Berkeley County, West Virginia - Seven Letters to Mary Everhart RINER from John W. EVERHART, Walter JAMES, and Lucinda EVERHART KEES - 1874 - 1887 ********************************************************************** 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. ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** The records for this work have been submitted by Charles Riner, E-mail address: , May 1999. ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** Transcription of seven letters from John W. Everhart, Walter James, and Lucinda Everhart Kees, various dates, all of Jones Spring, Berkeley County, Virginia, to Mary Everhart Riner of West Elkton, Preble County, Ohio: ******************* #l "Jones Spring May the 19 1874 Dear Sister I seat myself to write you a few lines once more I wrote you A letter about one year since and it was returned to me by some cause I thought perhaps you had left Germantown as the letter was returned from their Moses Albright was hear to day and he gave me Wesley Shimps addrefs and said he was certain that Wesley knew your addrefs therefore I have concluded to direcet this to him to send to you Martha and my two boys are well and our Relations are generally well at present and I hope those few lines may find you injoying good health but I have sowrowful News to let you know your Mother left us on the 14th inst she had taken A severe cold and pnumonia she was confined to her bed two weeks It may be some releif to the sowrow this news may cause you to know that she died pefectly resigned (?to die?) and with compairitively little suffering sleeping away with no strugle your Mother was well cared for in her declining years since the death of your father she hired peggy Obrian (?&?) Jacob Kees oldest Daughter and during her sicknefs some of her daughters were their day and night perhap you would have some desire to know what arrangement is made about you Fatheres property in the first place acording to your Fathers will your Mother had intire controle of property during her life J W Everhart and D N Kees are appointed executors the personal property is to be sold the 29 of this month their is $1900 on interest not much personal poperty to sell the land will be sold as soon as it can conviniently Come in if you can we would like much to see you if you cannot do this write soon give your addrfs your affectionate Bro Walter James to Mrs. Mary Riner" Note: Walter James was Mary Riner's brother-in-law. ******************* #2 "Sign this Blank receit and send it back to me John W Everhart Jones Spring Va January 18th 1875 Deer Sister i take my pen in hand to write you a short Letter we are all well and hope this may finde you all well and doing well we have vary cold wether at this time if it had not bin So cold i would have Sent your money Sooner i had to go to Martinsburg to Do it and i have Bin wating for it to git more plesant Deer Sister i have this day Exprefsed you a check for one hundred Dollars pleas attend to it and when you Receive it you will pleas Receit Back to me that you Received it you wanted to no what was Dun with the home place that was willed to Brother Nathan and as for the coal minde that was a failure we have three tracts of Mountain Land yet to sell But we cant Sell that untill next fall whitch will take us a Long time to git the Estate Settleed up father had Sold the Mountain Land and the partys had failed to pay for it and it was Sold for the tax and we bought it back and the partys have untill next fall to Redeem it and if they Dont Come and Redeem it next fall then the court must make us a deed and we will Sell it over I Cannot tell what Each ones Shear will Bee yet But i think it will Bee over five hundred Dollars a piece or near that after all Expences are paid we in tend to have a Settlement with the heirs Shortly as Soon as we git all the sale money So that we can give them all Some around i will give you a Small statement of the will father has you charged (indistinguishable) $55 Philip ----- --- ----- 200 275 Myself 55 100 165 100 teter 420 55 Barbara----- -- 275 55 Sarahann 695 55 Martha $695 _______________________________________________________________________________ This must come out of our Legicy ________________________________________________________________________________ You will pleas write as Soon as this comes to hand pleas Dont fail _________________________________________________________________________ Rebecca Jane Everhart and Nathan Snyder was Marryed Last week take this Check to the Nearest Bank & you will git your money John W Everhart your Brother" ******************* #3 "May 10th 1875 Jones Spring West Virginia Deer Sister i take my pen in hand to write you a Short Letter we are all well and hope this May find you the Same we had the Longest and Coldest winter we Ever had in my Knowlege and a Vary Late Spring