The Green Huckell Letters
1863
and Huckell Family Information

Contributed by Kitty S. Scharf
April 2003


Rachel Donnelly Huckell (1827-1900)
Recipient of the Letters from John H. Green
Photo Contributed by Kitty S. Scharf

Historian's Note: Rachel Donnelly Huckell was born in Hillsgrove, PA on 9 September, 1827. Her parents were Benjamin Huckell and Margaret Plotts. In 1867, she became the second wife of John Braund, a prominent businessman in Towanda, PA. They had one child, Edward Joseph Braund. In 1879, they moved to Cawker City, Kansas. It appears that her family of origin had already located, at least temporarily, to Iowa at some point prior to 1863, however, since the letters shown below were addressed to Rachel at "Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa". Rachel died in 1900 in Cawker City, KS. Her son, Edward, moved to Colorado where he had 60 years continuous service as an official court reporter. He died in 1950. He had two children. I am the daughter of his eldest, Beatrice Braund, who died in 2001.

I believe Rachel had brothers named John and Joseph because I have pictures and deeds with their names. Because a picture of Rachel's sister, Emeline, is on the Sullivan County Genealogical Web Page, I was able to identify her picture in a photo album of otherwise unidentified people. In fact, I found the pictures of Emeline to be the same. If you will notice in the letter presented below, which was written to Rachel in 1863 by the soldier John Green, he writes: I presume Miss Emeline feels rather bad since she lost her lover. I have to wonder if the photo in my album might have been her "lover" and was he maybe killed in the war??
[Note: Emeline Huckell (1843-1884) married Aaron Lewis in 1869. It appears that Emeline always lived in the Hillsgrove area and never relocated out West. It is also certain that Emeline and Rachel had a brother named Joseph, since he married Elizabeth Roberts and lived in Columbia County, PA. You can learn more about these Huckell family members at The Lewis and Huckell Families.--Bob Sweeney, Sullivan County Genealogical Web Page Editor, May 11, 2003]

I have two photo albums that were Rachel's. My grandmother who died in 1967 at the age of 94 was a geneologist and, in clearing out the family home, I found a box of her records as well as these albums. The albums had been kept in a trunk in the basement of the house purchased by her husbnad (my grandfather, Edward Joseph Braund) in 1914. Only on a few pictures had someone identified people. Some of the photographers were: Ott and Hay, Geo. H. Wood, and A. J. Fisher, all of Towanda. Many were taken by photographers in Elmira, NY. What a shame someone did not identify the subjects.

Kitty Scharf
April 2003

Their obituaries tell us some background information about the parents of Rachel and Emeline Huckell:

Sullivan Review
Dushore, PA
October 16, 1884

Benjamin HUCKELL, died at his residence in Hillsgrove Twp., Oct. 7th, aged 82 years. About the year 1797, three brothers, John, Joseph and Thomas HUCKELL, disposed of their property near Birmingham, England and came to America. Becoming acquainted with the family of Joseph PRIESTLY, of Northumberland, PA, they purchased lands off him on the Loyalsock Creek. Two of them settled at Hillsgrove and one near Forksville. Benjamin HUCKELL was the only son of Joseph, and was born at Hillsgrove on the farm on which he died. He was married to Miss Margaret PLOTTS, who now, aged and infirm, survives him. He was the father of a large family of children, seven of which are still living, three residing in Elmira, two in Kansas and two remaining in Pennsylvania. He spent a part of his life engaged in lumbering and floated rafts down the Loyalsock to Harrisburg, Marietta and other points on the Susquehanna. In his prime he was a noted hunter, and in company of Judge SPEAKER and Wheeler GREEN often successfully pursued the game that abounded in those early days. For many years, he was a consistent member of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection and the itinerant Gospel Minister always found welcome at his home. Benjamin will long be remembered by those who knew him as a kind and indulgent father, an obliging neighbor and a warm-hearted and true friend………N. K. WOODWARD and wife attended the funeral of the lady’s grandfather, Benjamin HUCKELL, at Hillsgrove on Friday.

Sullivan Review
Dushore, PA
December 11, 1884

Mrs. Margaret (Plotts), widow of the late Benjamin HUCKELL, died at Hillsgrove on Friday last, aged 79 years.

Here are the letters. The first is four pages in length. The last page is simply a signature page. The second letter is also four pages long. The pages are separated here by line spaces in the text. Misspelled words have not been corrected.

The camps in which John Green was stationed when he wrote these letters were Young's Point, Louisiana and Iuka, Mississippi, respectively. He was a member of Company A, 9th Regiment, Iowa Volunteers. The "Wyoming men", to whom Green refers, is a comment about the soldiers from the town of Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa, where Rachel was living at this time.

