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Tilman M. Daniel Letters to his wife, Laura, during the Civil War |
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Tilman M. Daniel Letters to his wife, Laura, during the Civil War |
THE CIVIL WAR LETTERS
OF
TILMAN M. DANIEL
To His Wife
LAURA FRANCES DANIEL
INTRODUCTION
These letters were given to me by my grandmother, Electra Maxine Daniel Tillery. It was not until I compiled the family tree information that I began to really appreciate the real value of these letters.
For example, in the letter of November 17, 1864, Tilman wrote "Kiss my dear little babe and Fannie and Thedy..". The little babe had to be my grandmother, born on September 10, 1864. 'Fannie and Thedy were Francis Meredith Daniel (then only 8 years of age) and Theophilus William Daniel (then only 5 years old).
It is also interesting to note that Tilman's letters clearly use the affectionate name of "Thedy" for his little son. Through the years, the name has been spelled differently for other family members. And, if you aid wondering where the name Theophilus came from, you will find it in the Bible (Luke, 1.3 and Acts 1.1).
I failed to find any letters written to Tilman by his wife Laura. However, in his reply to me, Sam Pinson wrote ".. My grandmother, who you show as Fannie, told me many stories of the experiences she remembered of Civil War days in Okolona, Mississippi such as the time that the Yankees came by their home and her mother, or maybe her stepmother, put the chickens that they still had under a wash pot or tub and sat on them and defied the Yankees to come and move her..".
Aunt Susan Eureka Moody Daniel told me that she met William Kemp Daniel in Grosbeck, Texas, where he had come to work for Mr. Rawls, "grampy" Daniel's half brother. Thus, the Mr. Rawls referred to in the letter of March 7, 1864 (and other letters), was probably Tilman Daniel's step-father.
One can only conjecture on those letters which mention Sister Mat, Posy, Wesley and Sister Trine and their relationship to Tilman. Also, the letters provide personal insights of the Civil War which are probably found nowhere else.
I hope you will find that as interesting as I have. All of the originals are in my possession.
Thead Max Tillery
November, 1971
Copyright 1998-2009 Richard Collins, All Rights Reserved
