Coming Home to the High Ground: A Brotherly Call from 1865

“yess Laban leave that Horrible mud Hole and go to your farm In Virginia to a Country where corn matures and Wheat does not dround out”

Gather ’round, neighbors, because I’ve got something special to show you today. It’s a letter from the summer of 1865, just as the dust was settling after the Civil War. When you hold it, you can feel the history in the paper—it’s yellowed and soft, with deep creases from where it was folded tight and kept safe. The dark iron gall ink still stands out clear as day, showing off a cursive hand that tells us Breckenridge Guinn had a lot on his mind when he sat down to write to his brother, Laban.

Breckenridge was ready for his family to be whole again. He didn’t mince words about where Laban was staying, calling it a ‘horrible mud hole’ where the crops just couldn’t catch a break. He was coaxing his brother back to the home place in Virginia, promising him a land where the corn actually grows tall and the wheat doesn’t drown in the fields. It’s a beautiful glimpse into that moment when a weary family realizes the ‘peacible’ times have finally come back, and they can stop looking over their shoulders and start looking toward the horizon.

There’s a bit of mystery in these pages, too. Breckenridge asks after a creature he calls ‘Abraham Lincoln’—likely a favorite horse or ox—and he’s just desperate for Laban to bring him along if he’s still drawing breath. He even talks about meeting up in Gallipolis to make the journey together. You can see the plan forming right there on the page, a map for a new life after so much hardship. He ends by telling his brother to let everyone know he’s a free man now, standing tall and moving forward.

Letters like this remind us that history isn’t just about big battles and famous names; it’s about the quiet strength of folks trying to find their way back to one another. It tells us that no matter how deep the mud gets in our own lives, there’s always a home waiting for us if we’re willing to make the trip. It’s a story of resilience, brotherly love, and the simple, honest hope for a better harvest.

Original Transcription

July the 23th 1865

Mr Laban Guinn Dear
Brother I again seat my self
to let you know that we are
all alive and In tollerable health
Hoping when this comes to Hand
it may find you and yours all
well well sir I wrote you a letter
Some time ago In answer to
one I Received from you but I
have got no answer from you yet
I Requested of you to attend to
our land matter but I would
Say to you now if you have not examin
the Land office yet you had better
let it alone for the presant having understo[od]
that you was going to Va as soon
as you finished your Clearing and
John has moved and I will go in
2 or 3 weeks So you know when

we all git Home we can attend to It better than we can now
I will now say to you that times is now peacible In Va
So you need not be affraid to go home yess Laban leave
that Horrible mud Hole and go to your farm In Virginia
to a Country where corn matures and Wheat does not dround
out I expected that I would have bin out before now
after my Abraham Lincoln But It has bin out of my
power now Laban I wish you would bring him with you
when you move and I will satisfy you for your trouble
Fail not to fetch Him if he is still living
write to me and say when
you expect to starte for Home and when you will be
In Galliopolis and If I hav not left before that
time I will be ready to go up Home with you I want
you to be shure and answer these lines as soon as you
Receive them Give my well wishes to all of my friends
and tell my enemies that I am a free man so good by
Laban for this time
Yours truly Breckenridge Guinn

Tell Harrison Guinn that
Josephs Brothers that Sold
Him Into Bondage was glad
to beg bread from him at
last and I will attend to
his Sack Shire
B. Guinn

David says to tell Gromes
that he is going Home