Clay County AlArchives Photo document.....Anderson, Elizabeth Betsy (Letter 1) 1868 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Eva Jo Butler eva.butler@worldnet.att.net July 28, 2003, 6:32 am Source: Eva Jo Butler Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/clay/photos/documents/ph4anderson.jpg Image file size: 119.6 Kb Letter 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alabama Clay County May 2th 1868 Mary Anderson Dear granddaughter these lines leaves me in tollerable helth though I am on the decline verry fast and I hope these lines may reach you soon and find you all in good helth. I recd a letter from you 2 weeks ago I was glad to hear from you but sorry to hear of goodes loosing his daughter I will now give you allittle hint how things is going on hear. I wrote it to you before but you was moved and I don expect you got it. Charles Rasco has taken in 2 or 3 croppers and has cleared 35 or 40 acres and has tore the mill house up & took out the floor riped off part of the wetherboarding and tore up the thrash and fan worked up all of the irons in the shop and has turned out the old land to keep from paying rent page 2 Your place is going to ruin fast tairing it up every waway they allow me no privaledges of the place they wont let me turn a cow in the fielad in the winter long enough to have a clalf and they have even dedned the timber round my Spring I am no expence to them only they let me have part of my bred. I want some of you to come and see how things is going an take charge of your place your Self the fresh did not inger the mill house nor big wheel but that new big wheel will soon rot lying on one side in the mud and water the bold and smut they are making use of in old Johns mill I will write no moor at this time write to me on the recpt of this Come back and see me yours as ever ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Additional Comments: This letter was written in Clay County, Alabama in 1868 by Elizabeth Betsy Anderson (the mother of William C. Anderson) to her granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Anderson, who was in Bell County, Texas. William C. had been killed in the Civil War on June 27, 1862. His widow (Elizabeth Lott Anderson) had remarried and she and her new husband had moved with their children, including Mary Elizabeth, to Texas in September 1865. This letter is one of two letters that were in a metal bank box that belonged to Jefferson Mills and his wife Mary Elizabeth Anderson Mills. The other letter was written to Elizabeth Lott Anderson Joiner (daughter-in-law of the letter writer) .The bank box also contained numerous original land deeds to Jefferson Mills beginning in 1857. Also in the box were property tax receipts. The box was given to me (Eva Jo Butler) @ 1980 by Bertha Parrott Swan (Tots). She and my mother (Aura Belle Coker Jones) were granddaughters of Mary Elizabeth Anderson Mills. Another complete transcription of both letters, profile of Elizabeth Anderson and color scanned images can be seen at http://www.genrecors.net/alclay/history/anderson.html This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/alfiles/ File size: 3.4 Kb