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15 August 2014

Were They As Illiterate As You Think?

Don't assume without some conclusive evidence that your ancestors were illiterate. A relative of my wife's was in an Illinois prison in the early 1860s. Records indicate he was a farm laborer and a carpenter. There is his pardon file was a four page letter he had written to his brother.

If I had never seen the letter, I would have assumed he was illiterate. Apparently he wasn't.

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