Beal/Thomas Letter, 1886 - Fluvanna Co. VA June 21, 1886, Bush Whacker's Retreat To daughter Amanda Beal Thomas Dear Jennie, I received your kind letter a day or so age and it afforded all pleasure to hear from you and Zelle, Jim, and Joe. We are all well as common and hope when this reached you it may find you all well. I am sorry that you have not so well but hope that this may find you well again and all well and doing well. Give love to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. Well, Jennie, we were all at our school picinc when we got the letters from you and all and I had to read them before I could listen to the speeches. All hands went -- your Ma too. Milly was wonderful well please and got acquainted with all the neighbors near and we had a grand time. Everyboby was delighted and please. We had some fine dialogues and speeches and premiums were awarded to the scholars. Eliza got the premium on improvement in writing and the neatest kept Copy Book. It was a very nice book. Eliza made one of the best speeched that was and got a big cheer from the crowd and we had a big dinner and stayed all day playing Croquet, swinging and all kinds of nice plays. The teacher was one of the nicest ladies you ever saw. The children doted on her. She took special pains with Eliza. The school closed last Friday. Jennie, I was so sorry to hear that your Uncle Hop was so bad off and that your Aunt Malinda had been so sick. I have written to Hop and reckon he has gotten his letter before now. Your Cousin Matt's health is very bad. Do not think she will stand it very long. Hop was down to see us and all of his was well. Windie has been sick with pneumonia buy has gotten about again. Well, Jenny, the crops of corn looks fine. The crops of wheat do not look so well. The cyclone which was over this country injured the wheat crop greatly but the grapes and corn crop look well. We have to work corn quick and fast as it grows so much faster. We have corn only four weeks old that is waist high. We have about 25 acres in corn and if nothing happens expect to make 12 or 15 hundred bushels. Willie Hardin says he has made one hundred bushels per acres. Well it seems as if I would suffer if I was in old Fluvanna again to farm that poor land and of all the fine countrys I have ever seen, Jackson County beats any I have seen. The people seem to be honest and kind. No stealing about here -----. Well, you would think it one of the richest countrys you ever saw-such rich land and big crops. Well I would like to see you and Joe and Jim and Zelle in this country as it is so much better than old Virginia to make a living. The farmers are cutting wheat with self binders only--to shock wheat. Tom says he would not come back to old Virginia for any price--he likes it so well. I would not say come unless I thought it the best and if you could come I would do all I could for you all in coming out to farm out here. Sam has a good team to farm with and hope we will make a good crop. Oh, I want to see you all so much and Hop and Lutie but do not reckon we will ever meet again until the judgment day and I feel sad when I think on my friends left behind. Give my love to John and all of my friends and write soon. Your father ever -- W.S. Beal Submitted by Michele Thomas Originally submitted to the Fluvanna County VAGenWeb page. Many thanks to Lee & Michele for providing a copy for the Archives Project. **************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ****************************************************************