Charles Benois Nourse

Notes:

"He was a prosperous merchant of Bardstown; and a faithful elder in the Presbyterian Church for thirty-four years." [James Nourse and His Descendants, citation details below]

Family/Spouse: Nancy Ewing. Nancy (daughter of Charles Ewing and Sarah Wickliffe) died before Aug 1831. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married James Madison Doom on 6 Jun 1843 in Bardstown, Nelson, Kentucky. James was born on 8 Jan 1813 in Bardstown, Nelson, Kentucky; died in Jul 1895 in Lebanon, Marion, Kentucky. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From James Nourse and His Descendants (citation details below):

In 1847 Mr. Nourse joined the Ky. volunteer troops that went to the Mexican war, this company entered the city of Mexico with Gen. Winfield Scott. The following extracts are from letters written while there.

"December 25th, 1847. Dear James:--I am now in the great celestial city, of which there has been much said by the newspapers, political, religious and literary, histories and tongues. The trip from Jalapa has been a forced march, being on an average of eight leagues per day. We have passed many beautiful and interesting places. Our first day's march from Jalapa brought us to LaHoya, where Santa Anna, like Leonidas of old, with 300 men, (Mexicans not Spartans) determined to defend the pass; a traveller passing this way would suppose it impossible to carry it manned by a small determined band. What nature has neglected, art supplied, sharp rocks, cliffs, walls, ditches and sinkholes cover the pass for half a mile or more leaving a space about large enough for one wagon to pass; at this almost impassable gap Capt. Walker, with sixty men drove Santa Anna and his 300 heroes to the winds...[Here is a description of the castle of Perote.]

"One day whilst in the valley of Perote, after having marched 25 weary miles, we pitched our tents and commenced cooking, etc. We heard the report of guns in the distance. The Indiana Regt. was encamped about 5 miles off and it was supposed that they were attacked by Mexicans; the long roll was beat, every man, unconscious of fatigue or sickness, rushed to his tent, shouldered his gun and fell into line ready to march into battle; it was but the work of a moment to form a regimental parade; whilst in line some guns which had been loaded in hunting expeditions, were in the hurry of the times, accidently discharged. One charge severely wounded a young man named Moore, from Eddyville, in the company on the left; another charge proved more fatal, killing a young man by the name of C. W. Peterson, of Louisville. After these accidents we were marched off at a run for about a mile, when we were halted to await further orders, which when they came were, that we should go back to our quarters and go to bed. This was the first alarm we ever had; the alacrity with which the men turned out showed pretty conclusively that they took into consideration what we came for. It is to be hoped that we have no more such alarms.

"On the 5th day's tramp we reached Pueblo...Pueblo has 80,000 inhabitants, covering more space than the city of Louisville, the streets being flanked by continuous blocks of buildings...There is much of interest here, statuary, fine buildings, fountains where the water is led through statues of men, beasts and birds and thrown high in the air...It is worth the trip I have taken, to go through the church in Pueblo, to describe it would be impossible. Paintings, sculpture and all that is magnificent that the imagination of religious devotion can devise, is there. After a rest of 3 days, we had to move on to the city, where we arrived in 4 days, having marched an estimated distance of 110 miles. On the third day of our march from Pueblo we came to the top of the mountain which overlooks the valley of Mexico; there is no place in nature more beautiful than this; imagine the scene, an unobstructed view of 50 miles in extent, a wide extended fertile valley, six or seven large cities, with glistening domes and spires, three large lakes, a winding stream, snow-capped peaks and ranges of mountains spread out in one vast picture...Your brother,
CHAS. E. NOURSE"

Also this to his little brothers--

"February 29, 1848.
"My Young Brothers--It has been five long months since I have been at home...I have seen a great deal in my travels...Have been down the great Mississippi, sailed over the Gulf of Mexico out of sight of land for ten whole days [in which time they endured a severe storm and saw a whale]...We staid in Vera Cruz 4 or 5 days, then commenced marching, going over large bridges, high mountains, and through some large cities, the first of which was Jalapa, which is larger than Louisville; it is situated on the side of a high mountain on whose top there is snow all times of the year...You can see here oranges ripe, green and flowers all growing on the same tree at the same time...I have now been in the City of Mexico since the 19th day of last December...You ought to be here and see the fine things that are here, the fine churches, the crowded streets, the museum and the schools; you would be pleased. In the churches are the finest pictures in the world, statues, gold and silver in abundance adorning the sides, the ceilings and the altars. In the museum, are all kinds of birds, animals and fishes...Was at one of the schools the other day, and there I saw about 20 little fellows sitting as still as mice, some studying, some writing, some ciphering, and some doing nothing at all; they were mostly little pug-nosed, fat-cheeked, black-eyed and shaved-headed little chaps and very funny...suddenly a little fellow about the size of Logan, jumps, calls a little boy to his desk and gives him a good whipping, what for I could not see, and this little fellow was the teacher...You would be amused to see the Mexicans carrying wood and such large loads; they have a rope which they tie up the wood with; and have a strap which goes across the forehead, they sling a pile of wood which would take five negroes to lift and pace off with it. I saw a Mexican who had killed two beeves, he had a mule, upon the mule he put three quarters of a beef and took upon his own back the other five quarters, drove the mule ahead and paced off to the market place. Out in the country they let nothing go that will sustain life, they make sausages out of mules, horses, dogs and cats, the rats have been eat out of house and home long ago. They milk all kinds of animals that give milk, such as mares. How would you like to eat dog sausage and mare's milk for breakfast? You may think that I have eaten dog sausages, but I have not, I have drunk some milk tho...I forgot to tell you that oranges sell for a picayune for ten large fine oranges, apples two for four pence and chickens half a dollar apiece...Remember your brother in Mexico and write to
CHAS. E. NOURSE."

On his return to Bardstown, Mr. Nourse edited the county paper for several years, then was a civil engineer.

Charles married Mary Eliza Ormsby on 26 Sep 1850 in Bardstown, Nelson, Kentucky. Mary (daughter of Judge Henry Ormsby and Lucy Ann Gaither) was born on 29 Apr 1832 in Mt. Prospect, Nelson, Kentucky; died on 18 Jul 1894 in Elizabethtown, Hardin, Kentucky. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]