Overton Letter, 26 Mar 1858, 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
March 26, 1858

Dear Brother,

After my respects to you and family, I have to inform you that I am 
well.  My family are all up.  I have been let waiting for some time 
and trying to find out of the amount due each one of you from the 
estate, but cannot find out until next week or two and as soon as I 
can, will inform you.

I have been thinking for some time of writing to you in relation to 
our land here, but I did not know what to tell to say to you, but 
have made up my mind at last.  I want you to let me have your 
interest and at the same time I want you to help me to pay off our 
present obligations for it.  That is, our notes we gave for it and I 
will execute my notes to you for the amount you paid for me, bearing 
6% interest and let the land of be bound to you for of the payment 
thereof.  

My reasons for wishing to make this arrangement is as follows:  In 
the first place, I'm getting up in years and am beginning to feel age 
stealing up on me.  Were I to drop off I would not have it in my power 
to fix a home for my family and to leave my affairs as they are, which 
would be a troublesome business for someone to attend to.  Again, I am 
at a loss as to how to make charges against you.  I might charge you 
more than you might think I ought and it might cause you to think hard 
of me, which I would not have you to do for any consideration.  Again. 
I am not able to keep up as large a farm as it should be so as to do 
justice to the farm and myself at the same time for it must be sown 
down in clover and rye to improve it.  And it requires strong hands 
to manage such crops and they cannot be employed here for less than  
$150.  

Wheat is worth only 50 cents per bushel, which you know will not pay.  
Finally, I shall lose my suit here and my wife wants to remain here 
and has placed her means at my command for the purpose of my buying a 
home.  Yet she says to me to do as I like, and still wishes to remain 
here and again I want to live here for various reasons.  It is the 
Old Homestead, a place our father never could get his consent to sell. 

I have counted up my in come and my outgo for the past year and see 
that my profits have been short and my expenses have been great. 

Should I have no bad luck, I think I can pay off all I owe in three 
years.  If you think my requests unreasonable, please write me and let 
me know as it will not do to divide the tract for several reasons.  
And I am persuaded that were it sold at highest bidder now, it would 
not bring as much as we gave for it.  For money matters are tight here 
and we have had an abundance of rain and it has washed our rolling 
lands considerably. 

I will write to you so soon as I can find out the amount due each 
legatee, which may be two weeks from today.  The clerk has gone to 
Arkansas and will not return for 10 days.  J.W. Potter will give bond 
and security as Mary E. Potter's guardian on the first Monday in April 
and will draw Mary's interest immediately.  Alan has paid for West, 
Rodery has not and will not pay for Milly this year and if I can 
collect any money from Carter, I will have it in New Orleans by the 
first of the year. Samuel Williams is dead and it is and has been 
surmised that John is not less safe than some others, yet it is all 
surmised. 

You might come up and see me when you get to New Orleans.  It will 
take you but a short time to cross over to Mobile and then to 
Montgomery and then you have a railroad the balance of the way.  We 
have had a very backward spring.  Snow and rain. I will not be able 
to plant any corn before the 15th of April should I have good weather 
until then.  Tell Mother the all the countrymen are well. 

I have 30 acres of wheat and it looks badly.  And I will sow 25 in 
oats and will plant 60 on the rise in corn, five in cotton and two 
in tobacco.  I have three mares that will bring Colts this spring, 
I have four work mules and 12 yearlings.  I paid a high price for 
all of them.  I had bad luck with my sheep last spring after shearing 
some, we had a few days of cold rainy weather and eight of my ewes 
died.  I have raised 9 lambs, I have paid a #1 wagon and a good yoke 
of oxen. They cost me $110 wagon and all, and I have a 8 cows giving 
milk and will have another in a few days.  Tell Mother of that old 
Jilcy has a very fine bull calf and she gives a fine chance of milk. 

You will inform James that I sent to him 54 sides weighing 1,608 lbs. 
at 9 cents and 11 hams weighing in 247 pounds at 8 cents and six 
shoulders weighing 131 pounds at 7 cents.  Cost of bacon is $173.65.  
I paid for the hogs heads and the freight to national and I have the 
14 hams and 40 shoulders on hand that I had to die so as to get the 
sides for him. 

I wrote to him a few days ago and informed him that I started his meat 
from Nashville in the 18 installed on board the steamer Savage.  I 
ordered it be insured and shipped to John Williams of New Orleans and 
to be reshipped to Howell’s of Shreveport. 

Give my respects all, Susan sends her love to Mother and daughter all 
the rest. My Alice Jane has fine health, Aunt Shain(?) and Susan are 
her nurses. 

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