SCHLEY MARION COUNTY, GA - LETTERS Charles Womack and David Phillips Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Harris Hill http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002514 Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/schley.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm Aug 4, 1855 |Oct 22, 1857 | June 3,1858 |Oct 1, 1859 | Jan 5, 1861 | Mar 23, 1861 |Jun 21, 1861 | April 12, 1861 | (see Military letters) | Mar 12, 1868 |Mar 21, 1869 LETTERS FROM CHARLES WOMACK Buena Vista Aug 4th 1855{could be 1853} Dear Brother in law. I again avail myself with the opportunity of writing you a few lines to let you know how I am. I am enjoying my portion of that inestimable blessing, health, hoping that these few lines may find you and the family enjoying the same. From last account from Ma she was some better or in other words improving a little that was last Tuesday when sister left there. I am here in this place yet attending to the Post Office. but expect that Pierce will turn me out for being one of Sam's disciples or followers. I believe that he disposes of all of Sam's boys in that manner. Col. Hawkins made a very able speech here on the 27 instant which was heard with great applause (received applause). I advocate his doctrines although mainly{or maybe} killed some of the anti Know Nothings. They said it was the poorest thing for a speech from a great man. We hoisted a flag, the American flag with its stars and stripes and we selected a motto the best that the English language can afford which was "Americans shall rule America." Sam is in our midst not dead yet and no hopes of it. Womack letter-page 2 Hawkins will get a majority of this county if things will work right. I will quit politics for I am no politician. I will say to you vote for Sam and you will vote for the right one. Pete (Gilpin you may have forgotten his name) was here this week on route to old man Mathews to build his house with two more negroes. He went off without paying his bill and it made old man Powell a little mad. He (Gilpin) said you would be here on the 10th to hear Johnson's speech. You must come and hear him ridicule the Know Nothings. I think when he makes his speech that there will be 40 to 50 join this new party, the only organized party. Times are very dull here now but I think it will come out some after while, in the fall. We had a very pretty shower this evening. I may go home tomorrow if I go to Hopewell I shall go. I am like Barnes people unto Stephens he says "lest I should be accused of firing from a masked battery{?} or using a stiletto in the dark like an Italian assasin. I hereunto subscribe the name my father gave me." More anon. Chas. Womack Write soon. NOTES: Know Nothing Party -- understand this was an active political party but then divided over slavery and diminished. Pierce is Pres Franklin Pierce 1853-1857 It is believed that the Johnson referred to on page two is Herschel Vespasian Johnson, Union Democrat and two time Gov. of Georgia. Col. Hawkins (probably the SAM referred to) however was not his opponent in either the 1853 or 1855 election. Hawkins may have been just a candidate for the nomination or something else. The Hopewell mentioned on page 2, is in what became Schley county. It just east of the Schley/Marion county line. Harris. If anyone recognize the Gilpin and Matthew mentioned.... Barnes and Stephens --- would love to identify this quotation! =================================== Uniquely, this letter is written by David M. Phillips. Since all of these letters came from received letters to David M. Phillips, I'm going out on a limb and say that perhaps it's a letter he sent home while on the road. We believe that David Phillips and family were living in southern Marion county about this time. We know that there were Phillips kin in a place called Loachapoka, AL and there was a Phillips/Stroud marriage there 09 Dec 1858. This marriage was mentioned in a letter from William R. Murphey to David M. Phillips dated 8 Dec 1858. Perhaps David was visiting this Phillips kin in this letter. I leave this for others to decide. Loachapoka is about midway between Auburn and Montgomery, AL and near Tuskegee. He speaks of going on to Jackson, MS and implies further. The Phillips moved to LA about 1859-60. This could have been a scouting trip. If you have information that might help unravel this puzzle, or information about the individuals mentioned, I wel! come you input. Harris Hill http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002514. October 22(?) 