[1 1/2 pg. letter, approx. 5-1/2" x 8-3/8", dated at Diarbekir, Turkey, Nov 24, 1865, from "Frederic" to "Father Harding" - Rev. Sewell Harding of Medway, Mass (1793-1876). A scarce American missionary letter from Diarbekir, in Southeastern Turkey, on the Tigris River, with great content advising Harding of the safe arrival in Diarbekir of "A. & E.", after a long overland journey - "A & E" were the missionaries Augustus Walker (1822-1866) and his wife (and Harding's daughter) Eliza Mercy Harding Walker (1826-1906). Augustus Walker, from Ct., graduated from Yale in 1849, and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1852, and after being ordained that year, he and Eliza sailed for Diarbekir, where he devoted his life to missionary work until his death at age 44 from cholera. The writer makes a clever Civil War reference, noting that when Eliza returned after such a fatiguing journey, she plunged into fixing up the house "with as much energy as one of the regiments of veterans would assault Richmond."]Diarbekir Nov 24. 1865
My dear father Harding
I have some doubt whether A or E will find time to tell you of their safe arrival & secure lodging in their own house. And so I officiously send you the word[.] The Lord has been very good to them all the way & has heard prayer in their behalf to his name be praise. The only rain they have had in all the long land journey, has been just as they were reaching comfortable quarters - e.g. at Sivas, Kharpoot, Argana (for the Sunday). The rest of their journey was performed in delightful weather, & they entered Amida the Black [an ancient name for Diarbekir - the black referring to the color of the city walls] Tuesday noon Nov 21, 1865 being met some six miles out by horsemen the crowd increasing till as we neared the black walls we were a cavalcade of about 50 horsemen & 100 footmen. At sunset that night it began to rain & has rained since, sprinkle shower pour, pour sprinkle shower till last eve'g when there were indications of a clearing off wh[ich] this morning does not fully justify.
As yet, everything is confusion. A part of their boxes they found here, but 23 of them have not yet come including the stoves of wh. just now there's more need than of any thing else - one semi cook stove came however & that with the parlor Franklin & the old cook stove must suffice till the rest come but the half loaf is vastly better than no bread
The children are all well & I never saw Eliza when she endured fatigue so splendidly. She rode all day cheerfully & when we dismounted she was as spry as a cricket & the journey ended she plunges into the fatigue of house righting with as much energy as one of the regiments of veterans would assault Richmond.
Miss [Maria A.] West is just now a little disabled by a boil, but we hope she will soon be as fresh & energetic as the rest.
I stop here a few days to look about & then (D.V.) shall push on to the regions beyond with much love your aff'e son
Frederic
[Rev. Sewell Harding had four other children besides Eliza, but none of them were named Frederic. In 1865 when this letter was written, only one of his other children was still alive: John Wheeler Harding (1821-1896). Augustus and Eliza had a son named Frederic, but he was only 8 years old at this writing, which is too young to have the handwriting and vocabulary of this letter writer. I believe Frederic was Rev. William Frederic Williams, another missionary in Mardin, Turkey mentioned in Eliza's other letter in my collection, and I believe Williams addressed Harding as his "father" and referred to himself as Harding's "son" out of respect. Without an envelope, it might also be possible that "Father Harding" has been misidentified, but that seems unlikely. None of Sewell's siblings appear to have any children named Frederic either.]