PUTNAM COUNTY, TN - LETTERS - Letter from Richard Fielding Cooke ----¤¤¤---- this letter owned by Mrs BC Huddleston Cookeville TN to Col Sebird Rhea (and Nancy ) Double Springs June 8th Jackson Co TN Monday Morning June 5th 1848, Dear Bro. & Sister- I recieved your favor of the 10th of Aprile By the Hand of dent(sic) & all well,you may judge, But we cannot express our joy- they found us all in usual health and have visited many of their friends and old acquaintances and are gone to see Harriet. She was married last fall to William oscar Haws and lives near the White Plains He is a young man of fine appearance & good sense & has a good start in the world. Your sisters Byers and family with other friends in general are well- I have had good accounts from Brother John wiliam Alexan (sic) and Elias this spring are all well - Bro. John wrote that Sister Sallie Goodgaine with several of her family was gone to Texas to live he persuaded her to continue with him but she choose to go with her children which was natural to expect. we shall see her no more, thoughas a family we have been blest with general good health and has by the help of God been permitted to contim=nue almost unbroken to a good old age-though death has spared most of us, yet it has fell to my lot to pass through and other trying since some time before Christmas last that our Brother Jess a Cook , was attacked with something like Typus Fever and on the 8th day of January, he departed this life and I buried him by the sister of our Father. He was willing to go, allis well I much regretted to hear of Spartains affliction which had been of so long a contu=inuance and of so serious a character whough I still hope he may recover a Bird C, Kinslow once lay near 5 months in a similiar condition and contrary to all expectations finally recovered. I am much pleased to hear that your selves (sic) and all your children are all doing well I should be much gratified were it in my power to see you all though I begin to doubt ever having that pleasure, as I find age advancing a pace and with it an increase of flesh and the loss of action. Incident to those who have past 3 score years. It is time to cast your eyes down toward the tomb instead of look to the world for its good or happiness our family are all gone and we are left alone though blest with usual helth(sic) and plenty I find myself denied that Tranquility of mind I am antisipated (sic) after seeing all our children raised and educated and able to provide for themselves. yet I have as little cause of complaint as others who have bereft of children in all ages of the world. My son watson, who is here doing well & has made a man equal to my most sanguin wishes but our other two are gone & wheroon to Organ and the other to the Mexican war perhaps to see them no more, which Heaven forbid, But we are human and (??) our pray though God id able to save that which seems to be lost I will therefore hope. we feel grateful for your kind attentions to our Request in Regard to your Enquery after Whitley which I wish you to continue to do By every opportunity that you think you have any chance to hear from him and By way of Rewarding your faithful attentions to my request I must inform you that I take the Earliest opportunity of informing you that on last Sunday we had the Joy of Recieveing a letter from him Bearing the date the23 day of Dac las He was in Organ, but every sweet has its bitter, he informs that the Indians has broke our and killed and destroyed a Missionary Station in the Walla Walla Valley and he was on the post of Statging as a voluntier (sic) against them there is four tribes that has been host (sic)(hostile?) and the Emigrants has sent Wm. Meeks to the City of Washington to obtain assistance fromthe government thougH I am at a loss to see how troops can be got there in time to save the Colony. Mr Meeks Brought a letter to St Joseph & then it was mailed I shall write in hopes of his return from Washington & that hewill convey it on the City of Organ Whtley is well pleased with the country and syas if he lives he will return in 1849 I have seen Meeks Journal in the papers and he states that they had four engagements with the Indians gefore he got out of the Territory in all of which the whites had been sucessful he lft the army only four hindred(sic) strong on the 26th of January and the first battle ws fought on the 8th of the same month, two weeks after whtleys letter was Rote(sic) I will also inform you that the letter last Boliver & Col. John Seartland(?) Raised a volunteer companyu in going through and about the 17th started to Mexico Seartland command the company and Boliver is Lieutenant, they landed at Venierya about the 10th of November and passed immediately on tho the City of Mexico, where they have continued the most of the winter. Seartland was taken sick soon after they got there and the command Divoved (sic) on Boliver EVErlance I received a letter from Seartland the other day and he informed me that he swould join his company again in a day or two. boliver has wrote many letters to us his health has been good and if peace is made Rite(sic) he will be home son if he lives, if peace is not made he will not come till next Aprile. we were at preaching last Sunday at Masidonia on Cane Creek and the rsaw a great army of your old relatives and friends among them Wm. P Peak, A.Ditty, Campbells s=cous Ellison and all as far as I heard in usual health. Samuel Rays funeral was preached by william Townsdon and a great many people our, I wish you to never cease Riting to us a s long as you can see to manke a leter and now farewell. (sent to S. and N. Rhea and Richard FC M Cooke) seal PS I hear since this was wrote that sister Elizabeth get a fall froma horse Beast and is badly hurt in her hip so she cannot walk thiugh (sic) I have not seen her. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Donna Woehr countryquilt@ev1.net ___________________________________________________________________