Letters from William C. Russell, Sr. to his daughter Melissa Russell Gabbert - Letter one: May 23, 1882 Letter two: July 19, 1885 - Personal - http://maxpages.com/generations/William_C_Russell_Sr

The following two letters were written May 23, 1882 and July 18, 1995. They were sent to me by Rita Satterly her email address is r.satterly@verizon.com.
William C. Russell, Sr. was married to Nancy Hatchett, they were the parents of twelve children: Lucinda, Thomas, Mary, Wiliam C. Jr., Melissa, Emmet, Harriet, Marinda, James, Amanda, Robert and John. Lucinda married a MR.s Foster, Mary married James Thomas (J.T.) Coyl, Melissa married Peter Gabbert, Marinda married William Jackson Reynolds, Robert married Amanda Carpenter, John married Minerva J. Harmon.
William C. Russell, Sr. died in 1894, Melissa in 1912.

LETTER 1
May the 23" 1882 tuesday
morning eight oclock
wel i received your card & wa
s glad to hear from you all
i would have rote sooner but
i have had so much to do this
Spring i have brok up & put in
six achores of corn my self run
it all off both ways got whitfi
eld gibson to plant it for me wi
th his planter its all up nice
ready for plowing but we had
a big rain all day yesterday & the
ground is to wet & i thot i would
rite me & your mother is both fa
ling afful fast your mother has
to lie down &
(the rest is cut off)

for wheat oats & corn bil
has put in a big crop of all
bil brother John reynolds
bin there goin on two years they
like simes offul wel John work
es Simes horses & gets the third
bil findes his own team & gets
half of all he makes bils little
etta may ten years old died a
pril the 13th day & was buryed he
re at our house the 15 rinda has
two little girls buryed here
& just one month to a day John
reynolds little bell elleven
years old was burryed here 3
little girls our grave yard
(last few lines cut off)

the deth of their children
offul hard when they come with
John little girl it looked like
bil & rind would just die over
etta grave etta had the bold
hives & she taken cold & it sett
led on her lungs she died just
like talitha & bell was droping
corn & she just commenced complai
ning with one of her knee caps
paining of her & it rise & the doc
tor lanced it on thurs day & sat
urday night she died all of you
r brothers & sisters is wel as fa
ir as i no bob & his wife went
?? to sea manda & Jo & our manda
???? home with them & ?????
(the rest is cut off)

every thing looks afful wel
i think we are goin to have a good
crop year wel i do hope we
wil for we never made any thing
last year wel some of our apple tr
es is ful & some has nary one on the
m thare is hear & thare a peach to
be seen our bees is not doing m
utch good it has been to wet & cold
i onley saved 6 lambs this spri
ng one of my young mares has tw
ins mules a black & a bay both
horse colts & my old mare has a bl
ack horse mule a very good the tw
ins i small one was two feet &
10 inches the other 2 feet 8 inches
wel i want to mail your letter
this
(the rest is missing)

LETTER 2
Sunday evening July the 19 1885
wel melissa i never
got your letter for more
than a week after you
rote you was comming
we would be offul glad
to sea you all but your
mother sayes tel you &
Tom to be shure & come
just as soon as you can
for she had rather see
you than any one on
this earth She says
noes if you dont
come & get them thin
ges pore cate left you
i have rote to Tom to
no if (any) of them
was goin to come out
to sea us or not it may
be that some of tomes
family may come & you
all could come with the
(the bottom sentence is missing)

never let mack fos
ter no any thing a bou
t when you think of com
ing for she never wante
s to lay her eyes upon
him again to think of
how he walked off &
left pore cate in her
trying houres is bey
ond words to express
her feelings to ward
him & she never wanted
him to tresspass upon
her for she had friendes
that would protect
her & she did not want
him to bother her that
is all she askes of him
all of the connections
is well on both sides as
fair as i no but mister
gabert your uncle wi
l hatchett sayes he
don't think mr gabert
wil get thrue the
summer if he does he
wil be deceived wel
peter it does seem if
i had a father that
wanted to see me in
his last hours i wo
uld try to fix some
way to come it wo
uld not cost you
muth & it would be
a great satisfaction
to your pap now do
just as you feel a
bout comming I hav
no more to say just
do what you think
best for i don't wish
to dictate for no body
but we all would
love to sea you & meli
ssa offul wel you rite
& tel us what you think
about doing
melliss you rote
something a bout
your age as i unde
stood you that you
wanted me to sen
d your record
wel you was born September
the 10 day 1843
making you 42
your next birth
day i wil be seven
ty august the 30 day

(written inbetween the above lines)
Mary Gabbert
your mother was seve
nty two the 20 eight day
of last february
your mother was seven

(written sideways)
nty two last last
february
she is in her Sevent(ies)??

wvmystica@aol.com

Sign Guestbook

View Guestbook

Visitors: 00365

Page Updated Wed Aug 21, 2002 12:30am EDT