by Lisa Prysock
“How many of you agree with what Hannah just said?” Melody clasped her arms behind her back, hoping they’d prove how ready they were to help by their response.
Not a single person raised their hand. She could tell by the looks on their faces they were a little scared to respond. Gently, she added, “If you agree with Hannah, please raise your hand.”
Slowly, a few students raised their hands, nodding. Then, upraised hands began to spring up all over the classroom until all of the students had raised their hands.
“Are you sure, class?” she asked.
They all nodded and began talking at once over top of each other. Melody held her hands up to restore silence and order. “All right, please wait until I call on you to talk. Let’s simmer down.” The class settled and she began again. “I’m very impressed with your answers. I happen to agree with all of you. I believe you have responded correctly. I think it means you are truly ready to do something for the war to help the nation.”
The students smiled at her and amongst each other. They seemed relieved to hear her words. She continued. “How many of you can keep a secret if it meant someone else’s life depended upon it?”
Everyone in the class surprised her by raising their hands. She paused for a longer time than usual, indicating the seriousness of the discussion. “If you really want to do something for the war, and you meant what you said, I will share a secret with you and a way in which we can all help the war effort. However, if any students among us tell anyone else, I could lose my job, I could end up in jail, and the people I’d like us to help could ultimately lose their lives, or their chance for freedom. They’d have to return to becoming slaves. So I’m going to ask you all one more time, can you keep a secret to protect someone else when it is the Christian thing to do, and the right thing to do?”
Melody waited for the class to think about what she’d shared. Then she continued. “I’m asking if you’d help me hide eight slaves. They are coming to the school house sometime in the coming week. I need your help to keep it a secret so they have a chance to become free. If you’re willing to help, please stand. If one of us isn’t willing to help, none of us can do this.”
A little boy named Joseph raised his hand. “Can we help teach them to read? I mean, can they go to school with us? I heard that most slaves aren’t allowed to learn to read or write, but my Ma says they are as smart as we are.”
She smiled. “That’s right, Joseph. Do you mean can they be our guests during class time? I think so, at least maybe for a few hours each day. That was a wonderful question.” She continued. “If you’re all willing to share our classroom space with them, and that might mean sitting in crowded seats, sharing our slates, and going over some material that you may already know that they do not, please stand. It also might mean sharing your lunch with them, or bringing a toy or a book to school to give them. It might mean bringing an old coat to the school or an extra pair of shoes.”
Melody had begun to walk as she spoke, turning around toward the board a few times. Before she could finish speaking, when she turned around, she realized all thirteen of her remaining students were standing. Inside, her heart was cheering, and the hair stood up on her arms. She knew the Lord had given her the right students for the task ahead of them. No matter how it turned out, she believed it would somehow be all right.
“Where would they sleep?” Billy asked. He was the youngest student on her roster. She couldn’t help but smile at his question.
“Right here at the school, in the cellar. We’ve had a donation of quilts and blankets, and a few other items I’ve prepared for them,” she explained. “Great question, Billy.”
Chapter 13
“There is no remedy for love but to love more.”—Henry David Thoreau.
November 9th, 1861
* * *
On Saturday, the ninth of November, Melody Jane Trumbull stood in her husband’s arms by the fireplace in the Ramsey mansion before they would begin to receive their guests for a lavish parlor wedding reception. Her mother and father had seen to all of the details and the expense, happy to share the moment with family and friends. Pink and white lilies, roses, lady slippers, and hydrangea filled every vase in the house and then some. A three-tiered cake with white frosting sat on a marble-topped table near the parlor windows.
Two glass bowls of fruit punch flanked each end of the dining room buffet. It was adorned with silver trays of petit four confectionaries, orange-flavored chocolates, warm croissants and buttermilk biscuits, sliced ham, roasted turkey, hickory-smoked ribs, oysters, cold pheasant, cheese and herring salad, a molded gelatin, a fruit tray, and a corn relish and pickle tray. The minister from the downtown Congregationalist Church of St. Paul had arrived early.
They’d have another ceremony replicating the one they’d had in Virginia, only this time she’d wear a white dress like those they saw in the fashion plates, something similar to Queen Victoria’s white wedding gown. She’d come down the beautiful staircase and then standing near the fireplace, they’d exchange their vows again before all of their Minnesota friends and family. Then there’d be ballroom dancing in the drawing room with violins, flutists, a pianist, and other musicians. Mother had seen to every last detail, including the songs the musicians would perform. Melody’s only request had been “Turkey in the Straw.”
She’d never forget the late October day when her father had driven to the school on the edge of St. Paul to personally deliver the telegram from her husband. The telegram stated Charles would arrive in a few days on a train bound for Minnesota’s capital. However, it was the next three words which captured her attention the most, bringing tears to her eyes. I love you. It was signed, Your devoted husband, Captain Charles Trumbull.
