Martin Wilsie and Celia Smith of Holton, Michigan, were In-Laws to Camalena Barks Wilsie, their daughter-in-law. John Barks and Helen McDonald, Fremont, Michigan, were In-Laws to Hugh Wilsie, their son-in-law.
Great-Grandfather, Martin Wiltsie's 2nd Son, Hugh Wilsie, 1875, is my paternal grandfather.
Hugh Wilsie married Camalena Barks, "Cama", on January 1, 1901. She was the second oldest of four children, oldest of two daughters, of John Barks, Dayton, Michigan, and Helen McDonald.
Her siblings were: an older brother Americus V. Barks, "Gus", who moved to the Pacific northwest; a younger sister, June Barks, who lived in Fremont, Michigan, and never married and a younger brother Ralph, who married and died young.
John Barks, served the entire Civil War without so much as a scratch. Though, he suffered from a nervous condition from living through the stressors and conflict of the Civil War years.
After living many years in the Dayton area, the family moved to a farm north of Fremont, Michigan.
Helen McDonald Barks, eventually moved to the town of Fremont, where she became a prominent citizen in her own right, through her work with the Fremont Grange and the Fremont Indicator.
These three letters were written by John Barks to his 1st wife, Emeline S. Palmer, .. his father, .. James D. Barks and his mother, .. Sophia Cool.
All buried with John Barks at the Evens [Swedish spelling] Cemetery near Evens Lake, Michigan, a bit northwest of the western city limits of Fremont, Michigan ...
Dayton, Michigan
February 14, 1876
My dear wife,
I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you know how I got along. My health is good and I hope these few lines will find you [Emeline Palmer] and Mother [Sophia Cool] enjoying the same blessings.
But I can tell you that it is lonesome enough without you. I got home Wednesday night all right.
On Friday I went to camp in mud knee deep.
Baley has left the camp [logging camp !!!] in debt and cannot pay his men. Bell is going to run the camp now.
I came back on Saturday and found no one home to get supper. Too Bad! I got supper.
I went to bed and found .. no Caty, a for morning came and I got no Caty.
With down cast eyes, I went around all day, but no Caty came to sooth the lonesome hours.
Monday I hauled straw. Elmer Smith and old man Smith helped me get dinner over there. I had a good meal.
I hope you are enjoying yourself.
It snowed a little going to the Shanty. Tomorrow I go with a load of oats. The weather is pretty cold today.
Jones is working up at Herbs. Elmer has stayed with me two nights and is going to stay with me tonight.
He has just come in and it is 8 o'clock. I must hurry up. I have not heard from you, but thought I would write you a few lines, before I went to camp.
For no telling when I come back again.
I hope you and Mother got through all right and found the folks all well.
Tell Art it is a pretty dull time out here at present.
Last Saturday, while Mr. Lang was off chopping, he felled a tree onto himself and broke one of his legs twice below the knee and fractured his skull,
He died on Sunday night and was buried today.
His son was killed a year ago the 18th of this month by falling a tree, strange to say!
Well I must bring my few remarks to a close, hoping to see you again soon, my dear wife, Emeline Barks.
I send my best respects to an inquiring friend,
At town I got your card. I'm glad to hear you got through safe!
It is snowing this morning and cold ...
Camp near Haner
Haner Bluffs 9 miles in the rear,
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Father [James D. Barks]
I am going to write you a few lines to let you know where I am and what, for a place we are camped at.
We are nine miles in the rear of Vicksburg, near Haner Bluffs on the banks of the Yaros [Sp!] River.
The place where we are camped has not been taken from the rebels over 4 weeks and you better believe the rebels have it strongly fortified.
Their large guns are here on the ground yet. But they are all relics [sp!]. They done it themselves.
The largest gun I seen weighs 13,500 pounds. It is 14 inches in the bore. The ground here is very hilly.
The men started the nine miles from Memphis. We had a very nice time with the exception of Tuesday night.
There came the hardest wind storm I ever seen or I ever want to see again, and I tell you it came pretty near turning our boat over.
When we came down river, they run the boat within 5 miles of Vicksburg. The men could see the city plane.
They fired at us 4 times, but they could not reach us. Then the men came up the Ayre River to where men are now camped.
They was fighting at Vickburg last night and yesterday.
Men came here and shot their cannons very plane from where we are camped.
It is very warm here. But I guess we are good for it.
I expect our regiment will get in a fight before long, but let them come. The boys are putting up their tents.
Henry Hine is well and is writing a letter the side of the men.
I suppose you have read of the rebels a-building float bridges to blockade the river.
There is one of them bridges on the bank of the river where we are now camped.
And I saw one of the chains they had stretched across the river to stop our boats.
But I guess the men will give them Hell before long a Vicksburg anyhow.
Now i guess I will quit for I don't suppose you can make any sense of what I have wrote.
John Barks to James Barks
Direct your letters by way of Memphis, as you always have done before.
Headquarters
Co. 100 - Regiment, Indiana, Vol. Inft. October 17th
[To Sophia Cool Barks from her son John Barks]
I take the time this Sunday morning to answer your letter, that you wrote the 20th of September.
I was glad to hear from you and to hear that you are all well.
My health is not very good at present. But I have been gaining for the past two weeks. I am now in a good hospital, where I have a nice bed to sleep on and have pretty good living, and I calculated to stay there till I get perfectly well.
Henry Hime arrived here last evening all safe and sound with the socks and that tea you sent the men and you better believe I am proud of them.
The regiment starts this morning for Corinth. They started on foot from here.
I saw Henry this morning. He was going to the depot to take the cars, as he thought he was not able to march and carry his knapsack.
So he will get to ride on the cars to Corinth.
You stated in your letter, that father had got done seeding barley.
For him, you also stated that you had plenty of apples and peaches. I can tell you I would like to be there and get my share of them. But there is no use to talk about that.
If the men want any peaches here, we have to pay one dime for three smmall peaches ane a dime a piece for apples, such as grow on that bellflower up by the Grannery.
That is paying pretty dear for apples. But it can't be helped.
Mother, I have gave up the notion of enlisting again.
The weather here is very pleasant. The doctor gives me a pass every day to go out in town and take a walk.
I can tell you there is lots of soldiers in Memphis at present and lots of sick.
Tell Hannah I wrote her a letter the other day. Now I guess I will bring the letter to a close.
Direct your letters as follows: Gayoro Hospital Ward at Memphis, Tennessee.
John Barks -- to his mother, write soon and often ...
Tell Timmy he must be a good boy and work like a hero
... and Ely may ask the lady, for all I care ...
These three letters donated to this site by Dorothy Wilsie and Eugene Kuhne's son, Norman Emiel Kuhne, my youngest Kuhne cousin -- 2003