Numbered pages 245-256.

 

Nicholas Harris         Counsellor-at-Law                  Belvidere  N.J.                  July 9th  1896

Henry J. Aten                  Hiawatha  Kansas

Dear Cousin:  Your kind letter of the 6th inst. was duly received last evening, with the inclosures.

I thank you for the Statement made by Henry of Wellsville O.  I now send to you 4 other old papers viz.,-- old Parchment deed to Adrian Aten for some lands over in Penna., which tradition says your ancestor Dirick Aten afterwards bought.—Northampton County was formed out of part of Bucks County in the year 1752.  See the old quaint expression in

the certificate of acknowledgement—“one of his Mjisties[Majesty’s] Jus.[Justices] of Ye peace for ye county, 

2nd an old Parchment Patent for some lands to Henry Atten of “Attensburg” where the Aten’s lived over in Penna—This Henry Aten was my wife’s Great Great Grandfather.—

3rd An old Release to show you where Sarah & Robert Brittain settled---

4th An old unsigned paper to show you the first name of the Funston who married Mary “Polly” Aten.

These (4) old papers you can read, copy if you wish to, show to friends, and then return them to me again.

I have also taken the liberty to send to you a pamphlet containing the exercises and part

taken by New Jersey in dedicating the monuments on the battlefield of Gettysburg Pa., in honor of the New Jersey troops there.  As you are an old Soldier I thought it would interest you.  After you have taken sufficient time to read it, and make extracts from it, and have showed it to, or sent it to friends to read if desired, it can be returned to me.  It is the only copy I have or I would present it to you.  I thought you would derive enough pleasure from reading it to pay the postage on it to return it.—

When the way is clear for you to make a copy of the family history of Rev. Thos. G. Aten of Iowa, I will be pleased to receive a copy of the same, although it is so remote from me that it will not be of much interest to me, but I can show it to some of the other Aten families who claim a lineage from a John Aten of Sussex County N.J.—

Your request will be complied with as soon as I can get the information about the different persons related to you in any degree who served in the War of the Rebellion from Penna. or N.J.—

James R. Aten son of a John Aten recently dec’d (I sent you a slip of notice of his death) lives just over the river from here—served nearly 4 years in a Penna. Cavalry

regiment, was wounded once or twice and gets a pension of $17 per month, is often over here.  I being a Notary Public have for many years, nearly 20 I think, prepared his pension voucher.  He will no doubt be able to give me much information.

Old Uncle Peter Aten had several grand-sons in the War. I will see Mrs. Hay  She may be able to give me their names.  Derrick Aten, son of John Aten who lived & died on the old homestead, had 9 sons.  I think three of them served—I will try and find out about them.—

I had two uncles (Harris) in the War, they would be distant relatives to you.—

I had a second-cousin, Wilbert F. Harris, Corp.  Co. B.  15th N.J. Regt., who was killed at Spottsylvania C.CourtH.House Va., May 12th 1864.  His comrades say that when his body was found it was badly mangled having been struck by five different bullets.  His body is buried in the National Cemetery at Fredericksburg Virginia.

A brother to the above, Abram M. Harris served 3 years in the 13th N.J. Regt., came home and is now a M.E. minister, down in Morris County N.J. (The last two are no kin to you being descended from a second marriage of Great grand father Harris.)

I am a great friend to the old soldiers.  I most always get invited to their reunions, and often address them, and I fix up papers and affidavits without number for them without pay, and on a few occasions I have taken indigent ones to reunions at my own expense.  I do not say the above to boast, but to show you that I have a love and kind feeling for the old veterans.

You wrote me that your Great Grand father Aaron Aten was a soldier in the Revolution and was at the battles of Trenton and Princeton N.J.  My dear friend, I

am so sorry that you and Mrs. Aten when so near did not visit Trenton and see the Great Battle Monument there, located on the precise spot where the action commenced.  And also see the large oil-painting in the Rotunda of our State House of the Battle of Trenton.  I always look at it when there and it nearly always brings tears to my eyes.  Oh how I have seen people weep while looking at that large historic picture.

Then you could have gone a few miles out to Freehold and looked at the Great Battle Monument of the battle of Monmouth, where the brave “Mollie Pitcher,”

became noted in Military history.  I presume of course that you and Mrs. A. and your daughters have all read about “Mollie” at Monmouth.  And at Princeton is another large monument.

Also at Washington’s Crossing 12 miles above Trenton, where Genl. Washington and his soldiers crossed on that cold December night there is a monument.—

History and tradition both tell me that one of my Great Grandfathers’, “Mathias Stine”, was at the battle of Trenton.  Also my Great Grand father

John Parr, on my mothers side was a Continental soldier and died at, as then called “Bottle Hill,” now Madison N.J. during the winter that the American Army encamped at Morristown.—

The military records show that John Parr, was a private in the western Battallion Morris Co., N.J. Militia—also served in the State troops in Capt. Henry Luce’s Co. of 21st Battallion 2nd Establishment.

The saying always has been that Grandfather Parr left his home & family and went to the War and never came back.  Do you wonder then that tears

should come to the eyes of those so connected with the events represented in granite and marble and painting?

There is in our county 9 miles above Belvidere an old historic Moravian town, named Hope, settled in 1769, which must be the village referred to by Henry Aten in his statement to his son Charles Morgan.

As your ancestor was at Trenton I send you a clipping, “The Battle of Trenton”  read it keep it and give to your daughters.  Also I send

for Misses Edna and Stella Aten to read, a little poem written by one of the ladies at our Seminary, entitled “Violets.”  Mrs. Barbara A. Transue a Grand daughter of John Aten was at my place a few days ago.  I showed her your letters and family history and she remarked she would like to see you.

We are all well at my home. Mrs. Hay is quite well, and all the rest of the friends so far as I know of now.  I hope you and all your friends are well, and I will be pleased to hear from you again at any time.  With love and kind regards to you all I am your Cousin         

Nicholas Harris