7 January 1897 Letter from James M. Smith, Sr. to Eva Slaton - of Union Parish Louisiana Submitted by: Dr. Robert S. Hendrick Date of Submission: October 2009 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 7 January 1897 Letter from James M. Smith, Sr. to Eva Slaton Materials from the Personal Collection of Dr. Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Transcribed and submitted by Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Smith became the Union Parish Clerk of Court in 1879 and served until 1900, when he resigned to serve as a Louisiana State Senator. Smith had courted Slaton prior to his marriage to May Olive Kidd in 1885, but May had died in February 1895. Smith and Slaton married in January 1898. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== James M. Smith Sr. to Eva Slaton (Addressed to A. C. F. College Tuskegee, Ala) ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Jas. M. Smith, Clerk Edward Everett, Deputy Clerk’s Office Parish of Union Farmerville, LA Jan. 7, 1897 My own, dear sweet Eva girl, I left Hot Springs Saturday 19th & reached home on Monday the 21st accompanied by sister from S’port. I was never more anxious to get home having been absent about 5 weeks. I feel that I was greatly benefited by the trip, my throat being much improved. Dr. Short gave me a treatment which I shall continue & think it will affect a perfect cure by Spring. He says while my throat affection would have been unpleasant- would have never proven serious or shortened my life had I not been treated. I weigh as much or more than I ever weighed before. The only regret I had in bidding adieu to Hot Springs was leaving those charming Presbyterian sisters who made my stay so pleasant. Many were the big laughs and great fun we had in our games and letting our anecdotes & c. They were indeed most excellent ladies and I would have been so glad they could have had the great pleasure I know it would have afforded them to have met my charming, sweet little girl. I know they would have readily agreed with me that I had exercised the best taste and judgment in my selection and that I had one of the most accomplished and lovely girls in the world. Dearest, being away from you & your magnetic power & influence it may be that you are right in saying there was some danger in those charming Presbyterian sisters converting me to their faith had I continued my associations with them much longer yet I hardly think so. I told them I was Superintendent of Baptist Sunday School & the games I played with them would furnish me with much good data with my talks to the children, telling them how the good Presbyterian sisters (calling them by name) lead their innocent, pious Supt. astray. Dearest, those ladies were bright, charming and accomplished, but not the peers of my sweet, angel girl. In fact darling, I don’t think you have any peers, you are the superior of any to me, and my ideal of all that is sweet, attractive, charming & lovely in woman. Your influence darling, though as sweet and gentle as a Spring zephyr has more power over me than all others in this life. You are as dear and sweet to me as life itself- the very light of my life. On my return from Hot Springs I spent one night in Ruston and talked to Mother (Mrs. Kidd) [Fannie Sholars Kidd- mother of his first wife] about our prospective marriage. She was greatly pleased, said it was best- and you were her favorite. This was the first intimation she had had of my marrying any one. She said only a few days before that her two sisters said to her I ought to marry & they also suggested you. Mother says that she will treat you as her daughter & I assured her of your kindly expressions of her. She is undoubtedly one of the best woman & mothers in the world and has ever been so devoted & considerate of my welfare, as much so as though her own son, and it gives me great pleasure and I know it will you too dearest to know you are her favorite. She paid you many high compliments & thinks a great deal of you & your family. While dearest it is always pleasant & gratifying to have the approval of our relatives still if all of mine had opposed our marriage, however much I might regret it, I would still be true to the sweet, the sweet, angel girl. I would call my wife and believe you would be first as true to me? Wouldn’t you dearest? Your long, looked for letter came several days ago & as you well know received a warm welcome, except that portion so evasive and dodging and leaving me in doubt. Dearest, really I was much disappointed in your response about the date of our marriage, you would neither say you approved or disapproved of the date I suggested, Sept. 1st, but for me to wait & see what you have to tell me when you see me. Now that is certainly a very wide (??) unsatisfactory and don’ think you are treating me right. It occurs to me that in a matter of so much import- ance to us and upon which depends our future happiness we should be free and frank to each other and decided in all things pertaining thereto. Dearest, why should you wish to keep me in doubt and suspense so long- 5 mths? You surely know what you wish to do and can do and have no one to consult to say whether or not you shall carry out your wishes. I am one of those in impractical, restless fellows who always likes to know what he is going to do and when. Now let me make you another suggestion. Darling suppose you go to Dr. Massey when you get this and tell him that you wish to get married & are going to marry and would like he would release you from further duty as teacher by Feb. 1st and then you go home and make your preparations & let us marry about last of April or sooner if it will suit you. Dearest, I know the sooner we marry the better it will be for me in every way. I make this proposition in all seriousness & hope you will consider it favorably. I believe you love me devotedly & have my every interest at heart. Make haste & come home & I will go to see you often & we can have such long enjoyable talks these lazy winter evenings- repeating that sweet old, old story of our mutual love & devotion. I never did it seems to me wish to see you so much. I can’t wait till June. I think I would almost pine away by that time. Yes it was mighty good and sweet of you to write me on Xmas day. I intended to write you several days ago, but for press of business being the beginning of the New Year. So you have never before told me the name of your chum. I don’t wonder she is so fond of you having that that uncommon, euphonious name Suith. If she is very affectionately disposed, we must be very closely related, and then too, our fondness of my sweet little girl is strong indication. You can tell her that we (you & I) will charm the relationship, provided of course, she is willing I would not invite you to dine with me because you suggested a postponement of our marriage in letter before the last and haven’t been so good to me in your last letters. I received a letter from W. W. Heard today saying, he had not heard from me since my return from Hot Springs and hoped I was greatly benefited by my trip, and that he would be glad to know that our marriage would take place soon. How do I know what to tell him the way you do dearest? You are just as evasive & non-committed as to the date of our marriage as you were in telling me you loved me in the long ago. Yes dearest, it would have been my greatest pleasure to have spent the holidays with you, but the fates decreed otherwise. I hope we will have the great pleasure in all future holidays. Xmas was spent very pleasantly, but nothing to compare with what it would have been had I been with you. I saw a beautiful ring at Hot Springs (the only one I saw I fancied), it was a large Hungarian opal set in a circle of diamonds- a beauty & could have pur-chased it for $25.00 at bankruptcy sale & would have gotten it for you had I not been a little superstitious. While I believe I have as little superstition as most persons, still we all have some. Now darling, I hope you will answer me in a definite way and that April will suit you. Write me a long sweet letter soon. With best wishes for perfect health & happiness for the New Year and that I can soon call my sweet girl, my sweet wife. I remain as ever Yours Devotedly, James ########################################################################################## File posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/history/letters/smith/1897-01-07.txt