Sex in the 60's

[Championhilz]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Here's one a friend passed on to me some years ago, it is written to Mrs. Willman Richards of Chester County, Pennsylvania:

Near Atlanta Georgia
My Dearest Annie

I must write quickly for we will be moving in a large and rapid manner presently. My officers are now at this moment calling me from you dear heart. Oh! to be with you and our loved ones at this very moment. My very dearest companion has been taken from me in the night. The surgeons could not amputate his private parts and now he is gone to his reward. Would that I could have shared my own parts with him - you know my dove I would have done so - and would you have forgiven me for removing the tool of joy that you know so well? I'm told in Europe wonders are accomplished with new "staffs of life."

Adieu my darling - my parts are warm for you as I know your "cave of gold" is for me. Please do not read this to mother.
All my love your brother
Putnam

[Milliron]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Here's one a friend passed on to me some years ago, it is written to Mrs. Willman Richards of Chester County, Pennsylvania:

Near Atlanta Georgia
My Dearest Annie

I must write quickly for we will be moving in a large and rapid manner presently. My officers are now at this moment calling me from you dear heart. Oh! to be with you and our loved ones at this very moment. My very dearest companion has been taken from me in the night. The surgeons could not amputate his private parts and now he is gone to his reward. Would that I could have shared my own parts with him - you know my dove I would have done so - and would you have forgiven me for removing the tool of joy that you know so well? I'm told in Europe wonders are accomplished with new "staffs of life."

Adieu my darling - my parts are warm for you as I know your "cave of gold" is for me. Please do not read this to mother.
All my love your brother
Putnam

W. . . T . . . F, over?

[PogueMahone]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Please do not read this to mother.

Call me cautious, but I would have put that statement across the top of the page, not dead last in the letter.

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Sex in the 60s

[QUOTE=
All my love your brother
Putnam[/QUOTE]

Brother? In-Law? In Christ? Natural? Yikes!

[PogueMahone]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Annette,

I read that "all my love TO your brother", but now that you point it out ...

Eeeewwwwwww!!!!!

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Sex in the 60s

I read that TO your brother as well at first, but then he writes "don't read this to mother", not YOUR mother. It would be very interesting to find out who these two were.

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Ain't nothing new under the sun. Incest is quite common throughout history. Some classes in ancient civilazations encouraged it. It even happened in the Bible, Lot and his daughters come to mind.

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Sex in the 60s

he also seemed to be quite attached to this fellow that died. You gotta be pretty close mess mates to someone to want to loan them your "tool of joy".....

[PogueMahone]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Well, if he's already doing his own sister, he may be into all sorts of kink.

It takes all kinds. Even then.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Here's one a friend passed on to me some years ago, it is written to Mrs. Willman Richards of Chester County, Pennsylvania:

Near Atlanta Georgia
My Dearest Annie

That indicates there was a husband and wife, Willman and Annie Richards, living in Chester Co., Pa. I checked the censuses and couldn't find anyone by those names in Chester Co. and no Willman Richards at all (an unusual enough name). There was a William Richards in Chester Co., but ironically his wife's name was Faithful.

Also did a quick search for Pennsylvania soldiers with the last name of Putnam and couldn't find any from Chester Co., but didn't have a way to search for first name Putnam only. Couldn't find anyone with the first or last name of Putnam in Chester Co. in the census, though of course he could have lived elsewhere.

Has anyone found evidence of these people, outside of the letter?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Sex in the 60s

Yeah, I knew that it occurred. I just "assumed" that by the 1860s it had become taboo enough to warrant not mentioning in letters so openly; something kept in the shadows and not talked about. But as has been mentioned the guy seemed to have some other issues as well :).

[rebjeb04]

Re: Sex in the 60s

I don't think these letters are at all the norm for the period, but are extremely rare and funny to read. It sounds like this was the kind of fellow to end up on the wrong side of a gun.

