Old Letters from Rutherford County Ancestors
 

Many thanks to Sheila Smith Cadwalader for her permission to reprint these two letters.

                      Dear Brother,
                    I received your kind letter dated the 27th of June last
                    which gave us some satisfaction to hear that you was
                       well once more but was sorry to hear that you had been
                      confined by another spell of sickness (.) I was rejoised
           to hear that you had sold the other part of your
                      machine for I thought that you would be sure to come
                      home as soon as you could settle your matters then on
                      the other hand when you wrote in your letter that you
                     would write as soon as court was over I thought that
                    did not app people are generally enjoying moderate
                      health or as much so as common for this season of the
                      year. (Pg.2) Father wrote a letter to you not long since
                  but I think that you never got the letter (.) he wrote
                  that he gave the letter that you lef for Mr Ketton to
                       him and he received the letter but made no reply to it in
                      any way (,) whether he wanted or not pay the money.
                      There has been no weddings lately here that you would
                     care to hear about nor do I think that there will be any
                       so from the present prospect (.) I hope to see you home
                        in the course of two or three weeks (.) when you receive
            this letter if you .............................. Eliza Espy

                      Tennessee Rutherford Cty, Jany 23rd 1837 Dear Son,
                   we received your kind letter without any date which
                      gave us considerable satisfaction to hear of you, and to
                   hear that your health has got better than it has been.
                      We are enjoying good health and have been since Eliza
                      got over her spell in the summer. We are living at this
                      time in the house where Mr. Clemons was living when
                      you was to see us last. I have bought his place and he
                       has moved down near his Fatherinlaws and says that he
                      is agoing to attend to the farm for a living(.) there has
                      beetch (,) pork has been worth as much as six dollars
                      per (Pg 2) hundred and is at this time worth from five
                      to six dollars for hundred (.) hosses and negrows have
                      been and are at this time very high(.) land is very high
                      here I gave Mr Clemons one hundred and fifty dollars
                  for his place(.) I can get for my place one thousand
                  dollars but I have come to the conclution that this is
                   about as good a place as any and have declined the
                  notion of moving (.) I think often moving to be bad
                       business (.) I have moved but a few steps and find that
                         to be a considerable chance other was Eleanor Miller to
                    Mr James M Prater (.) Mildred Miller has moved up
                here and is living where Samuel Bigham did live(.)
              Alfred Fugett is married to Miss Jane Norvell (?)
                       perhaps you might have heard this spoken of when you
               was here last. (Pg 3) Milton McClure and Robert
                  Rankin has bought out Burrie White & Isaac Miller
                      and are doing business at the same stand (.) There is no
                      taulk of Miltons marrying as yet (.) Newton Clark and
              Harvey White are doing business together yet (.)
                  William D is teaching of school at the school House
                      near James Clarks again (.) he has just commenced and
                      has undertaken a school for eleven months for which he
                      gets two hundred dollars, We had all most lost hopes of
                   ever hearing of you again (.) I had a letter wrote to you
                 to oftener and more lengthy (.) We would like to see
                   you very much as soon as you can make it convenient
                  to come we would like to know what county you are
                living in (.) nothing more at present but remains your
                      Father & sister.

                      John Espy
                      (Outside of letter) Millersburg Le (this could be Te for
                      Tennessee?)
                      25th Jany (Addressed to) Mr William O Espy
                      Alabama State Waterloo