peaches and Cherrys are now just Coming in Bloom appels are not out yet the wheat crop Looks vary Bad cannot make a good crop vary Litle corn has bin planted yet times hear is harder than I Ever Knew money Matters is tighter than Ever was Known in this Country And if times Dont Soon git Bettr many of the poor Clafs will Suffr to day is vary warm the thurmomiter is up to 88 I Recived your picture and was glad to See it But I would Sooner a See you in person i intend to Send you My likenefs before long well Sister you wanted to Kno why father willed Brother Nathan the home place that queston i cannot answer only i Suppose Because he was the youngest Son and a Name Sake I this day Send you a Check for two hundred Dollars you will pleas Sign this Blank Receit That is inclosed and Send it Back to me as Soon as you git your Check it is allmost imposable for us to cllect money now on account of hard times i Dont no when i can Send you any more maby not untill in the fall i Dont want to push any one these hard times I would think two hundred Dollars will Last you Some time John D Pessery and Susan Sold off and come in from the west and Bot a place Near Jones Spring Catherine Sends her Love to you and says would Like to see you one more in this Life You will pleas Sign your name to the within Receipt and Send it Back to me as you did the other time i Sent you money and it will Bee wright Your Brother and well wisher John W Everhart" ******************* #4 "Jones Spring Va December 23rd 1875 Deer Sister i take my pen in hand to Drop you a few Lines in answer to your vary kind Letter we are all well and hope this may find you all well we have had Some vary Cold wether But it is now warm and pleasant we hav had no Snow yet to amount to any thing times here is vary hard and money vary hard to git you wrote you need Some money I am Sorry that i can not Send you any at this time and i can not tell how Soon i can But i will Do the vary Best i Can part of the Estate is in a vary Bad way to Settle up But i hope all things will work wright it may Bee a Long time Before we can Settle up the hole thing i wish in my vary hart we could Setle up Just now and have the Bother Dun with Your Brother John W Everhart" ******************* #5 "Jones Spring W. Va Sept 4th 1878 Deer Sister it has Bin a Long time Since we have heard from you So i will write you a few Lines thanks Bee to Kinde providence we are all a Live and able to be upon the Stage of action And i Do hope this may finde you and all inquiring friends injoying Good health times hear is vary hard and Money Vary hard to git yet we hav plenty to live on grain of all Kind is vary plenty crops of all kind is vary good and grain is vary Low that Makes money Scearce and hard to git Store goods is Lower than i ever saw them I have not mutch news to Send you Margret Butt is Dead She Died Last week John A Kerns has Sold his place and he and his Son Furlong has moved a Bout one hundred miles up the Valley South now Sister in regard to your Money i am Ready to pay it and nomore it Seems Like as if i cant git any Better of i hav had So many places for My money that i never had the money to Spare to pay you untill now But i cannot come out my health has bin bad ever since Last Spring So i want you to Send my note in and i will pay it you can send it to Daniel N. Kees or walter James And i will pay the money over to them and they will Send it to you or if you Send it to me i will Send you the Money But i Dont ask you to trust the note in my hands as for this you can Do as you Like for i want you to have your money a write a way Now you will Remember when i Sent you that Virginia money told you that i had give you My note for two mutch that not Should only Bee $94.45 cts you Said i might hav it for what interest i chose to pay now i dont want to fix the Rate of interest 6 cts on the Dollar is all that Can Bee got here and some Cant git that while i am told out thare it is from 6 cts to 10 now you Just State your charge And Send the note in and i will pay the money any time walter James and family are All well and D. N. Kees and family are all well with the prospect of another Baby Soon and Brother Nathan and family are all well Now Sister we would all Like to See you But we Cant allways do as we would Like we All join in Sending our Love to you all So fare well your Brother John w Everhart" ******************* #6 "Jones Spring W. Va March 12th, 1885 My Dear Sister I received your dear welcome letter a few days ago and certainly was very glad to hear from you all. I hadent heard from you for so long. I am glad you was well and getting along well. We are all well except myself I am never very well. But I've not got to work hard now For I have grown girls (at home) that does the hard work. I have four girls at home now, and one boy, Their names are Annie, & Mary & Amanda & Mattie and