February 13, 1863, Friday: Cloudy but not very cold. It drizzled rain most of the day. The children were very much afraid they could not go to the party (in Onawa 11 miles away) but it stopped raining long enough to get started. There was quite a wagonload of us. Myrick, Libbie, Lucy and myself and the children. We managed to get there without getting cold but as it came dark it rained quite hard. I concluded to leave all the children at Newell’s (who lived in Onawa) but Julia. Ida was not well. We had a nice supper and would have had a nice time if it had not been so wet and sloppy.

February 14, Saturday: About daylight Saturday morning the wind changed into the north and it was very cold. Eliza was taken very sick in the night and I concluded to remain with her until she got better. The rest of them went home but nearly froze.

February 16, Monday: Cloudy but not cold. Liza is still quite sick but we feel in hopes she is getting better.

February 17, Tuesday: It rained slowly a part of the day. Myrick and Libbie came to Onawa. Libbie will stay a few days and let me go home and see how Edwin and the children get along keeping house.

February 18, Wednesday: I came home with Myrick. It rained most of the way; when I got home they were much pleased to see Ella and me. Julia and Ida were getting along very well keeping house; they had some trouble at first but they thought it would be an advantage to them. Liza’s cough was growing worse. Newell called in the doctor before I left.

March 4, Wednesday: The past week has been spent in taking care of my sister. Oh, how anxiously we have watched over her day and night, hoping one hour for her recovery and the next we almost give up all hopes of her ever getting well.

March 5, Thursday: This morning about 8 o’clock Sister Eliza breathed her last. She is freed from all pain. Her soul has gone to unite with her darling child in heaven but oh how desolate we shall be without her. No one knows my feelings at this moment. Oh shall it be that I shall never again in this world look upon one of my brothers and sisters again. Oh, if I could only get one letter from them how much it would ease this aching heart.

Allison Criner was born February 11, 1849. He belonged to Isaac Criner who lived three miles north of New Market, Alabama which was 17 miles from Huntsville. Isaac Criner never sold one of his black people.

"Mr. Criner owned 38 colored people and had twelve children, nine girls and three boys. Seven of them married and two, Miss Mahala and Miss Almira died old maids. Miss Lucinda had 12 children, Miss Nancy six, Miss Rebecca five, Miss Woodson, four, Miss Eliza, three, Master Calvin, two and Master Mac, 1 Alfred, four. Miss Betty and Miss Polly Ann Robinson had no children.

I remember them all with the exception of Alfred. He died before I was born. Master’s 38 colored servants, were worth about $30,000. He had 600 acres of land which he gave to the four girls that remained with him until his death. Miss Nancy, Eliza, Lucinda, Polly Ann divided the Monona County land in Iowa, also Alfred, Mack’s and Calvin’s children.

The land cost him very little, about $1.50 per acre I think. He had about 50 head of sheep, 35 or 40 head of cattle, 75 or 100 head of hogs. He did not allow his colored servants abused or whipped. He did not sell but would buy occasionally.

Miss Eliz died during the Civil War. A soldier from Onawa who was stationed at Huntsville sent them word by a colored boy that Miss Eliza was dead. The big crying then took place.

The Civil War broke out and the Yankees came to our house. This was the black Dutch. The bushwhackers had waylaid the road and Killed General McCook on August 2, 1862 at night on his way to Nashville. They burned all the fine dwellings in the neighborhood at New Market and did not allow the white ladies to take as much as a photo or a dress from the burning building. They did not burn the Old Master’s house because Miss Betty showed them some Masonic apparatus, but they took the silverware from my mother who had hid it. They made her go and get it. They took every horse off the place, about 25 in all. They drove off all the cattle, burned the fences, took all the corn from the cribs, all of the meat out of the smoke house, all the sugar and coffee on the place and threw it in the creek.

They did others much worse than they did the Criners. They took all the colored men and some of the women. The ones that did the most to the Criners were the 4^th Michigan and the 7^th Pennsylvania. They were especially rough.

I would have been worth about $1200 or $1500 when young if the war had not come on. I am the only one of the colored people now living. I went to Iowa in 1870 and stayed 6 months with Mrs. Nancy Whiting.

My white people had to go daily to their camps to get something to eat. They had to beg for an old horse to ride.

Miss Eliza married very young. Billy Whiting would have married Miss Clara’s mother but he was stopped by the other two brothers who said that two in the family was enough.

I hope that you will be able to read this. Please look over my mistakes and tell me if you get this. I will never in the world forget your kindness to me. I did not know until Christmas day when they showed it to me. I was surprised beyond all expectation. I hope that I don’t weary you with these little things that happened during my boyhood days. You were in the room at the old homestead where your father was born. Oh I am so glad that you did visit Alabama.

Allison Criner

Greensburg, LA.

Copy of a letter written by Nancy’s brother, Calvin, during the war when he was about to be exchanged as a prisoner.

Cairo, September 6, 1862

C.E. Whiting. Dear Brother:

We arrived at this place Wednesday night about 10 o’clock, we are now and have been since our arrival here packed, crammed and jammed on a steamboat anchored out in the Ohio River. There are between 11 and 1200 on this boat, nearly all officers. There are 3 or 4 other boats loaded with privates and more still coming down every day. I suppose they are waiting to carry us all down in one fleet but I find it hard to learn or know anything about Government movements or operations.

I have been disappointed so often that I have learned not to fret or complain about things over which I have no control. It is very unpleasant, indeed, on this boat. The cabin and deck and top and every place has something or somebody on it. I slept last night on the lower deck on the wt floor with many others, occasionally a torrent of curses and grumbles arise from the deck against those above for spitting and throwing water down on us. You have no idea how men in the army lose their respect; how they disregard the feelings of their fellow men. With most of them, it is all a snatch and grab game. I long to get where I can get room to turn around an not be in such a crowd.

I think being in the army where I am associated with all sorts of men has not changed me much. I hope I have become no worse but some wiser. This is a great school. It is reported that we move down the river sometime today, perhaps we may. It will take us some five or six days to get down to Vicksburg as it is probable that we will run only in the day time. They seem to be shoving up the fires now so we may start in a few hours. I have no news to write. My land where you can manage as you please. I suppose it will be confiscated.

If I get home I will get Mac to see what arrangements can be made about the tax. I will be afraid to stay there while the Federals are there for fear they would catch me and send me to prison again. I find that civilians or political prisoners do not stand the same change to be exchanged as prisoners of war. We left many of that character behind us. I have no idea when they will be released. You are doubtless much better posted in regard to army operations than I am. I find that very smart men are often deceived and their predictions prove false. How this war will terminate God only knows!

I must close as I have a chance to send this ashore to have it mailed.

I will try and write again.

W.C. Criner