1857 Alabama, Montgomery County I promise(d) to write to you when we arrive(d) at this place. We are in three miles of the city of Montgomery tonight. I am well and we are getting along finely. The roads have been very dusty. It is now raining. It will be much more pleasant if it does not rain too much. The lands are very poor until we got to Tuskegee. From there to where we are now they have been good. They sell from twenty five to thirty dollars per acre. Fine houses every two or three hundred yards apart. We have average(d) twenty miles per day, now eighty two miles from Columbus. The roads have been good except dust aplenty of that. I saw cousin Julius Phillips in Tuskegee. I was with him about one hour. His family were well and the connections(?)......(Note: some small portion lost as the page was cut off inthe photocopying process).........he has married and have one child about eighteen months of age. Cousin Elizar Babel and her father have move back to Notasulga. He told me (he) had! not seen them in some time. Tell Dr. Brown to pay my taxes. I believe cannot think nothing more to write. Tell the children to bee (be) good boyes (boys) and mind what mar (Ma?) sayes (says). I am sitting down and writing in my lap. Idonot (I do not) now (know) whether you can read this or not. Nothing more but remains of your husband until death. D.M. Phillips I forgot to tell you that we were in company with Robert Hubbert and wife & we will remain together until we get to Jackson, Mississippi. I wil (will) write to you at that point again. ++++++++++++++++++++++ The letter is written to David M. Phillips and the year is unknown. Someone many years later had written in 1858? June 3 Buenavista Marion Co Mr. Phillips, according to promise I write you a few lines. Mr. J. _right is here. He asked me to write to you that you had a call and lal_ at his use and if whished (wished) him to sell them for you he would. Just let him know your price for them. I am well and hoping these lines will find you all well. They are well at Pa. Billy Kelly is very bad of (off) with the W_ite swelling. John, he told me yesterday, he said he did not think that (he would?) live or if he does he will be a cripple. Frank has a runaway, too (two) or three weeks they have not heard __im. This was a runaway negro caught here and put in jail this morning. Aunt Pricey Floyd is dead (and?) has been dead three weeks. Granma and Aunt Pricey would have come down if she had of lived. Mr. Butler(?) was here last week, told of her death. She died at William('s?). We are a needing a rain. I think we will get it, tis a thundering now. Pa has had rain. All of your horese (horses are?) dead but one and that had better be, for it (can't?) walk much but we have bought one and (it is?) wild but ther (there) is a man here can make a horse (do) any thing but talk. He is working on him. (He?) will be tame by the time he gets through. (He?) can make a hores follow him any where. (There?) is great excitement on the management of horses. Give my love to all of the children and reserve a portion for yourself and Lucinda . Tell the children to be good an pretty children ___ I will give them something pretty. You must write us soon as you get so that I can tell Mr. (Bright or Wright). __ must come (when?) you can. You cant (can't) read ____ but you must guse (guess?) at what you cant (can't) read. ___ there is so much talkng all about that I cant (can't) (write?) nothing more. Yours Truly, N. Powell to Mr. Phillips Notes: It was suggested to me a while back that the connecting thread amongst the Murpheys and the Phillips could possibly be the Floyds. This letter suggests some more crediability to that theory. Could "Aunt Pricey Floyd" have been Priscilla Floyd? We know Priscilla had a son named William? Priscella was also the mother of Lucy Floyd who married Wm. R. Murphey. One of her other sons Archibald married a Jane Butler, daughter of Edmund Mumford Butler (1799-1866). A Mr. Butler in this letter is the man who brings the news of Aunt Pricey's death. According to a Floyd family bio, Priscilla and husband Dolphin D. Floyd are both suspected of dying in a thyphoid fever epidemic in 1859. We know that Charles Womack's sister Nancy married James (I.or L.) Powell (Marion Co. 21 Sept. 1852) and we have another of her letters from Marion county dated 5 August 1861 that she signs N. Powell. I feel reasonably certain that this letter is also probably from Nancy. She refers to AUNT Pricey Floyd coming to visit David Phillips with "Granma" if she had lived. Who is "Granma"? Could Aunt Picey Floyd and Granma have been sisters? The Daniel, Catherine & Jeremiah Powells in this household are not the children of Nancy Womack Powell. Mr. Powell was married first to a Lucinda Ashmore and these are believed to his children from that marriage. CENSUS YR: 1860 TERRITORY: GA COUNTY: Marion DIVISION: Buenavista District REEL NO: M653-130 PAGE NO: 23 REFERENCE: 29 June 1860, L. W. Wall, Ass't