Ellen and Peddy Finch letters, 1862-1863
6 items
Captain Ozro B. Gould of the 55th Ohio Infantry Regiment received 6 letters from his cousins Ellen and Peddy Finch in 1862 and 1863. The Finches discussed their education, provided news from Ohio, and shared stories of mutual acquaintances who served in the Union Army.
Ellen and Peddy Finch wrote to their "Soger Coz." from their home in Green Springs, Ohio. The Finch sisters attended evening classes and reported on marriages and other social events, such as a visit from "G. W. S.," an officer from Grand Temple of Ohio (of the Independent Order of Good Templars) who stayed with Finch family. The letters also include updates about local men who served in the Union Army, collected from the soldiers' letters to Green Springs, and occasional comments about the war. On January 17, 1863, Nellie Finch wrote that her sister Peddy had hoped that the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation would bring the war to a quick end. Ellen Finch's letter of March 8, 1863, is written on stationery with an imprint of a Union flag and the words "Union forever."