Obituary of Mrs. Sarah Rice Hanchey, 1794-1873, & letter to her grandson

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nichols3@leo.infi.net

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DEATH AND OBITUARY NOTICES FROM THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE 1867-1878
Issue of October 8, 1873

Mrs. Sarah Hanchey, widow of Daniel Hanchey, was born January 1794 and died July 
21st 1873, at the residence of her daughter in Alachua county, Florida. R. H. 
Barnett

--------------------------------------------------

Waldo, Florida  July 2, 1873

Wm. W. H. H. Nichols

Kind son with pleasure I seat myself to write you a few lines in answer to your 
much welcome letter of the 18th and was received the 25th of June.  I was glad 
to..nt one more letter from your for it had bin a long time since I had received 
one from you Dear son I cannot describe the half how sory I am to hear of your 
affliction but I cannot do you any good by being sorry only I can pray to God to 
restore you to health again which thing I know he is able to do but is it is not 
his will for you ever to enjoy good health again in this life I know if is his 
will that you should enjoy an eternal health and happiness in a fair better 
world than this what a greate consolation it is to have the smiles of the King 
of Heaven upon us when we come to contend with that grim monster death but if 
his sting has bin drawn he cannot harm us for he will only fass us through from 
this life of trouble and affliction to a world of health peace and happiness far 
better than we can enjoy in this life  I want you to read for your own 
instruction the 12th chaper of Romans and present your body a living sacrifice 
holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.  I hope that you have 
not forgeten that you was once purged from your old sins and I hope that you 
have not bin overcome by the world and brought back under bondage to sin agin 
may God forbid that you should ever be overcome by the enemy any more  my hearts 
desire and prear is to meet you in Heaven and not only you but allso all my 
children and I dont stop at this only, for I try to Pray for all mankind that 
all m.... mout at last be saved if agreeable to the will of the Allmity    Henry 
you requested your Grandmother to pray for you it was not quite too late for to 
be granted but she could but only mutter out with a vary weak and faltering 
voice - Lord have mercy on him and save him I pray she said much more but not so 
as to be understood for she has bin and is yet vary sick and we have no hope of 
hir ever recovering any more I have not time to finish my letter now but must 
wate for another oportunity.

This is now July 9th a few minetes after midnight and as I  have to set up alone 
will try to spend a little of my lonely time in writing to /////////wishe to 
tell you something about your Grandmother she is yet alive but suffering beyond 
discription she was taken sich the 11th day of June with a runing off of the 
bowels was checked and became quite and on Saturday morning the 21st at 2 
o'clock a violent pain struck her in her rite foot and ankle which in a few 
minis had her foot drawn out of shape in a few hours her foot was all a 
bloodshoten color and it is swolen and almost black and is dead and cold   it 
beats any sight I ever saw and the pain she has suffered from it is 
indiscribable not one mements ease has she had since the pain first struck her 
foot and a constant sick all over sick all the time and she eats nothing 
sometimes she drinks a little milk and wine and she prays constat to the Lord to 
take her out of her suffering condition but yet she appears meekly resined to 
suffer his srighous will she is confident that he will soon take her over to a 
goodly land   she says that she desires to meet with you and all her 
Grandchildren in that happy land above   I do not think that it will be long 
before she will find a resting place    this is the 20th night that we have set 
up with her and Watch her every day thinkg that every hour may be the last and 
she may go before I send this letter off if so I will put it in to you  she is 
the weakest person I that that I ever say but her voice has become stronger than 
it was 10 days ago  she can talk plain enough to be vary well understood.  I 
cannot say to you that any of us is well we are all sick with bad colds and I 
have got the Erecypulous on boath my legs so that I hardly can get about and we 
are all vary much worn out with fateague and loss of sleep  I have noe with me 
now but Sarah and Lorah only Billy is here to night and he has got a vary bad 
cauhf we are in common searse of company to set up at night for thare is but few 
familys that livs near around me it is 3 miles to Mahals and 5 to Margarets and 
they  have so many little ones that it is a bad chance for them to come oftain   
C.S. lives with a family about 4 miles from us she is var titely engaged so that 
she only comes to see us about onst a week

