to get married but you may believ me or not that I dident know it meself till just a few days afore we where marrid and I could not write to you then anymore. Samuel come over on Thursday evening and was in hops of getting marrid that evening and Mr. Erleumyre come up to our house and I wouldent have been able to stand that long and I can tell you I felt cheap and then Samuel staid in town till Sunday evening. There we had a kind of a wedding. Moyers and Cate Erlemuyre and Sarah Hilbush, Mr. Brown, Mr. H. Dock, your honey, but he had no partner. We did not know who to get if you would have been here then he would have had one to. How we wished for you but I hope we may have the pleasure in attending your wedding to before long. Married life I think is better then single the way I lived and you must live that way to and I’ll advice you to take that chance and don’t refust it. It’s all over with me now and I am very glad to……Sarah write soon and aswer my letter and I shall do the same. Don’t show it to anybody its such a darn hard looking on. Mrs. Sarah Dock. Abba Watts.”

“Bellevue Saturday October 16th, 1858 ( The cover on this one say Bellevue O so I’m assuming he’s in Ohio)

Mr. H. Dock,

……I left you know that I received your letter on Saturday last that was on the 9 instant and was pleased to hear the news!! Although I was somewhat surprised to hear that you go married. While you had stated in that letter you wrote before that you was coming out here being there was one about to come on you with a child. And you said in your letter that you was married to your old honey. You have rather got me there for I cannot tell whether it is Miss Bigle or Miss Arbogast but no matter Henry how I wish success to you and your wife and a long and happy life……Henry I tell you once more as a friend that seeks your interest as well as my own, not to build your home in East but move yourself up being you have a wife now and sell all and come to the West to the land of the free. I let you know that I would have come in there if my mother would have lived a little longer. But now I saw farwell to all the rest and if ever I get to see them it will be in the West because it is doutfull wether I ever get to Pennsylvania anymore for I would rather go further west then east……Yours with due respect, C. E. Dock.”

“Columbus KY, January 20th, 66’

Mr. H. Dock,

Dear Brother,

I have just recovered from a spell of sickness. I had remittent fever but I am getting along nicely now…….Now I know if you was aware of the circumstances connected with my visit at that time you would not judge harshly with me for it was utterly impossible for me to visit many of my friends then but to please my wife. I was obliged to make a short call with some of her friends at Freeburg though we were there but a time not exceeding 2 hours. I used ever effort to learn of your welfare and found that your wife had left town but a few minutes previous…….You must not wait and think that my wife had just as good a right to come to see you as your had to go and see her. She is a very poor hand at visiting when in her best mood and in her troubles during my absence. She requires the best will from all our friends and therefore I would wish you with your family to pay your kindest regard to her until I come home. You have but very little idea of the trouble that my wife has to contend with during my absence. It has been my special duty for some time past to get out of the service but have thus far not had any success, however I live in hopes that our Regt will be mustered out by next spring if no further troubles arise against our country and if there should be any necessity of trying a little more bright steel in the shape of sword and bayonette or powder and cast iron in the shape of shot and shell as I really think there will before very long. Then I would rather stand where I am now but if as I pray there may be peace in our land I wish to quit the service today……Yours Respectfully Lt. C. E. Dock Co. “E” “12” US H. Infty. Via Louisville Kentucky.”

I’m not sure of the date of this next letter but wanted to quote from it. It is addressed to Sarah Abrogast so I’m assuming it’s before she married in 1858.

“Freeburg Snyder Co. March 7th,

Dear Friend,

While we have no preaching this forenoon I thought I would write this morning although I don’t know a great deal but to fulfill my promise I must write a little something. I would have wrote last week but I received your letter on Wednesday evening and then you wouldent have got the letter this week anyhow and I don’t think you care much for the folks in Freeburg. Some people have a great fuss since you are going. They say if you would come home you would not look on us folks anymore but you must not be that way because you know that we are friends of yours and indeed you are allways wellcome when ever you come to our house and that you know to and we all felt sorry that you could not be with us at the Liverpool concert. I can tell you we had high times down their. We all dressed at Wallises Tavern and after we come back from the concert we stopt at the tavern again and we cut up the deal and we dident get to bed till two o’clock in the morning……Your affectionate friend, Abba.”

Most of the letters have their covers. Some are in good shape, some in poor so please keep the condition in mind when purchasing.

CONDITION OF ITEMS:

Handwritten items such as diaries and letters are never usually in mint condition. I try and describe my items the best way I can and post as many photos as I can. If a diary is tough to read for me I always say so in the description. If it is in bad condition I also say so and I usually describe the condition at the end of my descriptions. I have never, or I should say rarely, had a handwritten piece be in mint condition and there is a very good reason for that; they are made of paper, they’ve been carried around sometimes for 100’s of years and have been opened and shut hundreds if not thousands of times. So, please keep all of this in mind when purchasing diaries and letters from me..

MY BLOG: I’ve decided, finally, to start a blog site using the diaries in my personal collection. Over the years I’ve got so many amazing people emailing me asking me to share from my own personal collection of antique diaries. I’ve been trying to develop a web site but that is taking time so I thought I’d do this first and also facebook. There is also a page on the blog where I’ve written about why I collect. You can search for the blog by putting into one of the search engines (such as Google) the name; sallysdiaries (no apostrophe and all one word).

USUALLY I WOULD PUT THE LINK HERE WHERE YOU CAN JUST CLICK INTO MY BLOGGING WEB SITE BUT HAS DECIDED THAT THEY NEED TO REVIEW MY LISTINGS TO MAKE SURE I\'M NOT VIOLATING ANY OF THEIR LAWS BY PUTTING MY WORDPRESS WEB SITE HERE!!!. I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT SELLING ANYTHING ON MY BLOG BUT THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE BEFOREI CAN CONTINUE TO SHARE THE WEB ADDRESS IN MY LISTINGS. SO AGAINIF YOU WANT TO FIND IT JUST GOOGLE SALLYSDIARIES. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION.

I’ve also started a facebook page and that is listed under Sally’s Diaries. The first diary I’ve been blogging about is from 1912 and is written by a woman who spends a romantic summer in England with her lover Henri. She also takes photos along the way. It’s one of the first that I’ve blogged about and have finished it but you can still find it by going back to the beginning of the blog. On another blog page I’ve started to quote from a 1927 diary from a man who just lost his wife to death. She was giving birth to their daughter who also died. I call it “John’s Grief Diary” and a link to that is on my main blog page. His entries are as deep and heartfelt as I’ve ever read.THIS IS ALSO UNDER SALLYSDIARIES2. (Note the “2” after Sallysdiaries)

Thirdly I have just started another one on my first blog site that was written by none other then EDITH VANDERBILT SHEPARD FABBRI. It’s her travel diary from the East to West Coast in 1887.

And finally on my facebook page, also located under Sallys Diaries, I started with another diary I have from 1937. This is an amazing diary belonging to the girlfriend of a New York Gangster. Crazy entries to say the least.

Thanks to all of you who have helped me through the years with such positive words of encouragement