This letter was written by Jane A. (Walker) Allen (1827-1875), the wife of Joseph Negus Allen (1825-1898) — a planter in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She wrote the letter to her sister (Joseph Hazen’s mother), Susan (Walker) Hazen. The letter was written from Union-occupied Tuscaloosa in September 1864 after mail service to the North was re-established.
Joseph Allen’s father was William Brown Allen, a native of Massachusetts, who came to Alabama in 1819 to start a newspaper. As a consequence of a 2nd marriage, he gave up his newspaper and became a planter with as many as 125 slaves. The following extract from a letter by William Brown Allen to his niece, Miss Sarah Henry at North Attleboro, MA dated May 18, 1831, indicates that he had differing views with his family regarding the subject of slavery: “Sarah, I have no interest in convincing you for or against slavery, but I assure you that my people enjoy more of the comforts of life than the ordinary yeoman of New England, their labor is not so excessive, and they have more pastime. And, what no doubt will astonish you is that I believe they, collectively and individually, regard me with as much affection and esteem as though I was their natural father.”
Jane was the daughter of Alexander Walker and Margaret Kennedy; she and Joseph were married in Boston on 18 October 1845 according to Massachusetts Vital Records. In the 1860 US Census, the Allen’s had three living children: William Brown Allen (1848-Aft1900), Joseph Haywood Allen (1850-1927), and George Cochran Allen (1853-1921) — all three are mentioned in the following letter. Before the war, the value of the real estate of the family was placed at $18,000. The value of their personal estate was valued at $25,750.
Joseph served as a private in Co. H, 5th Alabama Infantry from May 1861 until December 1861. He later served in Co. D, Alabama Cavalry. This is corroborated by their son George’s statement in the Pension Application which reads: “I was 7 years of age when the war began. My father went away to the war in 1861, joining and infantry company called Warrior Guards. Later he went into the Cavalry on account of his sprained ankle. I was 11 years old when he finally returned……”
In this letter, Jane complains of the ill treatment the family has received at the hands of the Yankees. She tells her sister that she has grown to hate all Northerners other than her immediate family and hopes they can move to South American or Canada rather than stay in the the South where the Negros will be “turned loose” upon them. Sometime after 1870, the family moved to Navarro County, Texas.
Tuscaloosa [Alabama]
September 9th 1864
Dear Sister,
I received a very welcome letter yesterday from Diane. She tells me that you are with Joseph. I am truly glad to hear that you are well. I am not going to write much at this time — only to let you know how we are. I am in very good health but have grown old very fast since I saw you. Joseph has been absent from me most of the time in the last four years. I have had to exert myself a great deal which is the cause of my good health. I expected to hear of the death of some of my family as four years is a long time and it is a little singular that it should be my two oldest brothers. I have passed through a great deal since I saw you, dear sister, and I know not how much more we have to bear, but my little family are still together and I am thankful. We have lost about thirty thousand dollars and it is my opinion that our enemies will not stop until they rob us of everything we have. My dear sister, you will never know the truth — and I suppose you would hardly believe it — all these yankee thieves have done, but we will let them alone to reap the reward they merit.
Are you going to make your home with Joseph? How I wish I could see you all, but I know not if it will ever be. I hate the people there so much, with the exception of my own relatives there, that I hardly think I could bear to go, and then we expect to move from here. We can not possibly stay here with the yankees and the negroes let loose among us. Our lives would not be safe. As it is, the negroes have been incited by the yankees to deeds of blood, and when they are turned loose with no restrictions, what will be the state of things? I don’t know where we shall go — perhaps to South America, and we have thought of going to Canada. Some are leaving everything they have, preferring to lose all rather than live under such a government. I want to go where we can [fetch?] our children, [and] should prefer a new country. William is almost a man now and will soon have to begin for himself. I may go on next summer, if I have the means at my disposal; if I show a great anxiety to go, Joseph will procure me means I know, but I can’t reasonably expect it. I shall take Josey, my second boy, with me if I go. He is almost fourteen. He is very anxious to go. My youngest is now in his ninth year. He is a beautiful boy. How I wish you could see us all in our home.
I wish I could tell you all I have suffered in the last four years in mind and body, but I will reserve that for my next letter. I will tell you how the enemy have treated us; you must tell Joseph how much I want to see him and family. When you write to sis, give my love to her and family. I hope, dear sister, you will write soon and tell me all you can of our friends. So goodbye and may God bless you. I am, — A. Allen
No Babies Play 
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