This letter was written by Betsey Johnson Wood. When we were preparing this letter to share with our readers, it was very disheartening to learn about the death of Roderick Dwight, our series main character Emily’s husband. Taking the queue from how Betsey found out, we did additional research and found a newspaper article in the Boston Herald dated March 21, 1863, which stated that Roderick Dwight of Colrain committed suicide by hanging on March 10, 1863. It listed his cause of death as ‘spiritualism.’ Doing additional research, we found this description of spiritualism:
Spiritualist belief developed during the early decades of the movement in the 1840s. A core belief of spiritualism is that individuals survive the deaths of their bodies by ascending into a spirit existence. A person’s condition after death is directly related to the moral quality of his human existence.
In the 18th letter in this series, Betsey asks Roderick – ‘Roderick; do you still have fits of the “blues?” This could allude to Roderick suffering from some form of depression. We could find no ties as to why the newspaper listed spiritualism as his cause of death.
Ever dear sister – Emily Johnson Dwight (1808-1886), Betsey’s sister
Roderick Dwight – (1802-1863), Emily Dwight’s husband
Mother – Betsey Elmer Johnson (1785-1870), Betsey and Emily’s mother
Aunt Nabbie – Nabby Howes (1783-1869), related by her marriage to Edwin Johnson
Emma – Emaline Eliza Walker (1838-1932), Josiah Dwight’s wife and Emily’s son
Josiah – Josiah Dwight (1833-1902), Emily’s son
Libie – Irene Elizabeth (Libby) Munn Brittan (1835-1915), wife of Julius Brittan. Betsey took in the infant Julius after Betsey’s sister Juliette died giving birth to Julius.
Your children – Josiah Dwight (1833-1902), and Elizabeth Elmer Dwight (1838-1906)
Theodosius – Theodosius Wood (1802-1884), Betsey’s husband
3 Apr 1863
My ever dear sister
The letter I received from you dated last Dec. has been forgotten by me and I have neglected to write for which I am sorry awakened to the truth from reading a notice in a newspaper that Roderick Dwight of Colerain had committed suicide the 10th of March still we hear not from you How oft alas such neglect brings sorrow Had I written it might have imparted to him as well as you rejoicing that remembrance of friends and relations are still dear I feel incompetent to meet you trials with the words of comfort and
sympathy you need but hope is the moving aim with love in Christ God’s great salvation That he is saved and what greater peace and satisfaction can we feel o’er the departed than to say thy will O God be done doing while we live what we can to save with our hope our love our care our wishes to the living then laying aside our trouble if possible and rest with hope to meet the living not in the tomb but in that kingdom which [the(crossed out)] our heavenly Father did prepare for those who love him When we too shall have died and time with us is no more The !onliness the loss of him who was dear can be felt not by those who never experienced your trial and desolated home We are well I enjoy health without much suffering still I am not in perfect health my strength for enduring hardships is little Mother’s health is pretty good considering her age The rest of your relations here are well as true as I know The weather is cold and the spring is late in putting forth vegetation scarcely a green thing is to be seen A few streaks and plats by fences or in some favoured place from cold or other causes is shooting up a little with green spring grass. Julius and Libie live in town now they have two children I feel some toward them perhaps as you do to you grandchildren that they are lovely children In answer to some of your fears and feelings
with regard to the war and President Lincoln they are not much different perhaps than we all or mostly have felt Such a conflict and so unwise to our understanding as this war appears still in the justice and holiness of God may be teaching us all that the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand and soon I hope that the instruments of war which have been made predicted by Joel and fulfilled according to Christs teaching that there would be wars and rumours of wars distress and perplexities of nations the sea roaring etc. will soon be beat into plowshares and pruning-hooks and why they are not about He cannot tell no man when all will know the Lord from the least to the greatest There has been some reason to fear lest our President would fail in a judicious management of the war department and in good administration the awful trouble in which the States have got into being sufficient to excite fear
lest he should fail in right government We realize this troublous war some but cannot feel and suffer like
the poor patriotic soldiers engaged in subduing rebellion and trying to save our freedom and our union nor know the all_trying sorrow of those whose homes have been entered with the war-cry for aid and the brave the true all classes fit for service have gone forth to battle admidst hope and tears and fears the farewell separation encouraging on with heart breaking soul subdued anguish lest the last look was taken and the last good-by spoken still through this long protracted struggle to preserve and maintain
our Republican Liberty anxiously wishing watching to hear and know not whether ’twill come of health sickness or death from the far off soldiers and absent one Fathers and Mothers doubtless kneel with clasped hands to God to save brothers and sisters long for the return of Parents and brothers and friends but alas our hope has failed the war still is progressing the day is dawning for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ promised and we know not the day or hour whether at midnight or cock crowing or in the morning I hope this kingdom will come and peace will be restored-Heaven’s blessings will rest on our country We have not heard from Aunt Nabbie a long time nor our other relations Emma I suppose is Josiah’s wife do they live near you are they well does Libie live with you if so ’twill be better for you than to be alone I wish! could go and see you wished so before the news of death reached us We hope to hear from you to know more that you will write though I’m unworthy to expect from my negligence in writing I can hardly realize how your children look if time has wrought his changes as effectually with them as with some I preseme to write I should not know them but hope I shall see them again that they too will write to me Theodosius is boiling sap today and has gathered in our sap-things to save no more this season We have five or six trees have made a plenty from them though ’tis but little not a plenty however for use
Yours affectionally
Betsey E. Wood Northfield April 3, 1863
The next letter is from Clarissa Johnson Taylor to her sister Emily. This letter is back to the format of chronicling the many lives of the folks in the family. We will learn that Emily’s son-in-law is a soldier in the Civil War.
