Bradley, Maggie, Allen County, Indiana
The letter of Maggie Bradley to David Smith, her neighbor, was written from East Liberty in Allen County on 8 May 1865, just after the end of the war. It is significant in that it offers a view of the home front in the vicinity of Madison and Monroe townships. She mentions attending church at East Liberty, which likely was the Bethlehem Church of the United Brethren. The letter descended through the family of Maggie's brother, Joseph Bradley, who married Elizabeth Permelia Bankerd at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 13 February 1866, and later moved to Salem, Missouri, where he died on 20 April 1879. The letter was then passed down to his son Franklin Bradley (1877-1939), and then to Frank's daughter, Donna Bradley Ammel. It was given to the Allen County Public Library in December 2008 by Ethel Caroline (Van Buskirk) Elliott, granddaughter of Maggie Bradley. Letter Photographs Biography |