Marshall 1 163 163 Powell James 57 M Farmer 6,451 15,170 Georgia REMARKS: Page 259 on microfilm 2 163 163 Powell Nancy 44 F Domestic Georgia 3 163 163 Powell Daniel 23 M Farm Laborer Georgia 4 163 163 Powell Catharine 20 F Domestic Georgia 5 163 163 Powell Jeremiah 16 M Farm Laborer Georgia I believe this might be the Mr. J. _right that was mentioned in the letter. CENSUS YR: 1860 TERRITORY: GA COUNTY: Marion DIVISION: Cutt Off District REEL NO: M653-130 PAGE NO: 46 REFERENCE: 18 July 1860, L. W. Wall, Ass't Marshall 38 330 330 Wright John W 37 M Farmer 2,000 9,900 Georgia 39 330 330 Wright Frances A. 33 F Domestic Georgia 40 330 330 Wright James E 14 M Georgia 1 330 330 Wright Lenton L 10 M Georgia X REMARKS: Page 283 on microfilm 2 330 330 Wright Larance B 8 M Georgia X 3 330 330 Wright Mary J 4 F Georgia 4 330 330 Wright Henry L 1 M Georgia ------------------- Schley Cty., Ga. Oct. 1st 1859 (?1857) Brother David In compliance with your request, I take opportunity of writing you a few lines in the form of a letter which I am in hopes will build your approbation. Letter writting is a thing which I do not like to do as well as some other things not that I hate to write for it is no trouble for me to write but because I cannot find anything that will interest the reader. When I got home on Thursday I found Ma quite sick worse than she was on Tuesday. She said that she had vomited up a good deal of bile which made her feel worse. I stopped at Swain's Mills and got the bottle filled with mineral water and then left it unstopped and it lost all of its strength. Mrs. Ingram went to Americus last week and stopped by here twice and it appeared that she commenced getting better immediately. She is considerable better now. I do not think she has thrown up in some time. As long as she can keep from vomiting she keeps in pretty good health and it appears that ice allays that to some degree. I have ginned and packed five bags of cotton and it took a good deal to make them. I have not got the screw up yet. Worsham's Shipp came out to commence work I had to haul it to old man Ingram's screw to pack which I am in hopes that I will not have to do again. 52.jpg page 2 I reckon you have heard from the election___. Three in this Democracy carried the day from 1. 9. 11. Crawford beat Douglas one vote. Perry beat Cottle nine votes. Crittenden beat old man Hixon eleven votes. I do not know what makes farmers such fools to force their cotton into market and brings the price down to nothing. In Americus 9 3/4 is the top of the market it ought to be from 11 to 13 cents. Begin (to) think that is going to be an overwhelming crop made because there is such a quantity going to market so early and on that account they put down the prices. I say farmers are such fools when they could be independent of the world. I would have been more punctual but I have been (so) busy that I had no time to mail a letter but I will be more punctual from this on to _____ ______. Yours truly Chas Womack NOTES: Schley didn't become a county officially until an act of the legislature in Dec. 1857. The act further specified that elections for county officials would take place on the first Monday in March, 1858. This would seem to indicate that the letter date is most probably 1859 rather than 1857. The Ingrams mentioned are the household right next door to the Womacks on the 1860 census. (see below) ====================================== Schley Cty. Geo. Jan. 5th 1861 Brother David I expect before you receive this letter you will have come to the same conclusion that I have concerning your writing. That is that you have forgotten me, but I can say to the contrary concerning myself that I never will as long as I am permitted to in habit this globe forget you and yours. I would be glad that it was so arranged that we could meet oftener than we have the last year and I am in hopes that we may so be situated in a few years that we shall meet oftener. From the old sign I think we will have a plenty of rain this year for it has rained near all this year but now it is very nice weather. We had very lively times during the Christmas holy days notwithstanding the times are so gloomy where there is a dark cloud hanging over the country. Maj. Black & French are elected delegates to the convention and they are going to give parties. Black's is next week. French's soon after. Bill Threlkeld is elected, tax receiver. The entire Union or Cooperation ticket is elected by a large majority in this county. Col. Brown in Marion is elected on the Union ticket and Edgar Butts on the sucession ticket. The convention meets on the 16th inst. Then our destinies will be decided for real or not. They have Corley to preach for them in Ellaville this year. He preaches