The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

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.