Title: John M. Rogers to Walt Whitman, 1 June 1871
Date: June 1, 1871
Whitman Archive ID: loc.01869
Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
Editorial note: The annotation, "John Rogers ans. June 2 '71.," is in the hand of Walt Whitman.
Contributors to digital file: Alex Kinnaman, Elizabeth Lorang, Charley Shively, Kathryn Kruger, Ashley Lawson, John Schwaninger, Caterina Bernardini, Marie Ernster, Cristin Noonan, Paige Wilkinson, and Stephanie Blalock
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June 1st 18711
Dear
Fathe
It a long time cince I heard from you and thinking you would like to hear from me thought I wright you a line or two to see how you are geting along I am as well as can be I should like to hear from you very much I have got a good place and are doing well I like it very much I wilull send you a card 480 Bway I supose you will come on here soon to spend one or two months and then I shall see you It is very warm here yesterday we had a very hard thunder storm and it done a great deal of dammage along the North River & distroye Houses and trees and fruit things is very quite here except a murder now and then so now I will close with my love
good
by
from you
affecinate
Son and Friend
John M Rogers
To my Dear Father
write Soon
Correspondent:
John (Jack) M. Rogers was a
Brooklyn driver with whom Whitman had a loving relationship. Whitman
first met him in Brooklyn on September 21, 1870. For more on Rogers and his
relationship with the poet, see Charley Shively, ed., Calamus
Lovers: Walt Whitman's Working-Class Camerados (San Francisco: Gay
Sunshine Press, 1987), 122–135.
1. This letter is addressed in Whitman's hand as follows: Mr. Walt Whitman | Atorney General Office | Treasure Building | Washington. | D.C. It is postmarked: New York | JUN | 1; CARRIER | JUN | 2 | 8AM. [back]