Tuesday, Feb. 25

This is the birthday of my eldest half-sister, Nancy C. Carter.  She is seventy two years old today.  She lives in Franklin Co. Ohio, and enjoys good health.  Sister Sarah, Lizzie, the little girls and myself took dinner at Mrs. Burgess'.  Kate came down on evening train.  Her father has been several days in Marietta but left yesterday morning for Malta.  He evidently took advantage of the absence of William & Rufus & Ephraim to threaten and annoy [unreadable] but God can & I trust will restrain him and [unreadable] them from all harm.  Ephraim and his regiment have gone to Paducah, Ky.


Peggy's comments:
A sensitive subject for the Cutler/Dawes family was the separation of Sarah Cutler Dawes (Julia's sister) and Henry Dawes.  It was an unpleasant business and certainly unusual for the times.  The separation occurred when Sarah was pregnant with Ephraim in 1840.  Henry provided her with some financial support, but not much.  By court order, his sons left the Cutler home and lived with him from the time they were ten years old.  The boys visited the Cutlers as frequently as they were allowed and from their writings, always felt that the Old Stone House was their home.  Sarah Cutler Dawes relied on financial assistance from her family, including her sons Rufus and Ephraim as they reached adulthood.

Henry Dawes lived in Malta, Ohio, and also had a store in Mauston, Wisconsin.  Son Rufus had been in Wisconsin doing work for his father when Lincoln's call for volunteers came in 1861.  Rufus helped form what became known as Company K of the Sixth Wisconsin (part of the Iron Brigade).  Son Ephraim had been in Ohio attending Marietta College and joined the 53rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

For generations the family was very sensitive about the separation of Henry and Sarah Dawes.  Mary Frances Dawes Beach, who was their granddaughter, and who typed Julia Cutler's journals, chose to leave out many references to Henry Dawes.  In the original journal, some lines have been crossed and rubbed out.  But since they were part of Julia's original journal and part of her thoughts, I've included them here.