The Tyler Reporter (Texas) this week publishes a snippet of items that collectively offer insight into the South’s state of affairs in the post-war months: namely, the upsurge in white marriages, repairing of white Baptist churches damaged by the war, and the difficulties facing freedmen in a world where white Southerners have little to no interest in furthering the welfare of their yet-impoverished, former slaves.
The items are later republished in the San Antonio Daily Herald :
The Tyler Reporter has the following:
Marrying seems to be all the rage now-a-days, and Tyler shares her quota with her sister towns; and is properly fulfilling the sacred teachings of Scripture, by “marrying and replenishing” the earth. We, the Local, standing out in the cold, with no endearing embrace, and none to say “My Dear,” &c., can only congratulate the fortunate and say “a long life” &c. Bully for all young Benedicts. You have acted like sensible men. Hope you will succeed in life.
The Supper and Fair, on last Tuesday evening given by the ladies to raise money to repair the Baptist Church, is said to have passed off well, and with a pretty heavy collection. It was a magnificent affair, and is quite creditable to those who got it up. We always like to encourage anything religious. The receipts of the evening, we understand, were $71,50 specie; $23,00 greenbacks.
Two Freedmen were committed to jail by his Honor, Mayor Poleiys [sic] for theft, and are required to wait and see what disposal on the next District Court will make of them. We are rather disposed to believe that they were going into the bread business, because of their stealing about forty bushels of wheat at one whack.
Source: “From Tyler,” San Antonio Daily Herald, December 12, 1865 (link)
