July 27th Sunday
I did not go to Church today, last Tuesday Mr. Bethell and myself were sent for to go to Caswell to see Mr. Bethell’s Mother to tell her of the death of her daughter Louisa Sneed, who died the 11th of this month leaving an infant 11 days old, she left six children, two of her sons are in the army, how uncertain is life, she was a member of the Episcopal Church, professed a change of heart. I hope she has gone to rest.
I have felt the Lord had enabled me to cut loose of my affections from this world and set them on things above, how important it is to live near to God, to keep ourselves in readiness for death.
Henry Hairston died the 24th of June, youngest son of Mrs. Agnes Hairston, he was a soldier in the army.
Source: Mary Jeffreys Bethell Diary, 1853-1873. #1737-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/bethell/menu.html
