The following letter was transcribed by Kathy Tucker of Seattle, WA
for inclusion at the Genealogy
in Washington Co., PA web site in March 1998.
Kathy writes:
This is a letter from J.S. Rankin to my g-g grandmother
Nancy Jane Thomas during the Civil War
Parole Camp
March 21,64
Dear friend Nannie
I received a letter from home which among other things contained
sad news the death of your dear mother. You have sustained a loss the
magnitude of which those who have never been deprived of a kind and
lving mother know anything. And while I appreciat the fact and
acknosledte that I know but little of the dread realities of your
situation I feel like speaking a world of comfort to you. You have at
least the comfort of knwoing that your mother was a christian and that
she is perhaps now in that land where sickness and death never come and
where partings are no more. It is also a great consolation to know that
you are not parted from your mother forever for when a few short years
pass over us according to the laws of nature we too must die and bid
farewell to earthly scenes and if we spend our time rightly we shall
join that happy throng whose constant delight is in singing praises to
our blessed redeemer. I have now been cack in camp a little over a week
and although U.S. does not require us to do any duty I find plenty of
work it its not military but litterary work. This is about the first
time that I have had an opportunity for studying since I enlisted and
will have no objections to remaining here for some time. It is not equal
to home however for the only pleasure I have here is in studying and
teaching. There is a school taught in camp which I attend and which does
much to take away the monotomy of a life like this. I hope you well
remember that God has sent the present affliction upon you for some wise
purpose. God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. His wasy
are not your way nor his thoughts our thoughts Please give my complimets
to Bella (if she is at home) and the rest of the family
Truly Your Jim Rankin
There is some prospect of an exhange and then Isaah will jervat? of the
rebel’s prisons I had a pleasant time at Steubenville Bella received me
with her usual kindness I hope you will write soon for I have no friend
here for whom I care much An err can sequently will have to have this
deficiancy made up by shy correspondants
Truly Yours
J.S. Rankin
Parole Camp
Camp G ?