Crenshaw County AlArchives Biographies.....Wells, Martha Ann (Massey) 1840 - 1927
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joyce English jenglis000@centurytel.net July 13, 2009, 12:40 pm

Author: herself

The 22nd day of next June I will be 75 years old.  I do not use eye glasses even
to sew, but of course I do not use a machine, but I sew the old way with my
fingers.  Since I am old and unable to do as much work standing on my feet as I
once did, I spend much of the time on making quilts.  I do my own cooking & most
of my house work.

I was born five miles east of Columbus, Ga.and married there at the age of 23
years.  I was at home with my parents through the awful days from 1851 to 1865 and
awful it was too, for a family where father and mother were unable to work for
support and the boys were in the Army.  For about 2 years of this time I helped to
make a support for the family by sewing for the soldiers.  I walked from my home
to Columbus and there I would get shirts from the tailors shop, read cut and take
them home with me to do the sewing.  10 suits was the limit and I would take them
all home with me at one trip. And ten days was the limit as to the time I was
allowed to keep the suits at my home whether finished or unfinished, $45.00 was
what they paid me for the 10 suits and it just $45.00 to pay for one "block of
thread" but few mothers of today know what I mean by a "block of thread".
And when the Yankees came to Columbus & destroyed much of the town, the salt
house was also burned, and then the many poor women has a hard time just to get
table salt. But to keep this letter from being too long I will omit some of my
experiences. I am the mother of five girls and one boy, all are yet living except
the youngest girl, who died when she was about grown.  If they could all talk, 23
children would call me grandmother, and there was two great grandchildren.  With
best wishes will close,

Martha Wells, Honoraville, Ala. April 29,1915

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