Leters of Bozeman H. Adair, Lamar, Alabama http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/lamar/history/letters/bhadair.txt ==================================================================== USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Project Archives to store this file permanently for free access. This file is copyrighted and contributed by: Robert Adair ==================================================================== July 1998 LETTERS OF BOZEMAN H. ADAIR Bozeman H. Adair was born in 1827 in Madison County, GA. His family moved to Paulding County, GA in the 1840s. During the Civil War he served in the 40th GA Volunteer Infantry. In 1877, along with three cousins, Bozeman packed up his family and belongings and left Paulding, where he had a very large extended family, and moved to Lamar County, AL. He had several grown children that he had mixed results convincing to move and stay with him. These two letters, addressed to Eli Baxter, his son-in-law, provide a small view of life in Lamar County about 1880. Bozeman was trying to persuade Eli and his sons who remained to come join him. Bozeman died on 22 April 1880, less than one month after the second letter was written. These two letters were transcribed exactly as they were written. Robert Adair 8 November 1997 These two letters were copied as Bozeman H. Adair wrote them. They were in Lula Hollands things. Letter Of B. H. Adair To His Daughter's Family Lamar County Ala Feby 29th 1880 E. B. Baxter & Wife Dear Son & Daughter your letter of the 15th just reached us & found all well the rest of the connection all well as fore as I know was glad to once more have a letter from you & as I read seamed like old times the reason why you had been so long in writing is unknown to me & I will not stop now to inquire was glad as always to have a letter from you hope you will in the future continue to write & you will find me always ready & willing to answer well Eli I have nothing very interesting to write you other times have improved as we have been able to get a very good price for cotton & a verry good crop of it made last year in this country we have had as a comon thing very warm winter a crop of cloudy weather but little rain a good winter for work & we have done a great deal of it have a big new ground on hand have my oats all sown & up nice about half of our stubble broke 2 weeks will bring my time to plant corn and we will have to moove up early if we make it we have had to do so mutch clearing out & fence & have built a big gardin & have a fine clearing of salet Well Eli you say in your letter that mebe you will come out this next summer & you want us to write you all about this country & the price of land here. I am not inclined to over rate this country & will say to you that I have not bein verry well satisfied here up to lately I have become about satified not but what I know one could do better here farming than they could there I beleave I have in every letter where I have said any- thing about it said that this was a better country to Farm than that but I had lived so long there & had so many ties it was hard for me to give up my old friends and associates I never thought of going back there to try to live by Farming if I had some Farms I could mention there I would rather live there than here but Eli I have declined the idea of ever moving back there John went back & I told him before he started that he could do better here & would be sorry of his move Zack I told the same John come back rite away & Zack would have done the same if he could have seen any chance & will come as soon as he can I would not go back there if any one would put my old place together & give it to me for a home & compel me to depend on it for a living I would not go on it nor your place eather I am ancious you would come out here & look Mary ses if you could you will be certin to buy land this is a comon land country clear of rock & they work very little steep land here I had rather depend on the creek land there for corn than most any land we have but we can beat that land in cotton oats peas & potatoes so bad & not mutch behind in corn and wheat & think plow all day & never strike a rock you plow get sharper and sharper & you hoe get so sharp that it will cut your foot every time you touch it you ask me what a good upland farm 160 acres such as the Red mountin we have no such land as that we would not work such land as that if we had it to rough where we can get plenty smoth & easy worked but we have plenty land here that will make as good corn as that & some better & most any of our land here will beat that in cotton while fresh Bob Ray mad over 3000 lbs lint cotton off 10 acres land Edgeworth mad 4000 lbs Lint on 12 acres fresh land John made 4800 seed cotton on 4 acres in old bottom of Betts place I had 12 acres fresh land in corn comon up land & once it was as likely as the Red field corn the year that John worked with me but the drouth cut it off rite sharply my cotton was on