March 14, 1861

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mollie Van Valkenburgh

Written by Gerrit to his sister Mollie. Attempts to justify his decision, as a transplanted Northerner, to side with the South. Mixes support for his adopted home with love for the family he left in the North. He references her letter of from February 12 and says he will answer it now even though she takes six months to respond to him. Says he is at Warren, Arkansas attending court and collecting money. He reports that people in Warren are getting over the political excitement which has been the absorbing topic of conversation. He claims they are ending the talk and preparing for war. He says…

GLC00686.05

October 28, 1862

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his brother

Two handwritten copies of the same letter in the file. Says it has been a long time since he wrote, but not because he has not thought of his family in the North. He claims that "although we now belong to sections of our country which are engaged in an unnatural and unholy warfare Yet I cannot say that I love your or my friends less than I did when we were Members of the same great family." He wonders when they will be reunited. He says the last letter he received from his family was from July 1861. He says he shed blood for the South and that he is "now in the army fighting for liberty - for…

GLC00686.08

May 5, 1864

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Written by Gerrit, a transplanted Northerner fighting for the South, to his mother Mary. Begins by asking "Can the years that have passed since I saw you last - can the position that I have taken in this Civil War, have alienated me entirely from your love[?]" Says he has only heard from her once in 4 years and that only a short note on a letter she wrote to his brother Frank. Says those words have made him suffer more than the entire war. Asks to be forgiven for not being able to think as she did. Says he did what he thought was right.

GLC00686.10

June 10, 1864

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Written by Gerrit to his mother Mary. References her letter from May 22, 1864. He is very happy about his mother's letter and says he has thought about her often. He says there is a big difference between them and that he is "a Southerner in word in thought & act." He believes that the Confederates were not as wanton as Northern papers make them out to be. He argues that he did not enter the war blindly, but made a well-thought choice to join the South. He goes into detail about his decision making process. He says he does not blame anyone for wanting to join the Federal army, so people…

GLC00686.11

January 11, 1865

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to his brother

Written by Gerrit as a Confederate prisoner of war. References his brother's letter from December 23, 1864. He is glad because the letter was "the first word of tiding I have had from you in answer to my letter & I began to fear that your displeasure at my course had led you to think that I was not worthy of a word from your pen." He reports that a Miss [Hill] gave him $211 and brought photographs of his family. Says she was the only lady he has spoken to since being captured. Says he arrived at Johnson's Island on December 28, 1864. Declares that his Christmas and New Years were not…

GLC00686.12

January 13, 1865

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Gerrit writes to his mother as a prisoner of war in Ohio. He says it has been a long time since he heard from her and that he has wanted to write to her earlier, but was travelling around so much he was unable to tell her where to reply until now. He reports that he arrived at Johnson's Island after stints as a prisoner in Kansas and Camp [Merlow]. He explains that his current situation is better: "Here we are as well treated as could be expected - have good fare - comfortable bunks & as much exercise as we desire." He has met a number of New York men in the prison as well as some…

GLC00686.13

January 26, 1865

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Gerrit writes as a prisoner of war in Ohio to his mother. He references his mother's letter from January 11, 1865, and says the other letters mentioned in the January 11th letter never reached him. He declares that "It is a source of sorrow to me, that I am opposed in principle to the balance of our family - but I am honest in my belief - act in strict accordance therewith - and hope & believe, that if I am wrong, I will be forgiven." He reports that letters from other family members have been sharp and that "most of the letters I have had from the north, seem to be written under the…

GLC00686.14

January 29, 1865

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Kate Van Naven

Gerrit S. Van Valkenburgh writes as a prisoner of war in Ohio to his sister, Kate, in Wisconsin. He seeks some sort of reconciliation with his family. He begins by asking "Can you take me by the hand, and greet me as a Brother? or will that world Rebel - Traitor, come to your lips before the [other one]?" Says he has not heard from her in a long time, and asks for an update from her. He adds that he is glad that all the husbands of his sisters have decided to stay home rather than fight. He saw a sleigh the other day for the first time in five years and mentions that it reminded him of "those…

GLC00686.15

February 28, 1865

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Gerrit S. Van Valkenburgh refers to his mother's letter from January 28, 1865. He says he is sorry that the letters he writes to her are not arriving. He updates her on family information. He reports that he has contracted Erysipelas and that his face has been swollen for a week. He adds that it has since peeled all over. He says the weather is good and that the woods are full of flowers. He mentions that he was not aware that his brother Robert was going to Japan until he received a note from his brother Frank (Robert was selected as the American ambassador to Japan). He says he is doing…

GLC00686.16

August 18, 1865

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Written by Gerrit to his mother Mary. Says he loves his relatives in the North and often thinks of them. Mentions that his brother, Frank, has already written about his release from the prison. Says the charges against him were false. Since he has been in Pine Bluff, he has been sick with chills and fever - he thinks typhoid. Reports that he is feeling better though. Says he boards with his employer, who is originally from Connecticut. Mentions an uncle who lives in Warren, Arkansas and says "their slaves - or former slaves - [are] still with them." The uncle bought a flour mill and his sons…

GLC00686.24

March 28, 1866

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh

Gerrit writes to his mother Mary, declaring that he wrote two or three weeks ago, but he knows many of his letters do not make it, so he is writing again. He reports that he has recovered from his bout of Erysipelas and that he weighs more now than he ever has (Gerrit also suffered from the disease in February 1865; see GLC00686.16). He says he has not suffered from chills since January. He mentions that communication in Arkansas is not good because of the lack of bridges, and discusses his garden and fields.

GLC00686.25

24 October 1905

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Franklin Butler Van Valkenburgh

A letter written by Gerrit Van Valkenburgh to his brother, Franklin Butler Van Valkenburgh. Gerrit expounds Christian doctrine and speaks of local involvement during the Civl War. There is a large purple stamp in the upper left hand corner of the first page. This letter is written on two spererate pieces of paper. There are small tears along the creases at the bottom of both pages. The letter is signed by a G. Van Valkenburgh. It is believed that G. is Franklin's brother Gerrit Smith.

GLC06253.16

26 December 1908

Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S., 1835-1885

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Franklin Butler Van Valkenburgh

A letter written by Gerrit Van Valkenburgh to his brother. Butler writes about holiday festivities, family affairs, and the weather. The recipient of the letter is believed to be Franklin Butler Van Valkenburgh based on colletion context. The letter is signed G. Van Valkenburgh and is beleived to be Franklin's brother Gerrit Smith.

GLC06253.19