Hort, Mary, 1796-1872?. Mary Hort papers, 1830 - 1868
Title:
Mary Hort papers, 1830 - 1868
Diaries documenting life of an unmarried British woman who taught school in Sumter, S.C., with comments on life in South Carolina during antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras; seven diary volumes, Aug. 1837 - 1863, consist of daily entries, and two larger volumes, (ca. 1830 - 1868 and 1839 - 1871), of abstracted entries and copies of letters received by Hort, her family members, and others. Seven diary volumes, 1837-1863, discuss social and religious events in Sumter, S.C., and elsewhere in the state, re her life as a school teacher, and attendance at various religious functions around S.C. (in Sumter, Bradford Springs, Manning, and elsewhere, including Florida), and occasional mention of politics. Secession and Civil War documented in volume, 1861 - 1863, includes account of the attack on Fort Sumter, "The first gun drew all Charleston to the Battery"; military events of the war, "Troops for us from Illinois, prospects of recognition in England... hope in... power of Providence &... quality of our officers & men... our ports to be blockaded" (Apr. 1861); "[Federal] force from 4 to 5000 attacked 1000 [Confederate soldiers] at Bethel Church... & were driven off.... small pox threatens at Manassas junction & [yellow] fever at [New] Orleans" (May 1861); "I left Coldstream [Lexington District, S.C.] for Maysville [S.C.]... I arrived... but the cars proved to be so full of wounded soldiers that I could not go on" (9 June 1862); reaction to news of the fall of Fort Donaldson [Fort Donelson (Stewart County, Tenn.) which was first major victory of Civil War for the Union Army], "I was almost frantic" (1862); and concluding with "papers show that the Democrats are yielding to Lincoln's Dictatorship." Larger volume, 1839 - 1871, consists chiefly of extracts and copies of letters received by family and friends including her brother, Dr. William P. Hort, and letter, 6 July 1859, from J.C. Humphrey in Erie County, New York, to "My very dear Brother"; and copy of long letter discussing grief at loss of a sibling, supposedly from a child's point of view, attributed to "Charlotte Richmon, age seven" re death of her brother "Willie" [Wilberforce Richmon], age 18, "Willie looked like a beautiful snow drop when he was dead" with description of the funeral, use of incense, use of flowers in his "pretty blue coffin," services and expressing hopes that "the worms will not begin to come to him for a very long time, and spoil him; he was so very beautiful.... I can not help thinking of it." This volume also includes copies of several letters from Hort's niece, Dora New, writing from Swansea (Wales) while on holiday, and other family members in Huxham (Devonshire, England), and elsewhere. Unbound papers consist of transcriptions copied from portions of her journal dating to 1847, and discuss events in the classroom and at church (in letter size folder). Volume written in another hand consisting of entries, ca. 1830 - 1868, copied from the diaries, titled "Extracts from Miss Mary Hort's Journal" [copied by Mrs. J.S. Richardson?] containing chiefly comments on religion and various ministers in the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist Churches, with critical account of sermons, mention of Sunday School and missionary meetings, singing schools, letters from her family in England, financial and domestic difficulties, and challenges of teaching school, "Children troublesome" (Mar. 1859) and comments on briefly teaching more than thirty African American children. Places mentioned in the abstracted volume (1830 - 1868) include various towns around S.C. (Sumter, Bradford Springs, Mayesville, Winnsboro, Charleston, Cheraw, Columbia, York, and Bennettsville); comments on social and religious events; comments on interactions with members of the following families: Richardson, Crossland, Witherspoon, McDowell, Dick, Dubose and McQueen families; as well as a few references to politics, including John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry, [West] Virginia, and election of Abraham Lincoln, "nothing but divine interposition can prevent disunion."
ArchivalResource:
1 folder (letter size)
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