Letters from Eli Splawn to Dr. Jefferson Ezell, LaSalle Parish, La. Submitted by : Pat Ezell, San Antonio, Texas ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Letter from Eli Splawn, Elmo, Kaufman County, TX., dated Sept 20, 1874, written to Dr. J. Ezell, Jena, LA. Original letters in the Ezell Family Papers in possession of Pat Ezell, PatEzell@worldnet.att.net. Transcription provided by Pat Ezell, with no corrections or revisions to spellings in the letter. 5/99. Elmo Sept 20/74 Tex Dr. J. Ezell Jena La Dear Dock Yours of 7th ______ is at hand which I was glad to receive. & also glad to hear that you were all well. You wanted to know how I like my new home. I am not very well pleased with it. I dont know but what I will come back or go some where else. Texas is not the thing that it is represented to be. If I can sell out I may come back to Catahoula for this is no place for any one without he has a bushel of money & then he will fare bad. the hands that I brought out have all left but John Peyton & Tom Francis. the Negroes all left but little Jim. John Kendrick left also. We have nearly finished building & are geting on very well with our new place. will have it ready for cultivation next year & then I can tell whether the land is any account or not. there wont be more than one quarter of a Bale of cotton made to the acre in this country & the corn is very shaby. the drought injured crops very bad in this country. I think that you are doing better where you are than you can do in this country for times are very hard here as well as in Louisiana. there is no money to be made farming in this country. crops are to unsurtain. I won't you to come out and look at the country any way & see whether you like it or not. Tom Francis has been sick every since we got here & is still in the same condition & I don't think that he will get well soon. he hasn't done anything since he has been out here. Give my love to Martha & all the children & also to Martin. This leaves us all well. write soon. Kitchens sends his just respects to you. Yours Eli Splawn ___________________________________________________________ Notes by Pat Ezell: Eli Splawn, born: 22 June 1818 - died: 29 Jan 1884 Married (1): 28 August 1844 Elizabeth Baker, born: 6 Sep 1812 - died: 10 July 1862 (Elizabeth had previously been married to James Walker and a man named _____ Jones. Elizabeth Baker was the dgt. of Benjamin Baker and Rebecca Lanehart) Eli Splawn married (2) on 28 January 1863 to Sarah Carter, born: 2 March 1820 - died: 19 March 1905 (?) Sarah Carter had previously been married to Joel Keenan Jefferson Ezell, M.D., born: 2 Oct 1831, Summit, Pike County, MS died: 16 January, 1891, Jena, Catahoula Parish, LA (Son of Benjamin Ezell and Rebecca Morris) Married (1) 27 May 1861, Catahoula Parish, LA Rebecca Ann Baker, born: 10 Oct 1843 - died: 26 February 1862 (Dgt. of Isaac Lanehart Baker and Elizabeth Carter) Jefferson Ezell (2) 15 February, 1866, Catahoula Parish, LA to Martha Elizabeth Splawn, born: 21 July 1845 - died: 21 April 1935 (Martha Elizabeth Splawn was the dgt. of Eli Splawn and Elizabeth Baker) The reference to Martin is probably Henry Martin, a freedman, who was closely associated with the Ezell family. Tom Francis, mentioned in the above letter, may be the Thomas Francis who is shown in the 1870 Catahoula Parish Census as 28 yrs old with wife, M.J. Francis (22) and Mary Francis (50). Also listed in the household was George Williams (17, farm laborer). Thomas Francis was enumerated as Household 160, Family #162; Farmer. Living nearby was Hansford Hair, S.B. Hanes, G.W. Shafer, James Forsyth, and G.W. Shafer. This family was shown as living in Ward 2, Post Office, Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, LA John Kendrick, mentioned in the above letter, may be John Kendrick (18, Farm laborer) as shown in Ward 12, Trinity Post Office, 1870 Census, Catahoula Parish, LA, Household #168,Family #164), living with Matilda Kendrick (55 yrs of age) along with William Kendrick (16) and Laura Kendrick (10). Also shown is Caroline Shaw, age 23.