there today and tomorrow. I received a letter from yesterday stating that they are well with the exception of Lucinda and who was the strongest man South. If the South had voted for Breckenridge he would not have been elected for the reason that he would not have gotten enough votes north with the votes south to have beaten Lincoln. I lay Lincoln election entirely on Breckenridge for he was just as much a sectional candidate as Lincoln was and for that reason there was a great many who voted against the south otherwise they would have voted with South if Breckenridge had not been elected. Bell or Douglas could have beaten Lincoln for there was about six hundred thousand votes more polled against Lincoln at the North than there were in South. Your _______ modern democracy has brought all this on the country for they have been in power the last 15 or 20 years with the exception of 4 years. Enough, for you know the country is in a deplorable condition. I shall have to conclude on account of my pen being so bad. Give my love to all. All the family are well. ___ married one of Mr. Cater's negroes. Most respecfully & c Charles Womack Notes: The 1860 election is interesting. The Republicans nominated Lincoln on the third ballot over front runner William Seward. The Democrats were divided over the slavery/states rights issues and nominated Stephen A. Douglas. Southern Democrats who called themselves Union Democrats nominated John C. Breckenridge. And yet another group who called themselves Constitutional Union Party nominated John Bell. The Republicans united behind Lincolm and they Democrats were splintered into three factions, representing three geograpic regions. This map will give you an idea of how the voting went http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/elections/maps/1860.gif. We know the outcome. Suffice it to say that had the Democrats been united it would have been a very different race. French - Hiram French, Pond Town from 1853 to 1858 when he bcame the first clerk of Superior Court of Schley Co. Brown - see previous letter ======================================== Schley Cty Geo March 23 1861 Brother David Yours and Lucinda's letter was received on last Saturday which I was glad to receive. It takes letters three weeks after they are mailed to come or go if not delayed. We do not get the news until three weeks after it has transpired therefore we should write weekly. We have the privilige of the U.S. postage yet a while but it will not be long before we will have to pay ten cents postage. The reason why I have not written to you sooner is that I have been busily engaged planting corn for this last week and as I am planting on the level system this year it required my immediate attention to keep the rows on a level. I have got about one hundred and twenty acres of planted and about twenty acres more to plant yet. I broke our corn land and half of our cotton land with scooters square pointed twelve inches long. I have got about 20 acres of cotton land to bed, it has been broken with scooters well. The other which was broken with scooters is bedded. We will not plant but about seventy acres of cotton this year. I want to make a plenty of corn which I think we will. The land is well prepared and I think we will also make more cotton than we ever have because I have prepared the land better than ever before. I feel like I am going to make a good crop this year. There is something that prompts me on and seems to tell me to push forward which encourages me. I cannot tell how it will terminate. I have much confidence in it that I do not mind making an effort towards it. Good many farmers are using guano only experimenting with I came very near getting some. If it proves well this year next I get some and use it scientifically. I have got to be a little scientific in farming. Last if it had not have been for the hail I think we should have twice the cotton we did make we only made fourteen bales averaging five hundred pounds. I do not think cotton could be injured by hail any worse than that was. I have got some manure to put on our cotton land and I am going to lay off the rows with a scooter then in that furrow with a shovel so as to get the namure where it will not be worked out. You would like from some other topic I reckon but I am better posted on farming and politics than anything and do not know much about them. I saw in the paper not long since that Owen Willis was dead. I cannot tell you much about Monroe(county?) as I have no correspondent in that direction. You hear most of the news through William Murphey . The war excitement was almost died out but soon after Lincoln's inauguration there was great excitment it was considered a declaration of war but since then the proceedings