1860 letter with slavery and Lincoln content, banking, religious,etc..

Letter just prior to the Civil War, from man  to his sister in the South. Talk of Lincoln, behavior of  African-Americans, finances, church, Sunday Schools,etc.. War is coming!

Abraham Lincoln, at this point in history was running for the Republican nomination, which he won later that month.

Letter comes from large archive of the Yeakle family. Many of the items pertain to Elizabeth Yeakle and her family, including many items that belonged to her son Michael M. Yeakle (bio below). I cannot confirm it was written by him.

May be missing pages.

Thursday May 3/60

Dear Sister R

Yours of 12^th inst. came duly to hand...and I am most fearful that all communication will be cut off between the Northern’s & Southerns. Oh! what a sad state of affairs do you not regret it? is there anything one can imagine or rather any thing that so much evil can grow out of as fratricidal  ---? I pray that there will be as little bloodshed as possible, and a just God will defend the right. We are hearing the news every day. I should be afraid to live amongst the darkies now. Do you not  observe a change in them are they as obedient as before or do they not suppose that Massa Lincoln is going to liberate them soon...Mary Smith left last week. I still have the kitchen girl, but money is so scarce, that is, current money (for nearly every bank in Illinois has gone down & several in Wisconsin) that I think I ought to do without any help if I possibly could, I would... Rev m—Probst still preaches to us, and good Gospel sermons too, preaches in the Seminary; the church is progressing slowly. The  -- also organized a Sunday School, we opened with eleven children it increases slowly. Mr F- has been East to collect funds for our church and raised $300 also the Sabbath School of his former charge presented us with $10 worth of books...Mr. & Mrs Probst you would much admire I am sure. Rev. Brodfuehrer has an exhibition of his school up in the New Lutheran church the floor is laid and they created a stage and temporary seats

(Mr. Johnson will give this to Mrs Rachael Ayers)

the place was crowded the price of admission was 25 cents as Mr,B is much embarrassed; the school is small. Miss Hippee could not be retained so she and Mr. B did not marry after all, and never will. But about the exhibition the scholars acquitted themselves finely, all gave general satisfaction. Mary F’s ---- scholars did well. Robbie stood up like a man and sung the Mocking Bird while his cousin played. Maklow spoke a little piece about telling his wife a secret which created some mirth...Brodfuehrer would go to War if he could get a commission. The school is not paying..

7 ⅞” x 4 ⅞”

4 pages. Paper UR corner front page. Paper bit toned.

Michael Mahlon Yeakle (Nov. 13, 1814, Hagerstown, Maryland — July 9th, 1899, Louisville, Kentucky) was, aside from being a land examiner, mapmaker and publisher, an evangelist, being one of the leading members of the Lombard Street Evangelical English Lutheran Church, serving not only as Deacon and Elder, but as one of a Committee appointed to revise the Lutheral Hymnal. He was the First President of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Baltimore, Maryland, elected in 1853. He was well respected in his Baltimore community for his charitable contributions and his high standards of business integrity. He built up a fine mercantile business in imported silks, ribbons, shawls, woolen and straw goods, running the business on both a retail and wholesale basis. Mr. Yeakle’s business interests eventually lead him to New York City, where he became connected with the Dry Goods Firm of Lord, Warren and Evans, and many busy, active years of his life were spent in the middle west and south.