CENSUS RECORDS

Letters & Other Documents

Regardless of the family line or authorship, all of these old letters are very interesting to read because they give us such insight into the daily realities of life and the problems faced by our ancestors in those times. For the sake of organization however, the letters are presented here in groupings according to the Gose Family Line to which they relate.

I.   The Stephen Gose, Jr. Line

Series of Letters written by the John and Elizabeth Bickley to their children including daughter and son-in-law, Eliza and John Jack Gose. John was the son of George Gose, b. 1785 and married to Elizabeth Jesse. George was the son of Stephen Gose and the Grandson of the immigrant Stephan Gose. George and his descendants were very prominent in Russell County, Virginia as were the Bickleys. These letters were contributed by Shelley Campbell who transcribed them from the original handwritten letters with all spelling and punctuation presented as originally written.

Letter written September 20, 1833 to son-in-law and daughter, Oscar and Mary H. Love. Mentions George Gose and son Aaron and problems with their cattle business.

Letter written October 13, 1835 to son-in-law and daughter, John and Eliza Gose who were living in Pike County, Illinois. It mentions the observance of Halley's Comet.

Letter written February 12, 1836 to son-in-law and daughter, John and Eliza Gose who were living in Pike County, Illinois.

Letter written April 16, 1836 to son-in-law and daughter, John and Eliza (Elizabeth) Gose who had moved from their childhood homes in Russell County, Virginia to Pike County, Illinois.

Letter written December 13, 1836 to son-in-law and daughter, John and Eliza Gose who were living in Pike County, Illinois.

Letter written September 12, 1837 to son-in-law and daughter, John and Eliza Gose who were living in Pike County, Illinois.


II.   The John Gose Line

Civil War letters pertaining to the John Gose family of Morgan County, Kentucky -  These very interesting letters give great insight into the type of fighting that took place in the hills of Kentucky and other areas with less formal military organization.  These transcriptions originally appeared in a circa 1948 Lexington Press publication titled "The Hursts Of Shenandoah".  They were contributed by Barry Gose who received them from Ms. Iris (Gose) Reams.

The Appalachian area was torn apart by the Civil War more so than some other areas because of the mixture of allegiances present throughout the region.  Many of the residents in this area initially declined to be involved in the conflict, but as time passed and things escalated they chose sides.  Unfortunately, many residents had opposing views and the war took on more the flavor of bitter feuds in this area as neighbor fought against neighbor.

Those siding with the Union (or Republic as it was sometimes called) joined the "Home Guards".  Those siding with the Confederacy joined the "Guerillas".  Both organizations were officially sanctioned and supported by the formal military organizations of the Union (North) and Confederacy (South).  Members of these groups tended to fight in small bands or possees and made a lot of decisions on their own regarding how and where to fight.  Much of it was cruel, brutal, and simply murderous as you will see starting with the first letter.

The Gose families in this area sided with the Republic (Union) and joined the Home Guards.  The headquarters for the military in this region was Mt. Sterling, Kentucky which is located in present day Montgomery County just off U.S. 64 Highway east of Lexington.

Letter written October 7, 1863 by Henry Hurst to his brother William.  Henry and William's father, Samuel, was a very active participant in the fighting in this area of Kentucky even though his sons thought he shouldn't be doing such things "at his age".  You will note from the letter that Samuel was apparently wounded or somehow injured prior to this letter being written.  The Nickell family referred to in this letter lived near many of the Goses in the Morgan County area of Kentucky and some married into the Gose family.

A very brief letter written February 9, 1864 by Henry to his brother William.

Letter written February 11, 1864 by Samuel Hurst to his son William.  The city of Jackson referred to in the letter is located in present day Breathitt County, Kentucky SSE of Mt. Sterling and a little ways south of the Mountain Parkway.  You will also note from this letter that even Union sympathizers kept slaves.  In the beginning the Civil War was not about slavery at all.  It was not until President Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation that the slavery issue became an important facet of the war.  Up to that point, the Union armies lacked motivation and had not won a single notable battle in the war.  The Emancipation Proclamation gave the Union a rallying cause and as a result they fought with increased vigilance.

Letter written February 25, 1864 by Henry to his brother William, discussing the buildup of troops in the area.

Letter written March 15, 1864 by Samuel Hurst to his son William.  In this letter he refers frequently to his other son Henry and John Gose who we have been able to identify as a John M. Gose born in 1838.  John M. Gose was the second born son of Henry and Elizabeth (Barker) Gose, and the great-grandson of the immigrant Stephan Goß.  My great-great grandfather, John Milt Gose (son of James Gose who was a brother to Henry) lived in the same area and was ambushed and killed on his own land by Guerillas in 1865 but is not the same as the John referred to here.  The Kash family referenced in this letter also married into the Gose family.

Letter written March 2, 1865 by Henry to his brother William.  John Gose is again mentioned several times in this letter and as you can see, he was very aggressive in spite of the fact that he was only 5 ft 6½.  For more on this John Gose and what eventually became of him, click on this link:  What became of John M. Gose?

More letters will be added as they are discovered.  If you have any family letters or other information to contribute, Please Contact Us!

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