of U.S. Congress wears a peaceful appearance. It is not too late yet for war. I understood that the Buena Vista company was ordered to Pensacola (Fort Pickens) but I think it a false report. Mrs. Carters eyes are very bad. I think they will go out she suffers a great deal. I do not think she cannot stand it much longer. Billie Kelly's leg at times pains him very much. We thought it was going to rise at his knee for a while but it is better now. All the rest of the family are well. Pa keeps up finely for old age. Tell Lucinda that Amanda is having a carpet wove which I think looks very well for a domestics carpet--she has torn up all the rags. I accidently set some of them on fire this morning. Tell all the children howdy and I think of them often. Yours indeed Charlie ============== Lumpkin Stewart County Ga June No 21 1861 __ D.M. Phillips At home Dear friend, I avail my self at dropin ___ a few lines to let you no (know) that me & family is well. Hopin that they may find you enjoyin the same belesin (blessing). I received your letter the 15th of May an (and) was glad to hear hear from you. All of Granna(?) family is well. She sends her best respts (respects) to you & wife & children. She sed (said) wantt (want) to see you all very badly. We have som(some) sickness hear (here) & some fever deaths. Times hear (here) is hard. Know but it will be worse next year for we have not had no rain rain in 5 weekes (weeks). Not a nape(?) to runoff of the eve (eave) of the house & my corn is a dien (dying) by ___ want a rain. Corn is worth $1.50 (smudged), meat 22 cents, flour $12 per bbl. and coffee 35 cents per lb & I think times is a gettin to be very hard. We have _ company in this county. Peas is worth $2.25 per bushel. Dave, you must excuse me for not (writing) you before know (now). I would have donit (done it) but I hav (! have) not had no money. I want yo to send me a way bill in your next letter. If I can get of (off) next winter I shall move out there & I wan(t) you to write to me soon and send me a pay bill & James M. ses he will come with me. Dave, I have a fine boy. He likes 8 days of 3 months old. He waise(weighs) 16 1/2 pound & his name is Gorge Washington Morris & if he were old a nufe (enough) he should go to the war. James Morris olds (oldest) boy is gon(e). He is at Pencicola (Pensacola). I received a letter from him last night & he was well & enjoyin his self some, has plenty to eat. They have had one fight and expect a nother in a few days. I gets a letter from him evry (every) 2 weeks. Well, I must come to a clouse (close). Dave write to me soon as you get this. I am yours until death. John A. Morris D.M. Phillips Notes: This letter by John A. Morris of Stewart county is written to David Marion Phillips who by this time is thought to be in Louisiana. He had lived in Monroe and Marion counties prior to this time. I had very little success researching this letter. It would seem that there should be more available as there are some excellent leads in the letter. The only Morris' in Stewart Co. CSA units all enlisted after the date of this letter, so I presume James Morris' oldest boy must have enlisted in another county. Does anyone know anything on George Washington Morris? I did find John A. Morris on the 1850 Stewart census. Any help appreciated Harris Hill http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002514 1850 Stewart Co. census Panhandle district 18 Aug 1850 page 42 47/47 John A. Morris 28 m farmer 1000 SC Georgia 17 f GA ============== Schley Cty. Geo. Apr 12th 1861 Brother David I believe I wrote to you last but as it takes a letter so long to go I will write without waiting for an answer. The reason why I have not written sooner was that the latter part of last week Warren Battle's mill dam broke and I was a seining. We caught more fish than I ever saw at one sight before. The first day I got a trout that weighed eight pounds and a half and so many pirch(perch) as the negroes could not eat at three meals. The second day I got a trout that weighed about eight pounds and as many pirch(perch) as the day before. I expect there was two thousand pounds (of) fish caught since the dam has broken. Warren Battle is building one of the finest mills in South Western Georgia. He will have it ready to grind by the middle of May or first of June. I have got one of the best fish ponds in Georgia. I put 400 or 500 fish in it out of Battle's pond but I think most of them are dead though i can see a few live ones. Wheat crops never looked more promising than they do now, from all parts of Georgia the same tale comes that the wheat crop is excellent. The war excitement is still prevailing. We are listing (listening) every day to hear that the war has commenced at Pensacola. There was