COWETA COUNTY, GA - LETTERS - Elvira (Elmore) Nixon to B. F. Nixon 20 Oct 1868 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Valerie (Johnson) Freeman This is from a "memoir" written by Mrs. Mozelle (Horton) Young [1906-1981] for her children and for their children and grandchildren in January 1977. It was graciously shared with my by her son, Maynard E. Young, Jr., 2nd cousin twice removed to my husband. Mrs. Young wrote as part of her introduction: "You children have some idea about my childhood because you all remember visits to Grandma Horton's in Senoia. But my grandchildren cannot imagine how different things were when I was growing up. My hope is that when they get older this will give them some sort of idea." Later in the memoirs, this is found: "Maynard (Mozelle's son, Maynard E. Young, Jr.) has in his possession an old letter written by my Grandmother Nixon to B. F. Nixon. We think that was the "Cousin Frank" who went to Texas to settle that Mama used to talk about - we don't know where in Texas. We don't know why it was in Mama's possession unless someone returned his personal things or unless it was never mailed. The letter is faded and delicate to make a copy, but I am writing it on the next page, word for word just as she expressed it and spelled the words. I wish I could give you a copy of her handwriting because it is unusually good, but she evidently spelled more by the sound of the word than by accurate spelling. Of course, when she was young people did not put too much emphasis on educating girls, but to have such good penmanship she must have had a fairly good education. The letter follows as she wrote it; note there is almost no punctuation." Senoia Coweta Co Ga Oct the 20th 1868 Mr. B. F. Nixon Dear Sir I take this opportunit to drop you afew lines to let you now that we are all well at prescent hoping thes few lines ma find you injoing the best of helth Frank I have no nuse to write ther is a gratedel of sicness Chils and fever all around us we hav escaped them sofur I never knew the like in this country befoar Harison has mad a tolerabl good crop no help but Charley he sent Jo to chool to Cousin jacob Elmore he taught Chool at Culpeppers Spring he has about seventy cholars his chool is broake up now the children was sick so much he dad to brake up cousion jacob live in Mr Freemans old hous Cousin Thom Mccord though lives in ant Ruth's hous and Butha is living at uncle fielding Morgans Mr Harris is liven Freemans chool hous a worken summers land frank we got a letter this week from Jef he is wll he to har from you Samuel Nixon family is all wekk your ant Lucy is well she was married last winter yo a man by the name of thompson the Alabam but he has left her he left onc befoar and come back to her the last time he left he said he was Not a comen eney moar to live with her but I donot on what was the fraction be twene them Harrison recived Mr Freeman letter last Sunday he was so proud of hit he hasent had time to write to Mr Freeman yet Dick Davis is sold out he was to go to Texas this fall Frank you most wright and tell us all you no Miss Shanie is not married yet Miss Fanie Church and Tom Calton is maried I mos close for the presant I remain yours very truly untill death write soon and often tel Mrs Freeman to write to me tell all her children hiddy for me Elvira Nixon Cast of Characters Mozelle (Horton) Young, daughter of Alice Pearl Nixon & William Jefferson Horton; granddaughter of Elvira H. Elmore & Harrison H. Nixon. Elvira Nixon is Elvira H. Elmore, daughter of Giles Elmore & Amy Morgan. She married Harrison H. Nixon. B. F. Nixon - I believe this to be Benjamin Francis Nixon, AKA "Frank", son of Harrison's sister, Parmelia. There's a whole mystery as to why her three boys have the Nixon name. We do not know who her spouse/father of her boys was. Charley & Jo - Charles Bartow Nixon and Joseph Giles Nixon, sons of Harrison & Elvira. Jacob Elmore - Elvira's 1st cousin; son of Giles's brother, Rev. Elijah Elmore. Mr. Freeman - my best guess is Henry Freeman (1795-1858). One of his daughter's, Elsy R. Freeman m. Ludwell Fullilove, Jr. They were they parents of Martha E. A. Fullilove who married Elvira's brother-in-law, Wiley Nixon. Thom Mccord - I think this might be Thomas McCullough Aunt Ruth - Ruth (Elmore) McCullough, sister of Elvira's dad. She married 1st to Lewis McCullough, he died sometime before June 1850. She married 2nd to Jacob Ralls. Thomas must be some sort of kin (son?) of Ruth (Elmore) McCullough-Rawls. Butha - ?? Uncle Fielding Morgan - Daniel Fielding Morgan, brother of Elvira's Mother. He married Elizabeth McCullough, daughter of Ruth Elmore & Lewis McCullough above. Mr. Harris - ? Jef - I think this is B. F. "Frank" Nixon's brother, William Jefferson Nixon. He is found in the 1860 Census living w/the Andrew G. Couch family in Henry Co., GA. He married Alice Russell in Decatur County, GA on 17 Apr 1866. He and Alice are then found in the 1870 Census in Baker Co., GA; pg. 132(B), Newton P.O. (The 3rd brother, Joseph P. Nixon, died during the Civil War at Bethel Springs, TN in April 1862.) Samuel Nixon - brother in law of Elvira. Ant Lucy - Lucy A. Thurmond; she married 1st to Elvira's brother-in-law, Joseph Nixon, Jr. He died in the Civil War in July 1862. She then married David D. Thompson "The Alabam." Though the letters mention there fractured marriage, they are buried next to each other at Bethel Methodist Church in Senoia. Frank - the address of this letter - and his brother, Joseph are living with their Uncle Joseph & Aunt Lucy (Thurmond) Nixon in the 1860 Census of Coweta Co., GA. Dick Davis - I think this may be Richard Davis. In the 1850 Census of Coweta Co. shows the following household #'s: #383 John S. Freeman, #384 Samuel Nixon, #387 Richard Davis Miss Shanie - ? Miss Fanie Church & Tom Calton - per "Coweta Co., Georgia Marriages," pg. 28: Thomas H. Carlton m. Fannie Couch on 5 Feb 1868