The children thought it the best day of their lives when Governor Ramsey walked into the one-room school. He’d been most surprised to find five adult slaves and one child slave escaping the south in attendance with the pupils. Combined, Melody and her students helped twenty-three slaves on their journey to freedom. For many of those, Minnesota was their final destination for the remainder of the war. For others, Canada called them further north. Governor Ramsey never turned them in. He later confided he was remarkably proud of their efforts with the Underground Railroad.
Captain Trumbull arrived looking tired, a good deal thinner, but in good health otherwise. He picked her up off her feet and swung her around on the train depot platform, holding her tightly until he set her down. Then he planted kisses on his wife’s lips, her nose, and her forehead while the Ramseys and Uncle Justus waited patiently nearby. It was more than apparent to them that Melody and Charles were deeply in love and happy to be reunited at long last. Melody believed serving in another war had helped her husband discover what was truly important to him.
“Are you really home for good?” she’d whispered to him, touching his face, touching his arms, touching his hands. How good it was to see him step off that train.
“I am, Mrs. Trumbull. I have served my nation. I am home for good,” he answered as the train let out more steam, his words flowing over her like the balm of Gilead. “Now I shall live to serve you and love you all my days.” It had been such a wonderful reunion. His letters arrived a few days after he had settled into the mansion, and then he truly realized how forlorn she’d felt as she cried over the stack of envelopes in her hands.
“You don’t have to read those,” he’d said. “I’m home now.”
“I want to,” she managed through her tears and hiccups. “You have no idea how much I longed for just one more word or one more letter, just to know you were still alive. These will mean a lot to me. I thought you didn’t care.”
“Oh my precious, darling girl. You must never think those kind of thoughts. I wrote to you almost every three or four days the entire time. Look at the size of this stack of mail. What a pity they were lost for so long. I can’t understand it.” He’d looked so frustrated.
In any case, she’d been happy
to finally have the letters. It redeemed him further before her parents as well, who’d watched her growing concerns with every passing day in his absence.
At present, she swooned while he held her in his arms in the beautiful mansion she still loved so much, and she had no desire to be anywhere else in the whole wide world. He made her feel safe, protected, and loved. In his eyes, he assured her she was the only woman in the world. In her eyes, he was the only man in the world. He was the one who’d given her the adventure of a lifetime and chosen to love her, forsaking all others. Their country and war may have claimed him for a short time, but she had him for the rest of their lives.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” he asked, looking into her blue eyes, twirling a lock of her golden wavy tendrils from her upswept hair around his finger. “It’s rather exciting getting to marry you twice.”
“I don’t think you’ve told me how much you love me since we went down to breakfast this morning.” Melody giggled, basking and radiant in his affection.
Silk and satin had been hard to find for her reception gown because of the war, but as the Governor’s wife, Mama had been able to secure an order for the finest of dresses. The off-the-shoulder gown featured a cascading bustle, a three-foot train, and puffed elbow length sleeves, all in white satin trimmed with pink rosettes and a pale blue silk sash around her waist.
He’d already told her ten times how beautiful she looked, but it didn’t stop him from telling her again. “You’re glowing. It really is true that mothers have that glow when they’re expecting. I can hardly believe we’re going to be parents.” He was elated to learn she would deliver their firstborn child in less than four months. She still looked so slim, but she had a tiny bulge he loved to touch.
“You look dashing in your uniform, Captain. I think you’re going to make an excellent father, too.” She marveled that he had yet to ask about when they might return to Sunshine Brook. Deep down, they both knew Minnesota would be home throughout the majority of their marriage. He wasn’t close to his parents like she was to hers, and now they felt safe there, tucked far away from the Confederate forces. They were immensely enjoying living at the mansion with the Governor, Mrs. Ramsey, and Uncle Justus. Besides, now they had the baby’s future to protect.
Sunshine Brook would become their summer retreat, and they’d be next door to her cousins when they visited. She particularly enjoyed hearing him refer to Minnesota as home. He’d done so at least a dozen times already, making her wonder how much he’d suffered while he’d been away. Her Appalachian mountain man fit in well with her family and they’d grown to love him overnight. Maybe it was the joy of his homecoming, maybe the joy of the celebration of their marriage, maybe it was the joy of expecting a grandchild. Whatever it was, her family was tremendously happy for them and fully embraced him as a son-in-law.
“Are you going to miss teaching and the adventure of working on the Underground Railroad now that I’ve come home?” His eyes searched hers, waiting patiently for her answer. “Captain Trumbull, I’ve had the adventure of a lifetime and now, I’d like to explore the adventure of being your wife and the mother of our child.”
“You’re certain?” he asked. “Will decorating a nursery and another master suite in this house keep my bride occupied?”
“Why must our adventures stop there?” she asked, a coy smile on her face and a sparkle in her blue eyes. “Because I was thinking we’d make two more babies right after little Alexander, Junior, or Alexandra, is born.”
“Three children ought to fill the next several decades with adventure.” He grinned at her, his eyes far away for a moment as she watched him consider it.
Melody smiled and her face grew serious. “Did you see that gliding contraption Uncle Justus is making for our baby? He thinks our offspring are destined for greatness and plans to build some kind of flying thing or some such idea. Do you think it might catch on?”