land that had been in cultivation 40 years & my neighbors that had been acquainted with the place for 15 years said that it had not been rested to thire knowledge in that time that had been worked every year & the Black Rust stuck mine after the rains set in we had no rain of consiquence after the 1st June till 16th July rite in the time my corn was trying to make my cotton looked fine until the rain & I made but 3 bales off 10 acres as the price of land here it is as low here as any place I recon in the world & as easy bought I have 264 acres I bought mine on 12 months time for 300$ dollars though you want oftin find such chances as that land ranges here from 1.50 to 5 dollars per acre improve you can buy such a farm as you speak of at about 3 dollars per acre half down but you come and look I will shew you all round & Elizabeth says she will with luck have the guardin well supplied with vegatables & plenty chickens her & Mary Mary is as stout as mule Berry is working hard Jeff Tom & Charly says they will go over on the River with you & ketch plenty of fish & we aim to plant a big wattermelon patch & potatoe patch & with luck will be able by the time you get here to have melons peas beans cabbage & potatoes a slice pie well I must close I wanted to say a little to Uncle Nat & Bitsy & Sarah I would be glad to se them & hope that we will all live if it is rite to se each other again I se in their letters to Mary & Nancy Sarah speaks of trouble tell her not to take on more at heart than she can kek off the heals chear up & not give it up come out here next sumer with Eli & se this country & people Se how bad your Ant Nancy was to marry & Nancy deserved a good man & Sarah you might find him here if you was to come there is as good fish in the sea it is said as had ever been caught out & I field somewhat interesyed in your wellfare for I have ever been your friend among all Betsys childrin you have sorter been the favorite with me not meaning any harm to any of them thought enough of all Sarah write to me & I will write you a Big letter all write give my love & repects to all enquiring friends the family all send their repects Mary will write soon & blow her horn be sure & answer this soon your as ever B. H. Adair to EB Adaline Nat Betsy & Sarah Baxter Letter Of B. H. Adair To His Daughter's Family At home Sunday Eavening March the 28th 1880 To E. B. Baxter & family Dear Son & Daughter your letter of the 14th & 15th was recd a few days ago & we was glad t ohear from you to hear you was all well this leaves us all well the connection so fare as i know are all well I was at Johns a fiew days ago have not seen nor heard from Bobe John Saylors nor Zack Adair families since court week before last all well then I have but little news to write we have 2 weeks rain which has thrown us back in the way of Farming verry mutch two weeks we dont have plowing & the consiquence is insted of being done planting have just comenced & have most of our cotton land yet to clean up & our new ground the logs not roled so you can immajon it will keep us mooving through April if we have good weather to get our cotton planted & new ground cleaned off the wind blowed verry hard yesterday & wors today times is about on average here money easy from 8 to 12 1/2 percent some fiew want 15 but not many corn is 75 cts as 6 bits the way they count here well Eli you must be studung about leaving that country by your dreams you give me you dream & ask if I can find you such a place no trouble to find 10 or 20 or eaven 40.50 or more that you can se the fence all round if you will come out I will shew you plenty of level land that is the objection I have to a grate deal of this country it is to level the watter has no way of geting off it & hence it gets muddy if you had been here 10 days ago you would have thought some of it most to level the creeks has been verry high the Bigbee Luxpolile & all the large streames was higher than they have ever been since I have been here but I am where it does me no harm & if you could se my farm today you would think it had not rained on it lately we had a rite smart rain yesterday morning & there is not an acre in my farm today today but what would do to plow oats looks verry well & we had our first salet out of the gardin today wheat has the Rust here now some patches foward is covered & the prospect for a wheat crop here is quite slim well Eli I have no large paper & will have to contint myself will a short letter hope you will continue to write & besure & come next sumer it will not cost you mutch & if you should not like this country after seang it you would not begroudge your trip I am inclined to beliave you would like some portions of this country a little further west in Mississippi there is some of the prettist country & on at Buttyhatchee River a grate range for cattle & hogs only when those by fushes comes then you have to get them out or they will drown Eli give my repects to Nat & Betsy Uncle Arch & Lucy and all other yours B. H. Adair