Muscogee COUNTY GA Letter Martha Wells-1915 File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Rosie Morein Wells http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/history/correspondence/wells.txt ------------------------- April 29, 1915 Dear Editor, 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 and most of my house work. I was born five miles east of Columbus, Geo. and married there at the age of 23 years. I was at home with my parents through the awful days from 1861 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 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 was 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 and 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 01, 1915 FROM THE EDITOR OF THE CRENSHAW COUNTY NEWS We would like to know who has lived longest in Crenshaw County. Write us a letter, if you are an old resident, and tell us some facts about your early days. We will publish the letters from the oldest residents. We wish to secure as many interesting facts as possible. To the persons showing the longest continuous residence in the county, absence of less than one year, or service in the Army or Navy not counted against the pioneer, we will send the Crenshaw County News free for the remainder of his or her life. To the second oldest pioneer we will send the paper for five years free and to the third, one year free. ======================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for FREE access. ==============