“I have no doubt our three children are destined for greatness, but a flying contraption designed by Uncle Justus? That I’m not so sure about.” Charles laughed and gave her a contented smile, pulling her closer into his arms. “Three children, though. Now that is the one thing besides you and the good Lord above that I’m absolutely certain of. It’s all music to my ears, darling Melody, music to my ears.”
The End
Author Note
Dear Wonderful, Awesome Reader, Friend, and Beloved of God,
From the first moment I saw the state of Minnesota available to write about in this series, I knew I wanted to write this story. I had already done an incredible amount of research for the area to help me form and write in my post-Civil War Era mail order bride series, ‘Brides of Pelican Rapids.’
I was also born in Hastings, Minnesota, not far from the capital of St. Paul since my parents were both from the area. I’ve been there many times and lived there briefly in early childhood. I remember the two beautiful lilac shrubs on either side of my great grandmother’s front porch in St. Paul Park, and the entire layout of her modest, middle class, American home. Like Melody in this story, my great grandmother had also been a school teacher in Minnesota, only a few generations later.
My great, great grandmother lived in a two-story Victorian farmhouse near there, and my mother never failed to regale me with stories about these two beloved grandmothers. A restored antique black and white photograph from the turn of the century with both of my grandmothers adorns my dining room above the fireplace. I’m sure my great great grandmother could tell me plenty of stories about the impact of the Civil War on Minnesota if she were here with us today.
I knew from my previous research that the real life Governor Ramsey had indeed been with Lincoln when news of the war broke out. He became the first governor to offer troops to President Abraham Lincoln. In my research, I learned he’d been in Washington, D.C. on business at the time. When he heard Fort Sumter had been fired on, he went straight to the White House. These details inspired my fictional story about Melody and the Ramsey family. I doubt that his real life daughter, Marion, and his wife, Anne, went with him to the White House, but it is possible and fun to consider, hence my story.
I preface with all of these paragraphs because these were all of the many and varied reasons why I wanted to write the one about Minnesota for this series. I’ll add just one more; my Dad still resides in the beautiful state.
In real life, the Ramseys had a daughter named Marion. I changed the name of their daughter to Melody since my fictional story is loosely based and inspired by the Ramsey family and their role in the Civil War.
Governor Alexander Ramsey married a lady named Anne Jenks from Bucks County Pennsylvania near the Philadelphia area in real life. This inspired me to develop the fictional Jenkins characters to give the character of Melody some Philadelphia cousins with western Virginia connections. West Virginia was not yet a state at this point, but my research revealed that the division in the state about slavery ultimately led to the development of the state of West Virginia.
Marion’s mother, Anne Jenks Ramsey, was the daughter of Congressional Representative Michael Jenks at the U.S. Capital, so we can guess how Anne met the future Governor of Minnesota. In addition to the fact Alexander Ramsey was also from Pennsylvania, he was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar after studying law at Reed’s Law School in Carlisle.
Alexander Ramsey also served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before marrying Anna Jenks. (Some places in my research called her Anne, and others referred to her as Anna, but most simply called her Anne.)
In real life, they also had two boys, Alexander and William, who both died in early childhood before Marion was born.
Since Alexander had campaigned heavily for President Zachary Taylor, Ramsey was tapped by Taylor to become the governor of then Minnesota Territory from 1849 to 1853. This helped Ramsey, of the Whig party, to secure the bid for Governor for a second term from 1860-1863. Ramsey served as the Mayor of St. Paul in 1855, but he lost the run for Go
vernor to his friend and political rival, Henry Sibley, a Democrat, in 1857. Minnesota actually became a state in 1858.
During the Civil War, Ramsey’s term is most known for how he managed the Dakota Wars of 1862. Ramsey and Lincoln worked together very closely during this time, with Abraham Lincoln personally reviewing nearly every case of each of the Indians put on trial for their role in the war. Their joint decisions along with the results of the trials led to the largest mass hanging to date in United States history. The Dakota Indians, along with some from other tribes who were not involved, were expelled from Minnesota as a result of the massacre. I did not write about this aspect in my story since my novella focus is the year of 1861.
Alexander and Anne Ramsey arrived in Minnesota Territory with a servant and Uncle Justus, Alexander’s brother. They really did live above a saloon at first and they built a mansion eventually on Exchange Street, but not until many years after the Civil War. Their daughter Marion had a lavish parlor wedding and raised her three children in the mansion. Nearly all of the details for the mansion were revealed in my research at the website about their mansion, now a museum in St. Paul. Interestingly, Marion’s real life husband became mentally ill and lived out his life in an asylum, while Marion remained at the mansion with her parents and three children for the rest of her life. I did not find anything conclusive about why this happened to her husband or if he served in the Civil War. Captain Trumbull is purely a fictitious character, but I’ll share what inspired my writing about him in a moment.
As for Uncle Justus, I totally made up the details about him having been a drinking, gambling man to make the character in my story fun and interesting. They really did have five sisters who served the Ramsey family as maids, but all of my characters are fictional or used fictitiously in this story.