Camp at Youngs Point, LA
May 27th, 1863

Friend Rachel:

I received your kind and welcome letter yesterday; of May 10th, which was gladly read and I take this early opportunity of writing you a few lines in answer. I rejoiced to hear that you have got your good health again and hope that it will remain. I am well and harty at present but I have had considerable of sickness for the last six months. I am now absent from my Regt and have escaped a hard battle for they have fought several days since they left here; and the loss of our regiment is one hundred and ten in killed and wounded. Isaac, Irvin and George Bowers are among the killed.

We have lost our captain he was wounded at Pea Ridge in the leg and here he was hit in the same place and had it amputated, and yesterday at noon he died. There was but one other of my company killed and seven wounded but the fight is not yet ended and we fear every day to hear of more of our comrads being numbered among the dead. I am going to start for my company tomorrow and I may get there yet in time to do something for my country. You wanted to know if I have seen John White; I have not seen myself but I herd from him about a week ago. He was well and sent his respects to me. As to father, I have not seen him since the 24th of March nor herd from him. And as to coming home,

I never herd him say any thing about it. I should like to come home and see my friends but there is no chance for me to get away. I expect that I shall have to serve my three years out before I come home! I think that the Wyoming men had better come down here if they want to fight where they can do some good.
The army is in good spirits and feel confident of taking the place they are now entrenching so there is no danger of losing what they have gained. I have wrote all of the news I can think of so I will bring my letter to a close by requesting you to write soon. Give my respects to all inquiring friends; and reserve a portion for your self. I remain your friend and well wisher. John H. Green.

John H. Green
Co. A, 9th Regt
Iowa Vols.
Cairo, IL

Camp, 9th Iowa, Vols
Iuka, Miss.
October 14th , 1863

Friend, Rachel

I received your kind letter bearing date, Oct. 4th, and was very glad to hear from you; and take this first opportunity of writing you a few lines in return.
I was sorry to learn that Alfred Norton was dead; for he was one of my old schoolmates and best friends. But I feared when he left us last spring that he would never return. And Samuel Beckwith was another of my friends and has been my messmate for the last year.

I presume that Miss Emeline does feel rather bad since she lost her lover, and I give her my sympathy. You talk of going to Meeting--I wish that I could enjoy the same pleasure, but I have not herd a sermon preached for nearly a year. We have been so long away from where there was any body or any such thng as meetings that we have become almost like wild men. If we can get enough to eat and time to sleep we want nothing more, but I hope that this cruel war is near an end that we can return to our homes and friends.
But folks will marry. Curt Horton can almost support himself and if Mary cant help a little she is not worth having. So we will just let them marry that want to. I dont suppose that you care much about polyticks, but I feel so good over our vote that I must tell you how the 9th voted; we gave 327 votes for Stone and 5 for Tuttle.
Lieut. Niles is acting quartermaster for the regiment at present. He is well and lively.
The cars came into Iuka knight before last; the first time in over a year. We are twenty seven miles east of Corinth. We have a very nice camp, and the best water that I have tasted since I left Iowa. It has been raining and quite cold

for the last few days, a bad thing for a soldier in an old open tent. I have got the ague broken up and this leaves me enjoying my good health.
Hoping that this may find you well and in a good humor, I will close.
Receive my respects and write soon. Belive me your true
Friend, John H. Green

 


Envelopes in Which John Green Wrote Letters to Rachel D. Huckell in Iowa
Note the Postmark of October 18, 1863 in Memphis, TN for the Second Envelope
The river port city of Memphis was in Union hands by that date.
Photo Contributed by Kitty S. Scharf


Sample Page from Letter of John Green to Rachel D. Huckell
Dated October 19, 1863
The letter was mailed from Iuka, MS, about 75 miles east of Memphis, TN.
Photo by Bob Sweeney


Emeline Huckell (1843-1884) and an Unidentified Union Soldier
Were these the "Lovers' Referred to in John Green's Correspondence to Rachel Huckell?
Or, Is This John H. Green, or Perhaps Someone Else?
The Huckell Photography Albums Do Not Say.
The albums were found in a trunk in the basement of a house purchased in 1914
by Rachel's son, Edward Jospeh Braund. Kitty Scharf found the albums in 2002.
Photo Contributed by Kitty S. Scharf


Rachel Donnelly Huckell (center)
Perhaps with Her Mother, Margaret Plotts, and A Sister
Identities Other Than Rachel Not Known for Sure
Photo Contributed by Kitty S. Scharf

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