This extraordinary collection of 1863 correspondence from the Stibbs family, written during the Civil War, serves as a bridge through time. It connects us to their lives through stories of courage, faith, and resilience. The Stibbs boys were raised in Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, as the children of Reasin Beall Stibbs and Emeline (Sprague) Stibbs. As young men, they eventually moved westward in search of new opportunities.
John H. "Jack" Stibbs, the first of four brothers to volunteer for military service, was in the midst of his three-year term in the 12th Iowa Volunteer Infantry in 1863. An ambitious young man with good connections, he faithfully corresponded with his family. These letters provide a vivid, personal window into the hardships of military life and the quiet struggles on the home front.
The Stibbs familyÑeducated, principled, and grounded in faithÑwrote with warmth and honesty. Their letters invite readers to witness the Civil War as they did: not as a distant chapter in history but as a vivid, unfolding reality.
Many of these letters, originally penned in their Federal-era homeÑwhich still stands today in Wooster as the Beall-Stibbs House on the campus of the Wayne County Historical Society of OhioÑopen a rare window into the life and spirit of a family bound by love and enduring fatih during one of AmericaÕs most turbulent times., Stibbs, iowa, ohio, linn county iowa, wooster, wayne county ohio, S. Zimmerman| | 231PAGES