fifteen companies passed through Macon enroute to Pensacola. There is now 218 companies in Georgia which could whip half of the north and they are still making up more companies. If the north does not intend to fight--- she is acting very strange by not withdrawing the troops from Forts Sumter and Pickens(Pensacola). I believe the withdrawing the troops from Fort Sumter is all a farce. The Federal Government has been withdrawing the troops from Fort Sumter for the last month and there is no more probability of their withdrawal than there was then. I beleive by acting so they thought they would get the South off of her watch then they would come down upon her. All that helps the North from fighting is the Southern bordering states she knows well enough that when the fight begins there those bordering states the most of them will brake lose(loose) the fetters that now bind them to the Federal Government and join with the Conferate States. Then it will be the greatest nation upon the globe and then we will dare the North to attempt to fight us. We can then stand our hand with any of them so long as we have cotton on our side. In your last letter you stated that you thought I was a stronger secessionist than you were. Well I am just this much of a secessionist--that I saw that there was no other remedy for the South but to disrupt the ties that bound her to the Union and assume her independance at all hazards. If there had been a compromise made or the constitution had been amended so as to satisfied(satisfy) the South, why the North violated the constitution once and she would do it again. There was no confidence to be placed in her under no consideration. The North was determined that if she remained in the Union she the North ahving the majority in congress would vote the South out of all her rights. Indeed there has been no Union between the North and South before the secession movement went into effect. When I get to writing about politics I do not (know) where to stop. I have just began planting cotton. I was afraid to begin any sooner for fear of frost--due some of our corn has been bit by frost and the rest of it looks well to the age of it. I put a new enclosure around it and broke it up well. We have got a good many vegetables planted. I planted two bushels of Irish potatoes and Amanda has got the finest English peas I ever saw. A good garden will pay very well. This year Mr. Kelly is teaching school near Friendship and has a poor school. Amanda is very anxious for Billie to go to school to him but Mr. Powell and sister were down there not long ago and said that he his(has) kitchen and smoke house in the same house he lived in. You know what sort of a man he is. All the family are well. I will have to close as I have no further time to write. Yours ______ Charles Womack NOTE: Later letters written while he was in the War can be found at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/schley/military/civilwar/letters/womack.txt Here is another Womack family letter. This one is quite sad. It appears it was written by Charles Womack Sr. to his daughter Lucinda Womack Phillips and her husband David Marion Phillips. I do not have Charles Sr.'s birth date or death date. I would bet money he is buried in Marion county near the Schley line but so far the graves have never been located. Mr. Powell I believe is James I. Powell, huband to Nancy Womack Powell. If anyone has anything on the people mentioned here, we would like to include it. Harris. Georgia Schley County 12th March 1868 Dear Children As I cannot write with pen and ink, I have concluded I would try a pencil. Our family is in moderate health at present with all friends and acquaintances as far as I know. Hoping this will find you and yours enjoying a similar blessing. Billy, Asa, and Johnnie Kelly are going to school to a very competent (I think) teacher by the name of Thornton Peacock- -making a very good progress in their studies and Asa the most rapid being much more apt than Billy. Mr. Powell and Nancy was here Saturday and Sunday, as well as usual. Mr. {Powell} has lost the sight of his right eye for some two years or more and has had an operation performed upon it by inserting some instrument in the ball of the eye to remove the cataract from it and he has hopes that it may be restored to sight again. We made a very poor crop last year and the year before and are now buying corn at one dollar and a half a bushel and we have a family of 12 negroes to furnish with bacon and corn. There are 7 able to work in the field, we furnishing the land and they finding themselves food and give them half they make, paying us for supplies out of their part of the crop. Amanda and Bess are still single and living with me and doing all the cooking and sewing, but hiring the washing, ironing and milking. Charles is still with {me} and is going to Americus tomorrow if no providential occurance does not prevent {it} and will carry some ( _____ forty hens) as they are woth 50 cents apiece and have some 801 eighty. Amanda says and think{s} 30 or 40 enough for us. We made last from 3/8 of acre planted in sugar {cane?