Robbie. Annie is nineteen. Mary is seventeen Amanda is fourteen. Mattie is eleven and Robbie the youngest is nearly Seven. I have two married. Joseph and Alice. Joe married Mollie Robinson (daughter of James W. Robinson) They have one child, a boy he is nearly two years old, his name is Goldie Hilton. They are getting along very well. Joe is clerking in our store they live over the store close by us. Alice married Thomas Avey (Son of Canada Avey) They have one child a boy, two years old last Christmas. His name is Brady Arlington. They are getting along very well. Thomas is a School teacher They live in sight of us. Tom is going to build a new house This Spring, next to Joe's. I have them both in sight can see them every day. Jones Spring is a much nicer place now than what it was when you left. There are two stores one Black Smith Shop one Shoemaker Shop one planing mill, run by Steam and ten dwelling houses now, expect to have two or three new one's by next Spring we live close to the post office, but get our mail only twice a week. Jake & Sarahann lives on the place where they did when you left They have Seven Children four girls and three boys They are all married except two. The youngest Barbara & George lives at the same place to where they did when you left They have Eight Children five boys and Three girls They are all grown, and only two married Nathan & Liza lives on the home place They have Eight Children five boys and three girls, are all married but three Martha & Walter lives at Jones Spring close by us. They have two Children both boys, one married, and one Single. The one that's married has gone to Quincy Ohio, he has two children. Bro John was here today and said he has not been very well all winter, but was better today. They have only the two children. They are all getting along very well as far as I know. I think you might come in and see us all once more for I would like so well to see you. It has been very cold here this winter. it is snowing some now. We have a Brass Band at Jones Spring They meet twice a week. They could play real well some time ago but Severel of the members has left it and some has got married and do not attend much, and they can not play as good as they could. There has been a right smart of sickness around here this winter, and several deaths And a good many weddings. I think it time for me to close for this time. Hopeing to hear from you soon I Remain you affectionate Sister Lucinda Kees. now ans. soon." ******************* #7 "January 12 1887 W. Va Jones Spring Berkley Co. Dear Sister i will try and Drop you a few Lines we are all in tolerable health But my Self and Catharine we are vary Mutch afflicted with Rheumatism I Do hope when this Comes to hand it will finde you all well and in the favor of god and on you way to heaven i have But Little news to Send you the Friends generly are well Elisha James was marryed at Christmafs and he is at home with walter walter and Martha are well Dan Kees & family are well infact all the Relations are well i was over at your old home Last week thare has Bin conciderable chang there Since you Left i will give you the names of My grand Children the oldest is Charles and John & James and Joseph and Martha and Levina and Delila and Elijah Charly and John & James are men grown times here are hard on the account of the Secarsity of money Every thing is Vary Low and plentyfull in the way grain & Eatabels is more plenty than i Ever Knew we hav had a vary cold and hard winter this far and a Bout 4 inches of Snow on the ground now Sister i Still Lived in hope that i would git out to See you all But i fear now that will never Bee my Lot yet i Do hope if we dont meet in this world that we will all meet in a Better one now Sister you will do me a grate favor if you will Examin your papers and See if you haint got the patent of the Rattien Land that Jacob Bot if you have it you will grately oblig me By Sending it to me it is on Sheap Skin paper and of no use to you now and never will Bee i am in a fare way of Loosing Six acers of Land if i Cant find it i thoat that (indistinguishable) had it But thy haint got it So you or Strines hav it this Land in dispute is of the Land My father Bought of you and Jake and i Bought it at the fathers Sale you will pleas Do this favor how is Bell and peter and george giting a Long and how is Bell giting a Long playing hur organ i Bought an organ thre years ago i can Begin to play Some pieces pretty well i Should Like to hear Bell play our Joseph is takeing Lefsons he Can play pretty well Dan Kees has bought him an organ for his girls they cant play Mutch yet---now Sister you will pleas answer at once and give us all the news give our Love to Bell and george and Peter and all inquiring Friends and Reserve aportion for your self your Brother John w Everhart you will pleas give our Love to Johns widdow & C"