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Archiver > WVHAMPSH > 2001-04 > 0987476324


From: "Wilmer L. Kerns" <>
Subject: RE: [WVHAMPSH-L] 1858 letter from Hampshire County
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 22:59:34 -0400
In-Reply-To: <20010416.165614.-1101271.11.s2ee@juno.com>


April 5, 1858, letter (excerpts) from Louise E. (Baker) Millslagle and
husband Abraham Millslagle in Hampshire County, VA to her brother Aaron
Baker in Adams County, Illinois:

Dear brother, with respect:

I hope you will excuse me for not writing sooner but my mother was taken
sick on March 15th and confined to her bed 10 days and had dropsy
(congestive heart condition in today's jargon). She breathed her last quite
easy. And Joel Cooper was buried both in one day. She died at 11:00 o'clock
on Satyrday night and Joel Cooper died at half past seven in the morning.

I will give you the details. Joel went to the soil (or toil) of James Baker
in the company of his nephew James Cooper. They both landed there safe and
spent the day enjoying theirselves on the best jokes of the day. Until the
evening then they was coming home in the lane of Hamricks (this was near
Poston's Mill, later Baker's Mill at North River). His horse throad him off
on his head and ingered his neck bone which paralyzed him. They took him
down to Elias McCauley and there he lay down til Friday on tell (she meant
until) a week following and then he died. He boar his afliction with the
fortitude of Job. His suffering was more than pen and ink can tell. He kept
his senses until the evening before he died then he got flyty. He was
blessed to settle his bisness in this world and prepare for another he died
in the faith of Christ. I have no doubt but what his election was shure
(that's Calvinistic so they were probably Primitive Baptists). His pore old
mother I thought would grieve herself to death and Margaret when he was brot
home I thought I never witnessed such grief. I thought that his old mother
and sister would go to the grave with him. (She described a large funeral
and lots of tears).

(Comments from Kerns: from another source, Joel Cooper was born on Feb. 18,
1808 and died on April 10, 1858. He did not marry. His parents were John and
Mary (Rhinehart) Cooper. Joel's sister Margaret (1813-1898) married Lewis
Hawkins and I believe both were killed by runaway horses.)

(Question: Whose mother died (first paragraph above), was it Abraham's or
Louise's? Abraham Millslagle was a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Cooper)
Millslagle. Louise was a daughter of Cornelius and Phebe (Switzer) Baker.)

(This next section appears to have been written by Cornelius Baker)

Tell Sarah Baker that Susan Oats was ___ last Sunday and has got another
girl and is as well as can be expected. I got home from the Peppers. I came
back that night from the Fork's of Capon and there stade all knight. I have
not sold many of my horses yet.

Margaret Jane is quite poorly.

John Horn sends his love to you. Also John Delaplane. Cousin Jesse Baker and
family is all well.

I received a letter ritten by Mary Ann Fahs on the 28th of February.

Give my love to Joseph Chamberlain and family.

Louisa has just got back from Mrs. Oates. She said that Susan is quite
smart. She sends her love to Sarah Baker.

(The letter above should be sent to Norman Cooper of Baltimore, MD who is
writing a book on the Cooper family. I have a draft manuscript of his book,
which speculates on what kind of serious disease Joel Cooper had that made
him write a hasty will and then died within days.)

Wilmer L. Kerns


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