NJ Man Finds Letter Presumed To Be Written By Soldier During Civil War

FORKED RIVER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -  A piece of American history has reappeared in New Jersey in the form of a note written by a soldier during the Civil War.

"(Does it sort of give you a feel like you're going back in history?) It makes you feel like you're kind of there now," Forked River resident Jim Korwan told CBS2's Christine Sloan.

The letter, old and faded, was written by a soldier to his wife during the Civil War. It was tucked away in the sleeve of a record album when Korwan discovered it.

"I thought this could have some historical significance, it could be valuable," Korwan said.

Written on Civil War letterhead and dated 1862, the author's name appears to be D.H. Jones.

"Seems to be about a soldier who is checking up on maybe another family member who is in a different regiment," Korwan said.

As Sloan reported, the solider also lets his family know he's okay, wishing them a happy New Year. Some of the words are hard to make out, Sloan reported.

"I have shortened this letter as I do not feel like writing at present," the letter reads. "... And also mother, give love to the children and kiss them."

Mary Hayes Jones, the name on the envelope, is presumed to be the soldier's wife.

CBS2 showed a picture of the findings, including a three-cent stamp, to a collector who said none of it has much value.

"The content part would be valuable if he was describing a battle he had seen or the capture of Confederate troops," Dr. Arnold Saslow said, of Ye Old Curiositie Shoppe.

However, the letterhead, which bears Col. Charles H. Graham's name, might be of interest. He helped plan and lay out Central Park after the war.

"For someone who collected the history of New York, they would be interested in it because is a significant New York figure," Saslow said.

The address on the envelope is Kinney Street in Newark.

Korwan wants to find the soldier's descendants.

"It's their property," he said.

To them, the letter could be priceless.

Sloan tried to track possible descendants, but it was difficult given how hard it was to read his name.