Bertie County NC Boswell Letters - 1852 File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Paul Smith < prsmith@pdq.net > Margaret Slaughter, b. 29 Jul 1799, d. ?, m. 9 Mar 1820 to William BOSWELL, b. 8 Aug 1790. The following is a 'translation' of a handwritten letter from William Boswell (Margaret's husband who had apparently left home and become an overseer on a plantation in Florida) to his cousin. Mary Jane is his daughter and the future wife of my 3rd g-grandfather James Washington Smith. The layout and spelling have been reproduced as closely as possible in order to preserve the flavor of the letter. ----------------------------- Miccosukee, Jefferson Co Fla April 25 1852 Dear Cousin I sit down to write you afew lines to let you know that I am well and hope this will find you all the same I have nothing of much interest to write only the Death of my Father he died the 26 of March he has bin sick all the year and was in very bad health last year he had what the Doctor call the Dofres (sp) of the Chest the Old Man had given (sp) to houskeeping again he had brought a small peace of Land and was Living to him self. Thomas Richard was living with him after the Death of my Father Thomas __ouldnot stay any longer and so we have to br(i)ck up the place. --- Dear Cousin I want you to write to me how Mary Jane is and if she is going to school in (Sept) she write me last fall that she wanted to go to school this year at Coal Rin (Colerain?) and _____ father was to write to you about it and wanted you to write to us what it would cost and also what you thought best. I want ______ to go to school, if there is an good school in the neighborhood please write me when you think it would be best to send here and what it will cost if Mary Jane stands in need of any thing you must get it for her for you know better what she wanted (sp) that I (know) I ____ that you will not get something for Her(e) that she dint want, what ever you get for Mary Jane send me the Amt and I will send you the money, I wanted to send you some money by this letter if I can get any. N. Carolina money it is very scarce and hard to get in this country if I xxx get any money you will please get such things as Mary Jane stands in need of and write me as soon as you get this letter and me all about Mary Jane and about _____ going to school and if she Learns fast and write me all the news and every thing that you think will Interest me in any way, please write if ____ _______ ______ _____ to Mary Jane for the Rente of the land and if he did how much and if there is any thing Due I will now say to you what I am doing I am overseeing for Col Barrow I am working sixty five hands I am getting Five Hundred Dollars for this year I am living on the Richest Plantation in Florida or it is the best Land I ever saw I Expect to make six Hundred Bales of cotton if no disaster (Comes). I am done choping ____ cotton and working corn (?) the second time I am now making a little money if I can only continue to do so , you must Give my best love to all my Relation and tell them they must write to me for I now have such (?) little time to write that I have to do my writing on Sunday Tell ___ ________ that I shall write to him in a few days The Boys when I saw them wished to ______ xxxxx I to you and all theyre Relations and they sendes theyer best love Mary Jane the Boys were all well when I saw them and are all overseeing but Thomas he is doing nothing at this time I must bring my letter to a close for it is so badly written that I am a shamed to send it, I will say to you once more that I wish you to write me as soon as you get this letter Direct your letter to Miccosukee Florida nothing more at this time Only I Remain your affectionat Cousan until death (signed) WE Boswell . . .and six years later, a letter of a different flavor from James Washington Smith to his future bride: Quoted (as best I could) from a letter to Mary Jane Boswell, his (future) wife -- Jany 11th 1858 Dearest Mollie, From now till we meet the thought of you will divide my time with my struggle with the world. I shall carefully arrange a meeting with your Brothers as you directed me in your letter. If I had not Re. your letter as I did you never would have seen me again. I was preparing to leave when I received it but I would not (now) leave for the world. You are the first Lady that I really ever did love, and I feel it totally impossible to live without you. From the time you discarded me until I (Rec) your letter I did not sleep one hour. When your Brother leaves, I think it will be best for us to be married immediately, for fear something else will happen to disappoint us: and I would not have it broken up again for anything in the world. Oh, Mollie you do not know how much I love you, let me turn which way I may it seems that your image is before me. (page 2) Oh; dearest Mollie, how glad I should be to see you and converse with you; but I hope the time is not far distant when we shall meet -- not to be separated until we are separated by death. I have broken one promise that I made to you but I hope you will forgive me for ______ for I was almost crazy when I did it and knew not what I was doing. Oh, Mollie please write me another letter; for there is nothing that affords me so much pleasure as reading a letter from you. I keep your letter in my Pocket and reads it over two or three times every hour. Write me one and send it out to the store and I will get it from there. You are the first Lady that I have ever written to, and I know not how to write to the Ladies; but I love you so well I cannot help trying to write you. I must now bid you good bye for the present. Yours till death J.W. Smith (signed) Be Well and Good Hunting! ======================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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