Henry you ......see that I have bin .......writing this letter but I hope you 
will excuse me   M.M. and M.D. has boath writen and I expect you have heard from 
us   this is the 23rd of July your Grandmother is gone home to the spirit world 
she died Monday the 21st at 1/2 after 11 o'clock  she was conscious and in her 
right mond to the.......and reacht out her hand and bade all fairwell shakeing 
everyones hand and give us all the grasp of affection when she could not speak 
and not more than a minits before the breath left her I can say that she was 
vary decently buried her coffin was neatly lined and paded and.o.rd with black 
alapacka and had on it .. silver headed tacks and screws and nice bows  her 
burial was attended by a large concorse of people and many dropt the tear of 
affection   it was solomised by the preacher in charge of this Circuit a young 
man by the name of Robert H. Barnett he was a great favorit of hers and he 
appeared to have a special affection toward her  we got acquanted with him and 
heard him Preach onst a month while we lived in LaFayette Co. and this his ..nd 
year here on this circuit   he had frequently visited my house and he came to 
see your Grandmother while she was sick and talked and sung and prayed with and 
for her and she requested him to Preach her funeral  his reply was he sho uld 
think it a greate honor conferd on him to do so  and when they parted she told 
him to meet her in Heaven  he told me yesterday that her request had stuck 
closter to him than anything he had heard in a long time and he felt found to 
comply with her request   he gave out her Funeral  it will be preacht the 3rd 
Sunday in September which will be the 21st and oh how glad I would be if all her 
Grandchilren could be present to hear it prehaps it mite be a benefit to some of 
them as for me I feel more bound and determined to follow on as my in her 
footsteps as I can until I overtake her in her happy home which prehaps will not 
be vary long thou my health at this time is tolerable good and Sarah and Lorah 
is boath well and that is not all of my family   I hope that you will recive 
this letter soon and answer it in some shorter a time that I have answed your 
but you can gess the reason why I was so long writing it and exuse me this time

I wil ........................................................ that crops in 
this part of the country is not vary good for they have bin drowned 
.................................... much rain    the bread that is ............ 
here next year will have to be shipt from some other part of the country but we 
hear good ............... in other places  corn is now being ship to Waldo and 
sells at $1,25 .. per bushel bacon 15 cts   flower from 10 ....dollars per 
barrell  shugar  10   sirup 5 or 60 cts per galon wages i low  hand at this mill 
works for .... per day and finds their selves..............................not 
much R Roding work going on now in this part of the country but I think that 
thare is a ........................going on down about the Keys and thare is 
several places around here in this co untry whare a man can get good jobs to 
work at the carpenter trade and thare is several good chances for a man to 
...............................and make a farm    the land in the country 
produces ....well............the seasons sutes it                  the ...nge 
here for stock rite around........................good but about 12 or ....miles 
South of here they say it is vary ... cattle at any rate they .ive a greate many 
vary fat....cattle from down thare that is .....what is called Plans Prairie   I 
can say for this country is is healthy and the people here that works have a 
plenty to eat; you said that you wanted to get somewhare on the coasts for 
yourhealth and prehaps it mite be a great advantage to you to come down here or 
prehaps lower down nearer the coast  it is about  70 miles from Waldo to the 
Keys   I should be glad for you to get somewhare that would improve your health   
please give my love to Sally and Nety and to Mrs. Baston and family and tell me 
in your next letter how many of her children is with her and when you see John 
and Thomas give them this letter to read  Sally send her love to all the family 
conection and all of you write soon for I love to hear from all of you and I 
hope that you wuill not get tired of reading this long letter before you get 
through for it is from your affectionate mother
so fairwell until I hear from you again
                                                     Elizabeth Nichols
to W. H. H. Nichols
_______________________________________________________

Above letter written to William Henry H. Nichols [ March 8, 1841-April 30, 
1883], son of above Elizabeth Nichols and William E. Nichols and grandson of 
above Daniel and Sarah Rice Hanchey.  The Hancheys can be found in the 1830 
Butler, 1840 Pike, and 1850 Coffee County, Alabama censuses.  Wm and Elizabeth 
Nichols can be found in the 1840 Pike, 1850 Coffee, and 1860 Covington Co, 
Alabama censuses.  Elizabeth was widowed about 1865 and moved to 
Lafayette/Aluchua Counties after then with some of her children.  Wm Henry H. 
Nichols died in Pike Co, AL, but may have lived in Covington Co, AL when this 
letter was written.


Contributor:
Mary Ann Nichols, nichols3@leo.infi.net
1188 Lee County Road 331
Smiths, AL   36877