Found this on Ebay: 1866 BELPRE, OHIO LETTER - THE BITTER REBELS 7 page ink letter in GD condition from Simon G. Boardman dated July 16, 1866 at Centre Belpre, OH to his Mother. A very articulate gentleman, Boardman writes that it has been several weeks since he left Mumfordsville; they would have been very happy to see him stay on and teach for another year; "and all thought as highly of me as I deserved unless it be the bitter rebels. I had a long and rather tedious time getting here, being on the way more than a week..." Gives excellent details of his railroad journey and how he took a boat at Cincinnati that he thought was never going to leave the wharf; "...I was on board the boat for a week. However, they had to board me so it cost me nothing extra, and it gave me a chance to look about...It is not so wonderful a thing to visit Uncle George's as it once was. We find they are human beings and live very much like other folks. Uncle gets about with his broken hip much better than I had supposed he would. He does not use a cane at all, at least in walking about at home...He is, however, almost blind...It is what is called cataract...the eyes are sometimes operated upon and the difficulty removed...Aunt is as full of life as ever...George and Bessie are both away teaching down the river. Nellie is teaching a district school a few miles below here...She has just returned to her school this morning...There is a good deal of carting out to the oil regions in this vicinity...Douglas is keeping a public house on this side of the river opposite Parkersburg... I think it (the farm) is enough to support the family, but I think it is badly managed. The Dr. is most blind. They have two or three shiftless Negro boys and Fred...I think that Uncle George is some like Uncle Lin in having a good many worthless shacks about him..." http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2238065904&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1 Debbie (Noland) Nitsche Diamonddeb@comcast.net WASHINGTON COUNTY, OHIO HISTORICAL & GENEALOGY "LINKS" http://hometown.aol.com/washcohistory/Intropage1.html