}, 75 gallons of excellent syrup and saved enough to plant half an acre this year an sold 618 stalks at a dollar and ______ a stalk. There is earthly pleasure, would be so gratifying as to see {you} and children once more before I die but my infirmities forbids the hope of doing so as I am not able to go to see you and I cannot expect you and your children to visit us. I entered (81st) year on the 5th day of September last consequently but a short {time?} to live. Write upon the receipt of this and more often as you have been doing as in all probability this is the last I shall ever write you. Tell Billy and they must {write} to me as be great pleasure to get from them. And wishing both in this world and that which is {to} come. I remain your affectionate father. D.M. & L Phillips Charles Womack Sr. ======================= This letter is from Charles Womack to David M. Phillips in Louisiana. Several interesting items are mentioned here. The first one is Charles' desire to marry. He mentions Lizzie Murphey in this respect. I can find no evidence that Charles ever married Elizabeth Murphey as was once actually reported in the presentation of these letters. One of the prior letters of Wm. Murphey (5 April 1869)speaks of a visit from Charles and Elizabeth Womack. I believe this to be Anne Elizabeth Womack, Charles' sister who is a couple times referred to as Bess. I think that is the visit spoken of in this letter. Elizabeth Murphey (b. 16 May 1846 d. 16 Dec. 1884) did marry James L. Hunt. She is buried in the Murphey family cemetery and her stone is inscribed as the wife of James L. Hunt. A Murphey family history indictes that she and James Hunt had three children: Reid, Comye, and J. Lawrence. Although not impossible I think it unlikely she married Chas. Womack. Equally frustrating is the fact that I cannot find who Chas. Womack married. Schley census records indicate his wife was Lucy F.(age 33 in 1880). The obit of their daughter Sallie refers to her as Mrs. Fannie Womack. I have been able to find no marriage record in Schley county for these two. Help appreciated. Charles and Lucy F.'s children were: Sallie C., James Luther, Rebecca, Charles Jr. David Phillips and Lucinda Womack's children: William, Charlie, James, Robert, Lucy Johnson, Frances Amanda, Martha C., and David Marion. ================= Note from Ruth: From ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA's article on FERTILIZERS: It remained for Justus von Liebig, in 1840, to suggest that farmers could increase their crops by adding salts of potassium and other elements to the soil to increase crop growth. Liebig emphasized the importance of potashand phosphoric acid in manures and fertilizers, but thought mostof the nitrogen could be secured from the air. John Bennet Lawes, founder of the Rothamsted Agricultural Experiment Station, invented the process for making superphosphate from rock phosphate and sulphuric acid. Patents were taken out and superphosphate production on a commercial basis was started in 1842. Lawes also used ammonium sulphate and potash salts as fertilizers. About this time, importation of Peruvian guano and Chilean nitrate started in England and the United States. The first mixed fertilizers produced in the United States in 1849 by Chapell and Davidson in Baltimore. Several plants were started in the next few years. Production in 1856 was estimated at 20,000 tons but had increased to about 1,150,000 by 1880. Could the location, Chesapeake Bay---have resulted in the name of that fertilizer?) ============= Lest anyone think I have done all of this research myself, I would like to set the record straight. I have not. I've done a little and many of the conclusions are mine, but the bulk of the research has come from Ruth Grey and Freddy Crump who are descendants of the people represented in these letters and much, much new material was contributed by Shanna English, director of the OLD JAIL MUSEUM & ARCHIVES, in Barnesville, Ga. I thank you all. Schley Cty Geo March 21st 1869 Dear Brother We received Lucinda's letter several days ago and I would have answered it earlier but ____ circumstances were of such nature that I have neglected it until tonight and have a good chance to send it to Americus tomorrow by Mr. Powell & sister. I have been very busy in preparing for planting. I am putting both corn and cotton land in excellent order. I am going