LETTER OF
The GOSPEL TRUTH CHARLES G. FINNEY
1871
To Julia Monroe
14 December 1871
[MS in Finney Family Papers, RG 30/326, Box 1, Oberlin College Archives. Comments in the margin are in Julia Monroe's handwriting.]
Oberlin 14th Dec. 1871.
Dearest Julia.
Yours of the 7th inst came
by due course of mail.
We were happy to hear from
you & that you are pleas-
antly situated. Norton
spent the last sab. with us.
I send this by Charles who
will answer any questions
about us. I called at your
house to see the children
last night. All well &
doing nicely I believe.
We have not yet heard
from Rector Cole & family
whether they got home
safely or were snow bound
& suffered with so many others.
No snow here. Weather
pleasant. Roads excellent.
[page 2]
We fear they met & were
bound by the storm, but
have not heard.
We were all much
please with them.
Rector we knew was
regarded as one of the
best & most useful men
in California, but he
appeared better than
I expected, after all.
His wife too has greatly
improved And their
daughter appeared
well. Upon the whole
we were much gratified
with their visit & were
g[l]ad to renew our
acquaintance with them
The work they have had
to do over there has devel
oped them in the right
[page 3]
direction & made them
by the grace of God
good & great.
From Rectors account
of Mary his wife given
to me in private she
is altogether an extraor
dinary woman & a leader
of the women in every
good cause.
Your Uncle George,
my brother has left
a rich savor of piety
over there that is a
blessing to California,
His widow, Mary's Mother
is living near them &
is a Godly useful
woman. (Since I have
seen them I feel more
than ever like going
[page 4]
over the mountains
before I die. D.V.)
Mary felt differently
about Oberlin before
she left.
You will have heard
of Helens great joy
in the birth of a
daughter.
We are all getting
on as well as usual
by the blessing of our
Blessed God.
We, i.e. Your Mother & I
unite in sending love
to you & James. Charles
will speak for himself
& family. God bless you
forevermore.
C. G. Finney.
Footnotes:
Written in the margin against this sentence: To me in Washington?
Written in the margin: When Emma kept the house.
Rector Elisha Cole (died 1890 aged 70 years) was a dentist in California. His wife was Mary Philanda Finney (born 1827), the eldest daughter of Charles Finney's brother, George, and his wife, Lydia.
A small d has been added to this word by Julia Monroe.
Finney's writing of the words we knew was is difficult to decipher, and the words have been written in above by Julia Finney.
Finney had written & but altered it to And.
Lydia (Whitney) Finney (b.1798)
Julia wrote after this: (Hope.)
These word are marked off in the margin with a line and the words: My Rayl mother.