History: Letter from Cora Wilson Stewart, 1940: Rowan County, Kentucky Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Contributor Sharon Hamilton ************************************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Letter from Cora Wilson to her brother, Homer, on FEb. 12, 1940, from Tryon N. C.: Dear Homer: Greetings and Congratulations on your birthday. You have lived a life without spot or blemish and you have a right to feel proud of your record, and also have reasons to hope for years of usefulness and happiness and for your reward when this life is done. This is our Mother's birthday, and I have been thinging of her. You are much like her and once when you dressed in women's clothes for an Old Maid's Convention everybody remarked about how much you resembled our Mother. I know you were a favorite among her children, for when Hendriks had pneumonia and died, you took double pneumonia and our Mother said, "I just could not give Homer up." Our Mother was born February 12th, 1849 on a farm near Jeffersonville in Montogmery County. she was the second of twelve children born to her parents. Her father, Uriah Halley, was a magistrate in his district for many years. In those days a magistrate was very important, and counselled people about legal matters, as well as sitting as judge. Both of our Mother's parents were devout Methodists and she was reared in a Christian home. When she was eighteen, her father died and she attended to the business of settling his estate. When she was twenty-one years old she married. She had been teaching in Powell County and she married a teacher, our Father, Jeremiah Wilson, when he was nineteen. They lived on a farm, inherited from her father, and there five children were born: Everett, Burwell Clefford, Viola, Cora and Bunyan Spratt. I have not named these in proper order, I see. Everett, Viola and myself were the first three, then Cleff and Bun. In about 1879 they moved to Farmers in Rowan County, then called "Cross Roads." There you were born on Feb. 14, 1880. There was a flood and water covered the town. Mrs. Brain, Lena's grandmother, came in a boat that night and was there to welcome her prospective grand-son-in-law. She was Lena's great grandmother, I should have said. Our Mother taught one session of the public school in Farmers. Our Father began the practise of medicine, having studied under Dr. Bunyan Spratt of Montgomery County, and he also opened a genreal store, which our Mother helped him to run. It was always said that she could sell more goods than he could, for she made friends and was so well liked. In 1881 the family moved to Elliottsville and there the Doctor practised medicine and opened another store. Stella and Preston, the twins, were born there March 22, 1882. Then in about a year we moved to a farm in Elliott County, where a post office was established under the name of PerCal. Our Mother kept the post office. It is called Wyatt now, I believe. There the twins, Cleveland and Hendricks were born in 1884. Then we moved back to FArmers and in 1886 Flora was born and Glenmore in 1888. In about 1889 we moved to a farm near Elliottsville. Our Mothere taught the public school. The Doctor had to go toLouisville, and get his diploma in medicine--a new State requirement, so she ran the farm and would have car loads of tan brk peeled and sent to Louisville to help pay his expenses in Kentucky School of Medicine. When the medical course was finished, we moved to Morehead, partly for the reason that there was a good school--the Morehead Normal, there and also because a town was a better place for a doctor. I think this was in 1890. We purchased a house from Warren Alderson and our Mother lived in that house until one week before her death. Our Mother had a large family, twelve children. She mothered them and also mothered many other people. She was a good business woman and a fine mixer. With her teaching and helping to run the store, she added much to the family income. She made friends whereever she was, for she was full of good will and helpfulness. She was nost always cheerful, even when not feeling well. Her conversation was full of sparkling wit and she had many expressions that made converstaion interesting, such as, "He has never been on Solomn's porch" (for one who was not bright) and "The sword of Damocles is hanging over his head, (for one who was in danger [This is where my copy ends.] (Copy of this letter in possession of Sharon Hamilton. Original on file as part of Cora Wilson Stewart Collection at the University of Kentucky.)