to use Peruvian(?) guano and cheap Chesapeke(?) planter(?). I have not made much money since the war but I am going to make a great effort this year to make some money. It is getting time I was making something above a living. I am not satisfied at a mere living and I want to make something before I marry for I think itis time I was married _____ ______. I almost got my consent(?) to marry whenever I find a young lady I think will make a good wife and she will say "yes." I have received in all several letters from Lizzie Murphey. She writes a very good letter. I received a letter not long since from her eight ! pages long. Her father is merchandising in Barnesville. Bess and myself expect to visit William Murpheys about the first of April. Bess will remain up there for a while. My visit will be short as I cannot remain long from home as my attention will be required at home. There has been as much bad written that most of (the) farmers are back __ ____. We have not commenced planting corn yet but will begin tomorrow. There has been several deaths since Christmas amongst our acquaintances. Mr. Carter died soon after Christmas and Mrs. Maj. Black about a month ago. Good many negroes have left this county and it has made labor very scarce. Some farmers have gotten hands who have large plantations and there will be a good deal of land idle this year. Farmers are using a great deal of commercial manure(?) to make up the deficiency for labor. Some are making as much as two bales of cotton per acre in Georgia. What do you think of that? The jury law of Georgia has been chang! ed. They now expect competent and intelligent jury men for the jury & good many are thrown out. They draw the Ggand jury & Petit jury men from the name list. There will be a factory at Americus. The company speaks of buying land of Mr. Powell to build the factory on thirty acres at thirty dollars per acre. Americus has become to be right smart of a little city and is still improving. Maj. Black has traded the Joe (?) White place to one of the Crittendens. He got two acres for one. I was sorry to hear of Billie's misfortune, hope he has actively recovered before this. Jimmie is doing very well. Billie, Asa and Jimmie send their love to Billie ___ _____ ____ and all the children. It seems that you and Lucinda retaliate by not writing when we delay. All join in sending their love to all the family. I expect this dull scrawl will try your patience. Do not forget to write soon. We are always gald to hear from any of you. Truly your brother Chas. Womack =========== Notes: Charles Womack enlisted in Co. G, 5th Ga. Inf., C.S.A. not quite one month after he wrote this and was himself marching to Pensacola within a few weeks. Friendship at this time was in Schley Co. in the extreme SW portion of the county. Because of the constantly shifting lines due to county formatations, etc. it was back in Sumter Co. by 1883 and is yet today. The Billie mentioned would be Wm. Kelley, age 7, shown in the census below and Mr. Kelley, the school teacher was his father. William F. Kelley married Charles' sister Caroline December 19, 1850 in Marion Co. Since Caroline is absent on the 1860 census, one might presume she has died. I have thus far been unable to find a cemetery record. I welcome information on this aspect. The Amanda that is mentioned is Charles Jr.'s older sister. That brings us to trying to identifying the addressee of this letter. Charles had other siblings that are not listed in these two censuses, but none of them are named David. So who's Brother David? I believe and will strive to prove that "Brother David" is actually Charles' brother-in-law David Marion Phillips who married Charles' sister Lucinda who married David Phillips August 18, 1840 in Monroe Co. Ga. They moved to Lousiana in about 1860 and are found on the 1870 Lousiana Census index in Claiborne Parish. The family who donated the letters to the Univesity is from Claiborne Parish, La. I welcome any information about this connection. I would like to thank Roger Womack who provided additional information about the family of Charles Womack. Much of the information shown in the notes above was based on this data. Thank you Roger. 1850 Marion County Census shows the folowing Womack children at home. Nancy age 32 Amanda age 24 Caroline age 19 Martha age 16 Charles Jr. age 14 Elizabeth(Ann E on 1860) age 11 also in the HH is William F. Kelly age 22(school teacher) William Bailey age 19 student Henry Bailey age 24 student ====================================== 42 WOMACK, Charles 72 Amanda P 32 Charles 24 Ann E 21 KELLEY, Wm C 7 Asa 5 James 3 43 INGRAM, Wm R.A. 57 Martha J 32 Polly M 11 image 8 43 INGRAM, Sarah J. 9 f Wm B. P. 7 m Forella S. 5 f STEELE, Joseph 30 m farm laborer S. Carolina