Dear Laney, Of course you can have a copy. Who would be more entitled to it than you? This is a transcription of the letter with the punctuation corrected. The parenthesis are inserted by me. If you will send me your address I will be more than happy to send you a xerox copy of the original. This letter was written by Jeremiah Bellastin Martin's widow Mary Jane. I would love to find her maiden name. I have looked for her for 44 years because this letter caught my heart and my imagination. It made my ancestors real. It made the devastation of the Civil War real. I am going to find her before I die if it kills me, and it may. I believe that Rachel McKinney was Jeremiah's first wife, and the mother of HIram Koonrod, and Mary Jane was his second wife . As you can see she returned to Eddyville after Jeremiah's death which explains why Hiram Koonrod Martin ended up in Eddyville maried to Martha Lenore Thompson. One of Hiram's aunts also married into the Thompson family. There is a Mary J. Martin buried in the cemetery in Eddyville, but I am not sure if it is her.But I think we are getting VERY close to finding her. > May 19,1865 > Eddyville, Mafeto County, Iowa > > My dear sisters one and all it is with a sad and almost broken heart that I > seat myself to pen to you the sad and solemn news I have to send to you(.) > the > death of my dear and affectionate beloved companion(.) he died at > andersonville prison the 19 day o(f) december(.) he had the rheumatism(.) > Thare was a > soldier that brought a list his name was on it(.) i never herd of it untill > last > tuesday(.) today is friday(.) o sister you don't know my feelings(.)  O to > think he had to die away off thare(.) if  i only could have had him at home > to > wait on him(.) it almost breaks my poor hart to think of him away off down > in > georgia(.) They took him thare first and then they took him away thare and > then > took him back thare o they drag(g)ed him out and exposed him I am afeard(.) > if > only i knew what he said before he left this world(.) he was a dear kind and > > loving husband(.) As well as a dear kind brother to you(.) I know you will > miss > him forever(.) > it seams like more than i can bear but it is the lords will he should be > taken away(.) i hope he is happy now in that better land where there will be > no > war nor more fighting thare(.) it has been 5 months since he departed this > life(.) all i can do is to try and meet him in heaven where we shall part no > > more(.) thare to be happy forever(.) he be longed to the methodist church(.) > he > always wrote to me(.) he tried to live near(er) the cross than he ever did > before(.) he always told me if we never met hear on earth to meet him in > heaven(.) I > am going to strive to do so(.) I was in hopes it was a mistake in his name > but > it is his name as signed in full(.) o he was all ways well every time i > could > hear from him(.) i was so in hopes he could come once more but all in > vain(.) > i watched the (railroad) cars in hopes of meeting him thare but sister my > hopes are gone forever(.) o to think of the happy hours we used to spend to > gather but all them happy hours are gone never more to return again(.) i > would love > to be with you seams as if it would do me good to see you and pass off my > lone some hours off with you(.)  dear mother and father(,)  know your dear > son > often thought of you while away in rebel land(.) O if i only knew his > thoughts > and words before he had to die(.) what a consolation it would have been to > me > to been with my dear husband in his suf(f)ering hours to have waited on > (him) > for the last tim(e) in this world of trouble but i trust he is happy in the > (illegible) now (scatched out) with his savour in that happy land(.) his > dear > little children are well(.) i hope thease few lines may find you all well(.) > this > leaves me well but sad(.) i have been in bridg(e)fort a week or two watching > > for him but father and catherine come to eddy ville to day and i am going > home > to live(.) my dear little pet is well he looks so much like his dear father > i > wish you could see him and the rest of his little boys(.) sisters(,)  i > wrote > you a letter a while back but havent received any answer i wrote marinda > (illegible) to(o.) you can read this to all of the friends you must excuse > all of > my mistakes and bad writing for I hardly felt like writing(.) I couldnt send > > you good news as I (illiegible) done. I would feel happy Ef i could(.) to > think > thare are so many soldiers coming and my dear husband cant come(.) o it is > hard to think of(.) you dont know how lonesome i am(,) but i must come to a > close by telling you to be shure and write to me as often as you can(.) I > remain > your affectionate sister and daughter untill death(,) Mary Jane Martin > to sisters father and mother(.) So(,) goodbye for this time(.) write soon(.) > > IThe marinda (above) is my Alice Marinda Martin Overstreet > b.12/17/1848, daughter of William Martin, Jeremiah's brother. The only Martin listed in the official record as dying at Andersonville > > prison, that might fit is Jeremiah B Martin. He is in company B of the 5th Iowa > Calvary.She states that he died December 19,1865. So now we have a firm death > date for him.His middle name was Bellastin, I have a copy of the family > bible. This was a common piece of mis-information on the net. I think we all need > to correct our info so we don't confuse some poor soul that is coming after > us. I know some of the other researchers that have this information and I > will let them know too. I am confident that this is Jeremiah Bellastin Martin, > twin of Sarah Martin England, brother of Ursley, Lewis, John, William, > Phillip, etc. Martin. His first wife was Rachel McKinney who died in 1860, other people's data, not mine. I> I believe Mary Jane is his second wife from Eddyvile, Iowa and she > is the mother of another child "the little pet", who would have been > Jeremiah Martin b. 1860. The children she refers to as "the rest of his little > boys" are Jeremiah's other three sons by Rachel McKinney, Hiram b. 1853, Lewis > b.1855, and John b.1857. It is possible that she is not the mother of Jeremiah, > but she certainly seems to separate them in this letter. About your question about the marriage date for Rachel McKinney and Jeremiah Bellastin Martin.... I have their marriage date as 4/15/1852. I f you look at the tombstone in the picture that you sent me, you will see that Hiram Koonrod Martin was born 3/29/1853. (Don't worry about it, I do the same kind of stuff all the time. There is just too much info to process it sometimes.) So the dates fit. Also Hiram, himself said that Rachel McKinney was his mother. He obviously had a step mother since your family member mentioned it, but I believe it was Mary Jane. Do we have anyone who can check the death records for Mary Jane Martin in Eddyville? I found a Mary J. Martin in plot 32 of one of the cemeteries. Just don't know if it is her. Thank you so much for the pictures. Once I saw them I knew there was no doubt. Hiram looks exactly like every other Martin man in my family. Same shape head, same high cheek bones, same hair line, same strong chin. They were all tall, lean, and pretty darn handsome from all reports, > Let me know if you find anything else. I will do the same. > > Good hunting! > Maggie > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

Hello, I am not related to your Martins but have you requested the pension file for the one who died at Andersonville from NARA (National Archives) It should give you wife(s) names as well as children and should even include marriage certificates. Get the full file ($37.00) because it containd all details. If there is no file they do not charge you. You can order on line or even call them. Thelma Martin _________________________________________________________________ More photos, more messages, more storage—get 2GB with Windows Live Hotmail. http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_2G_0507