Overton Letter, 14 Aug 1870, Smith Co, TX - Maury Co, TN 

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Permission has been granted from Howard Bramlette of Nashville, TN,
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Archives by Joel Patrick Childress - londonwildcat@earthlink.net
19 September 2000
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LETTER FROM E.C. OVERTON TO JOHN F. OVERTON IN TEXAS

Columbia, Tennessee
August 14, 1870

Dear Brother,

After my respects to you and family, I will inform you that I and 
family are all up again, on the 16th of July passed, our youngest 
was born and it is a girl.

Well, I have four boys living, and two girls.  Two boys are dead, 
my oldest and youngest. 

In I am near fifty-eight, beard and hair white, yet I have the colour 
and strength and appetite of a young man.  Yet I am deficient in 
action, I can't run, jump or plow or shoot to or eat as formerly or 
as a young man.  For I am stiff, can't step quick and have but a few 
teeth, yet I have made an arrangement to have some put in by a 
dentist, so that I can eat. 

Our Judicial Election is over.  We have elected A.O. Nicholson one 
of the Supreme Judges of the State, William S. Fleming Judge of the 
Chancery and William Judge Martin as Judge of the Circuit Court.  
Yet Nicholson and Martin have never been relieved of their 
disabilities and it is doubtful whether they can serve or not.  
(Martin was Judge before the war.)

There is an effort making to create a third party in Tennessee and 
it may succeed for a time and then the third party will be swallowed
up in the Radicals as the old Hugh S. White party was by of the 
Whigs of the past.  This is my prediction; I do not say which party 
I will go with.  I do despise the Radical Party and I can't say I am 
opposed to any party that has for its object the destruction of the 
Radical Party. 

I am not posted in political matters and I never expect to be, for I 
scarcely ever read a paper.  I am fearful we will have a bad state of 
feeling if our Judges are not allowed to take their seats in 
consequence of their Disabilities.  I am of the opinion that if the 
Government will not permit it, that it ensure us a Democratic Congress 
next session.  North Carolina will be radicalized, I think. 

Well, I will quit politics and let you know what I am doing for myself.  
In the first place, I will inform you that I am in the schoolhouse and 
have fifty students.  I have thirty acres in corn (and it is good 
corn).  I made 140 bushels of wheat on forty acres.  I have 40 head of 
hogs and 40 of sheep.  I have two large families of Nigs and working 
on their shares. Their corn is not as good as mine; their corn will 
make 100 pounds to the acre, I think.  I hired two boys at $100 each 
for the year.

I will commence recovering my house tomorrow if the weather permits.  
I intend to rewetherboard and make new floors and ceilings and plaster 
and paint.  I will then finish of what might ancestors began, if I am 
allowed to live that long.  I am spending more money in this year than 
I am making.  Still I hope I shall make buckle and tongue meet.

I will inform you that I have had to furnish Brother Jim's family with 
wheat for bread and to sow and corn for his livestock.  He tells me he 
can do nothing and needs help; his oldest son hired out this out this 
spring and his second managed the crop and they say he has a fine crop.  
His name is Jesse.  Well, Jesse is living with me now and going to 
school.  He can't remain more than a week longer; he says for he has 
to pull fodder.  He is up by light every morning and studies very hard.  
I tell Jim that he must make John and the rest pull the fodder and let 
Jesse remain at school.  John and William both came to school from 
home.  They ride.  I wish you could see him and his situation.

I have had to furnish two Negro families with bread and (meat in part) 
and I feel they will not make enough to pay out.  The legislature 
broke up our free school system and the County owes me $135 for last 
year's services.   A. Odil bought two mules from me and was to pay me 
in 4 weeks and it has been eleven months and he is paid me about 
two-thirds of the amount.  I sold for $380.  I do not need(?) much 
money but enough to pester me if I had it all to pay forth with. 

Well, now in relation to your business in this country I will inform 
you that Jacobs paid me $118 in greenbacks and $45 in Tennessee, $25 
of which was of the old issue and of the late Thomas Jameson as 
administrator of John. W. Jameson has paid me $200 but is not settled 
with the Court, but will do so shortly.  Williams A. Jameson has paid 
me as Administrator of John Jameson $505 in greenbacks and a note on 
Jim the amount of which is over $150 and will make a final settlement 
soon.  I have agreed with Parks for him to take charge of the rents of 
lands, he informed me that he thinks he will get some money before 
long.  Cicero will not compromise but will fight to be bitter end, so 
he says, and I do not know what would be best.

Parks informs me that he proposed to sell him his child’s interest for 
the same he gave Bill, Tom and Caldwell.  He rejected the proposition, 
I have suggested to him that if he would agree to the dividing of land 
into two tracts I would not be particular where the line runs and let 
it be sold to the highest bidder one third in cash and the other on 
one and two years with interest from date and a lien retained on the 
land for the purchase money.  I would agree to pay a portion of his 
expense for the Division.

His reply is that if the Commissioners had given the advantage to the 
rest, he would have been bound to have abide the Division.  As good 
as to say they have given it to me and I intend to hold it if I can, 
is my construction of his answer and as to his having to abide the 
division is all bosh, for he could have refused to abide the division 
and as there was no one (who) wanted or proposed a division, he could 
have rejected it and there would have been no one to have forced him.

I would be glad if you could be here and see to it yourself, for I may 
do wrong and I do not wish to wrong anyone.  I am afraid they will all
combine and injure your interest, for if a few more of them sell, 
then they can cut off another slice and the balance may not be worth 
much.  I shall maintain or contend that it could not be divided into 
nine parts on the way it had been without injuring some of the heirs.  
I am informed that Martha is much dissatisfied and reflects on me.  
Parks, I find is offering his interest for sale and I do not know what 
they may do.  All would have been settled, had it not been for me. 

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