A Letter from the Files of Rubye Johnson May
From Family Findings
Vol. VI, No. 4, October 1974, pp. 132-134
Copyright, Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society, 1974
Appears on this web site by permissionA LETTER FROM WEAKLEY COUNTY 1860
State of Tennessee Weakley Cty February the 1st 1860
Dear brother and sister I set me down in order to answer your verr y kind and most wellcomed letter/ we wer verry glad to lern you were all well/ we are are all well and getting along tolerable well/ times is hard in this county at present/ tobacco our only chance for mony is verry dul selling from 3 to 5cts per pound/ every thing like eatables is hy for this country/ corn is 83 per barrel and scearc at that pork is 6cts per pound/ we have a railroad in five miles of us that is carying off evry thing that can be spared/ it runs between here and McLemoresville/ all of our chicken butter and eggs is carried to Memphis/ they expect to open a tobacco market there soon/ if they do it will be a grat advantage to our western farmers/ we can eat breakfast at home and dinner in Memphis any day we wish to go/ we made verry lite crops last year owing to the wet backward spring and the drouth in the summer/ a pretties fall I nerver saw but the winter so far had pade up for the bratty fall we had a resel snow storm yesterday/ the snow was not falling longer than seven hours and is four inches now/ the Son shines beautiful all this day and did not melt the snow any it is so verry cold/ we have had about ten snowes since it commenced snow/ that wheat is killed but I hope it is not as bad as they think for I suppose there was some wheat sowed last wek over in Gipson/ My toes feeles like they woul freeze by a good fire
I am very glad to lern you have and interresting neighbourhood and regret verry much that I cannot give you the same inteligence/ I:pray Gods blessings on your sabbath school/ be fsithfull as a teacher let nothing hinder yo from being at your post but the hand of providence/ in that way you may bind shieve for the kingdom a good example is never lost/ O that I could write my feelings on that subject/ it is a nuff to say that God will bless the sabbath school where it is carried on as it should be/ I wish to no what denomination preach for you and whether you are thich a nuff settled to have a good weak schools/ we had a big campmeeting at old pleasant green last fall/ it continued more than a week/ I saw most of your relations there/ grandmother white was rite peart for her age/ they were all well except Rody/ her health was verry bad she is afflicted withe a bleading of the lungs/ little Nancy White you no was subject to fits all her life the older she gets the worse they hurts her/ your grandmother thinks she will not last much longer/ your granfathers funeral was preached on monday of the campmeeting by Abner Cooper from Esekiel the 47 chapter from the first to the thirteenth verses/ I believe all your relations were their that day except Albert and his family/ they were not there during the meeting that I saw/ there has been several marriages on that side to rever lately two of Betsy Cribbe daughters one married a Leach/ Martha married Jo Belew/ his 1 wife died last summer/ Jo Quinn came from California and took the last Harvy girl except old Missouri/ there was severall others too tedious to mention
well I am somewhat surprised I no not how the report could have started about George starting to that country/ I have herd him say severall times that he just intended to go to see you if he lived but I dont suppose he had any thought of going there last fall/ I would not be surprised if he keeps liveing if he goes to that country in two or three years/ him and Abe Patton is going to merchantdiseing this spring in Obion cty Union City/ George has bin over in Arkansas this winter to see Thomas and John/ he got home two weeks after Christmas/ they were all well/ he did not like that country at all/ I was at Marys in August the children had a great el to say about you especially Jane/ she had not forgotten you/ I hered from them two weeks since they were all well/ Uncle Gregorys health is verry bad this winter/ I was to see him last sunday/ he sends his best love and respects to you and family/ Sarahann Marry Jane and Leivina were there/ they all wish you to remember them/ Aunt Sarah also joins in sending love to you/ Benjamin is liveing on the Josiah more place doing verry well/ his health is not good he has had the chill off and on for two years/ John Patterson and Lacinda young was married lest week/ James and Rachel is liveing at the Wedington place/ they are well/ Mas health is rite good/ she wants to see you and your little ones verry bad but as it is impossible for her to see you do write to her often/ you no she never writes any of late but so long as I live and am with her I will try to write for her/ its past twelve thursday the 2nd/ we are all well/ I have two children William and Rachel/ will growl verry fast/ he has made a good hand in the farm two years he is five feet hy/ Rachel is five years old and verry well grown/ I believe I have gone thru with all that will be interesting to you/ Ma sends her best love to you and children and says you must writs often/ I receive a letter from you last spring/ I had writen you one about the same time you wrote your and George has writen since/ we had bin looking for a letter for some time kiss your little children for me and tell there Aunt wants to see them/ Mr. Crabtree joins in sending love to you/ you must write soon/ so no more at present but we remain your loveing brother and sister till death
J A and J A FLIPPIN S M and I S A CRABTREE
Mariah sends howdy to you and sait tell you she has three boys with her yet
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(Carroll County, Tennessee Records)
Marriage Records 1838-1860, page 86, #343 Dec. 6, 1843
Samuel M. Crabtree to Isabella S. A. Patton by R. G. Weddington M.G.