2 May 1890 Letter from Lee Emmitt Thomas to Florence Smith Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by Robert S. Hendrick, 11/2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Materials from the Personal Collection of Dr. Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Transcribed and submitted by Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. ================================================================================= 22 May 1890 Letter from Lee Emmitt Thomas to Florence Smith Florence Eleanor Smith (9 Nov 1870 – 11 Apr 1957) was the daughter of long-time Union Parish Recorder William Callaway Smith (6 Nov 1828 – 23 Dec 1880) and Elizabeth Amy Manning (4 Nov 1837 – 15 Nov 1879). William C. Smith had moved with his father John Smith from Dallas County Alabama to Linville about 1840. Smith was elected as the Union Parish Recorder in the early 1850s and served until his health declined in the latter 1870s. Florence's brother James M. Smith served as the Clerk of Court for Union Parish from 1879 through 1900, and later held statewide office himself. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== At Office [Marion, LA?] May 2, 1890 My Dearest Florence, I do not know that I shall ever again be permitted to address you as above, but be that as it may, I feel that I have a duty to perform, which my heart & love tells me that I love you and I sincerely trust you will not let any angry or discordant feelings disturb your mind as you peruse this feeble exposition of my views and also I trust you will not in the least doubt my strong and abiding love for you, for it would break my heart if I knew that you thought for a moment that I was unfaithful to you. I came near telling you on Sunday night what I shall now write, but thought it far better to wait till calm dispassionate judgment had supplanted indignation & anger for it grieved me to the hearts core to see that you were offended with me. My love for you tells me that it is my imperative duty to say, that if you honestly, candidly and conscientiously believe that you do not love me and that you would be utterly miserable and unhappy if your future destiny were linked with mine, then you have carte blanche to be re-leased from the bonds which chafe, if it be your wish. Far be it from me to ever be the bane of any girl’s happiness and especially one that I love as sincerely and devotedly as I do you. I would much rather fight the battle of life single-handed, though I know the struggle would be a hard one. Do not, I beg of you think for a moment that it is my desire for such an unhappy state of affairs to occur, for nothing in this wide world could come so near wrecking my future happiness and welfare as to know that you are lost to me forever. I am sorry indeed that you think I would be like Mr. Butler and I will try, no I won’t try, for I shall succeed in making my life such as to convince you to the contrary. What I may have said on Sunday night I cannot apologize for, as I spoke the honest expressions of my heart, neither did I have the slightest feelings of anger though I had been deeply wounded and that for naught that I had done that I am no aware of. I did not nor do I have the slightest wish to detract for one moment from your pleasures and enjoyments. It is true I did mention M__________’s Name once before, but that was sometime in January last and you requested me to please not do so any more and I have not mentioned his name till the present time and of this last I would be perfectly willing to leave it to any unbiased mind as to whether I did right or not. If you had worn my ring I should never in the world have breathed his name to you or any one else as I had the utmost confidence in you. You are the first girl that has ever worn a ring of mine and it may be customary for them to leave them off whenever they feel so disposed, but I did not think so, from what etiquette said on the subject, and you yourself told me last Nov. that if you would have refused to wear my ring I would have had cause to doubt you. Now if you would assure me of your love, wear ring & not treat me coolly when alone, nothing under the wide spread canopy of Heaven could shake my faith & trust In you. What Miss S________ said I did not give much credence as I thought it would be her pleasure to part us forever. If I was sure that I had wronged you I would be oh! So miserable until you should forgive & then even then mortification and sorrow would be too much almost, to endure, but since the “Great Arbiter” will disclose which is right and which is wrong and who has sustained the injury. You don’t know & can’t realize the mental anguish I have undergone since you said you thought your future if spent with me would be unhappy when it is, always has been and would be in my heart to grant your every desire, minister to your every want and love you with a true, unfading, trustful love that should abide forever. I have often pictured in my imagination our living so happily & harmoniously together with faith in each other, hope in future prosperity & love that would out shine all. For I have said many times before that I knew that if you would marry me it would be because you would love me for better than any others and I know that I love you now better, yes far better than all else in this world, but if you really think you would be unhappy with me then never, no never consent to spend the future with me, for though it should cause untold misery and agony to me, yet I think I could stand it, if I knew that you were happy. Don’t think that I shall get angry if you should choose to release yourself for I have said once before I never expect to get angry at you again and I would continue to love you just the same as of yore, though I would necessarily be compelled to keep from ever seeing you if possible that I might in time stifle the all consuming fire of love that burns in my breast. Well it is needless for me to write more for I have said all that I know what to say. Use your own judgment & speak as your heart dictates. Sincerely trusting that you still love your boy & will retract those cruel words about your future unhappiness if spent with me & also hoping that it is not at all your desire to break the bonds of love that bind us to each other and that I may soon receive a reply to that effect. I am Yours in my deep distress, Emmett ##################################################################################