Lenoir County NcArchives History....Letter, 1861

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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Glenn Fields, gnfields@msn.com, August 12, 2020.

Glenwood Allen Fields Collection, La Grange, NC.

BENJAMIN SUTTON, JR. TO UNNAMED SON, 1861

            June 14th 1861
                Dear Son I take the opportunity 
of writing you a few lines informing you that I
and family are well as comon I received your letter 
last Saturday and was glad to heare that you and 
family was well Our corn crop is very comon we
have a bad stand on our stiff land I think our 
cotton is doing very well We have a good stand- 
I would like to know if you have sold any of that 
corn- The times up here is hard and the prospect 
looks worse There is nothing talked of but war 
and the people are leaving very fast None of 
my boys is not gone yet but Alexander but Thomas 
has joined a light horse company to be command 
ed by Thomas Ruffin and expects to leave the last 
of this mont or the first of July He expects 
to go to Harper's Ferry in Virginia and he says 
he would be glad to see you before he leaves 
but he has not the chance to come down so 
you must come up if you can get the chance 
if you have not the chance to come you must write 
as soon as you can So I will come to a close
I remain your affectionate Father Benj' Sutton

P.S Alexander has come home since I began to 
write this letter He is enjoying good health
He says that he thinks that one of his company was 
killed by jumping off the cars today when he 
got to the road that went to his house The conduc
tor would not stop so he leaped from the cars 
and had not got up when last seen by the 
company that stayed on The man's name that 
jumped off was John Seymore

           September

END OF DOCUMENT

Comments:

Benjamin Sutton, Jr. was born 1795 and died 1864.
This letter was likely written to Benjamin's son,
Henry Sutton (1835-1862), because he had not
enlisted until September, 1861, more than two
months after the date of this letter.

The letter could not have been written to sons,
Alexander and Thomas, as they both were referenced
by name in the letter.

Son, John W. enlisted July 15, 1861, but he was 
likelyliving at the homeplace with his father, 
being only 18 years of age.