[Marissa]

Re: Sex in the 60s

What I find most interesting about the language at the time is the innuendoes used. Of course there are the more obvious metaphores i.e ramrod; mountains; hills. But what I noticed more than anything was that anything could be used sexually if in the right context.
If you think about it, its not that much different than today. Through reading Lowry's Stories.... the curse words/derogatory name used for people are not that much different from today.

[bizzilizzit]

Bad Girl

AuSable, Mich
Feb 16th, 1866

AuSable
Mrs. Jane Trail

Dear friend,
…I went to Nashville, Tenn. I got off the Train, ordered the omnibus driver to take me to one of the best fancy houses. He done so. I stayed at 154 College Street. Asked what the terms of board was. I was told 30 dollars per week. I thought that steep but supposed I could make it easy as any of the other girls and so I stopped there. Well, I made money, lots of it, and lived in splendor. I made sometimes 75 dollars per day. You bet I dressed and rode in fine carriages and put on stile…Well I staid there about four months. I got tired and worried of that life so I began to study how to get out of it and at last I made up my mind to join some northern troupes that was expecting to go home soon so I pitched in as was always my way of do, you know. I bought me a suit of blues and had my hair cut short and then made for headquarters and was sworn in as a solder of the first Mich Engineers Mechanics CO D. You bet I fell in spots but went ahead soldiering. They called me little Pete. So the long wished for day came at last. We were mustered out of service and sent to Jackson Mich to be paid off. That was in October. We got there safe the fourth day after leaving Nashville but remember I kept all my clothing through this scene. My trunk was a large traveling trunk as large as that chest of yours. I has it put with the officer’s baggages and a sabre put on it so it taken care of as a Captain’s trunk. After we were paid I went to a secret place and changed my clothes and came out in my own dress. I got a boarding place and stopped in Jackson about one week. You wonder if I had any friends to assist me I did and some that proved to be true up to the present time and where I am now no one knows anything about this only one. I am now living a quiet life with everything comfortable and nice more so than ever before. Miss Trail, you know I was accused of bad conduct but that was all false for I never was guilty of a bad act before I left there but I was so down hearted that I did not care what became of me and I knew that a great many believed me to be guilty so I thought I would go where I could weave the gain as well as bear the name and I done so. Well, who will have it to answer for is why the Whites in general I hope curses my fall one their heads up their death as for my babe, I hope she never will hear of the misconduct of her mother. I hope they may raise her up in the way she ought to go as though she had no mother. If they ever tell her of me, I hope it told to her as not knowing anything only when I was young and innocent girl. She has my picture of innocence that is all I want her to know of me…
Direct your letters to B. A. White, AuSable, Iosco, Cou, Michigan

[bizzilizzit]

Another Bad Girl

Office of Notary Public
Bath Morgan Co, West VA
March 14th, 1868

Henry Ambrose charges his wife, Eliza, with adultery with Col. Campbell at Sir Johns Run while he was in command of a position of Federal Forces during the late civil war.

…On one occasion I was in the office of Col. Campbell at Sir John’s Run when Mrs. Ambrose came into the office and she requested me to leave the office as she had some secret conversation with Col. Campbell. I left immediately and the door was closed after me. She remained there in the office some two or three hours. There was a lounge in the room somewhat serving the purpose of a bed and the room seemed to be darkened by the curtains being drawn at the windows. Her frequent visits to Col. Campbell were the subject of much talk with the soldiers and citizens and the impression seemed to be that an improper intercourse was going on between them…

…The relations between Col. Campbell and Mrs. Ambrose were the subject of much talk in the neighbourhood and strong impression existed that there was an improper intercourse between them…

…I was much struck with her conduct…and her conduct to a young and single man. I saw her hugging him, sitting on his lap, stroking his face with her hands, her face near unto his judging them to be kissing. Altogether her conduct struck me as unbecoming and unworthy of a married woman. I never saw a young single woman worse after a single man than Mrs. Ambrose was after this young man…