Dear Polly
Transcript of hand written letter
from Rebecca Wright Goodloe, Mufreesboro, Tenn. to her daughter, Mary "Polly"
Douglas on Brushy Creek, Red Oak, Ellis County, Tex.
Contributed
by Sylvia Smith
October the 6th 1861
Dear Polly,
I hope this will find you all well
with the blessing of God. I am as well as well as usual. Hannah is still
complaining. She can walk about and smoke the pipe and that is all she
does.
I have just heard from the Western District. Mr. Nance has the chills and
fever and Docy and four of the children has the chills and fever. Cynthia
Orr and all her family has been sick. Your brother Sam is in Lebanon going
to the Law School. We have not heard from Mobile since spring.
My sister Betsy Woods is very sick and low with the Dropsy. She was tapt
last thursday and 4 gallons of water was taken from her which relieved her
misery some. I have no hopes of her ever recovering. Mr. Andrews family will
give you all the news.
Well, Polly, I send you some cloth by Mr. Andrews for you to dispose of as
you think best. I wish Mr. Douglas and Warren to have coats if they choose.
There is 22 yards of jeans reshrunk - I allow the green for George coat and
breeches.
I could not get the filling all dyed. The weaver, Martha Ann Adams, was in
a hurry to get the cloth out of the loom, as John wanted to move to Arkansas.
You must have some walnut bark and a little copperas and dye the breeches
black as the last end is not all of a color. There is 13 yards of dark brown
and 5 pale brown.
I send some summer cloth for Jesse and Warren pantaloons, and eight and a
half of plaid for the little girls winter dresses. I send a pair of yarn
socks for Mr. Douglas and a pair of cotton stockings for yourself and a pair
for Laura, a pair for Mary, little blue ones, and some yarn to knit the rest
of the children some stockings.
I send 8 yards of calico to Rebecca and if it is no enough to make her a
dress, she must give it to Susanna. I send Susanna and Laura cotton dresses.
There is three and a half yards of blue check calico for little Mary, it
will make her a dress, if not take it for something else.
I send some peafeathers and goose quills - I send some sage and some good
turnip seed I raised myself and a little starch. I am sorry to pester Mr.
Andrews so much, but he is very willing to do anything in his power to oblige
Mr. Douglas. He says Mr. Douglas has been a great friend of his.
Remember my love to Jesse and Henry and all the rest and accept the same
for yourself from
Your Mother
Rebecca Goodloe
P. S. We had a 4 or 5 day meeting a Cripple Creek Meeting House. Brother
Trott and Corlee preached and Sanda Jones and baptized 14. John D. Smith,
Everett E. Houghs, Two of Nathan's daughters, Ptolama Jones, Emily Goodloe
and Altamira was baptized before.
It seems like I can't write no more now. You must write us as often as you
can. Rebecca and Susanna to write by the mail every opportunity. I like to
forgot - I heard Susan Barr is a going to get married.
The braid is to trim Susanna's green sack. Put two rows around.
To Mary Douglas
Following note by Elmo Headrick in 1961:
This letter was written Oct. 6, 1851 but mail service was so slow and uncertain
in those days that in April she had not yet heard from them and did not know
whether they had received the things sent. So on April 18, 1852 she wrote
another long letter at the end of which she said that Alfred had just come
with the long overdue letter which gave her great joy. The second letter
follows.
Rutherford County, Tenn.
April 18th, 1852
Dear Daughter,
I received your letter with Rebecca's dated October 18th, 1851. It came to
hand in due time. I would have answered it but I though I would get another
as soon as Mr. Andrews got there - and have been waiting all this time and
have got none. You wish me to write often as I know by myself how glad I
am to get one, yet I am glad from my very heart to hear from you all.
I am glad to hear that Susanna was baptized. I hope that she will do good,
that she will be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate,
laying up in store for herself a good foundation against the time to come,
that she may lay hold on eternal life.
My sister Betsy is no more. She died the 26th of January. She suffered greatly
- she was tapt 7 times - she lived 9 days on a little snow water. She was
very willing to die. There fell a big snow on the 18th of January. I visited
her all I could while she was sick - I was there by here when she died.
I heard from you all by John Cook. He says you was all well but Mr. Douglas.
I am sorry to hear of his affliction - I wish he could take care of himself
and get well. I do not know how you can do there where everything is so scarce
and dear.
I would like to hear whether the few things I sent by Mr. Andrews was damaged
or not in carrying and if the peafowl feathers went safe. You must give my
sincere respects to Mr. and Mrs. Andrews for their kindness and generosity.
I would be glad to hear that they were well pleased with the country. I wish
them all the prosperity in this world and happiness in the next.
Rebecca wants to know where all the girls are that married since she left
here. It is more than I can tell. I think some of them had better lived single.
Isabelle Hill has moved too the Western District. She has a daughter named
Rhoda Lavenia her health was very delicate when she went a way as I heard.
Well now I must write something about my self and my own affairs. With the
blessings of almighty God, my health is reasonably good. I can stir about
and see to business as usual, and knit and sew and cord & spin some on
the little wheel. I have bought me a loom and Mary has wove me 2 webs of
cloth this winter. I find it better than to hire the weaving. I have been
gardening - peas come up and Irish potatoes coming up, onions a growing,
beans and okra planted and beets, cucumbers, peppers and cabbage plants a
growing. We have planted some corn and will plant cotton this week. Mary works out this crop with Gordon and Sam. Judy has a baby boy name Jim Fuss three months old and she does the
cooking and washing and Amanda is a Betty Graham's and I don't know
whether I can spare her out of the crop or not. Alfred let Mr. and Mrs. Arbuckle
take Tom this year for his victuals and clothes to learn how to work
and be smart. Bill is here. He carries water and minds the children.
Enough of this. [the underlined names are slaves].
Cousin Betsy Adams, Billy Adams widow, has moved and rented the Connatza
house from Mr. Hall. I have let her have some land for her boys to work.
Her son Billy attended the Saw and Grist Mills. Brother Jacob has bought
the Mills from Ned Adams and is carring on a good business. Brother Jacob
is as busy as a bee, he is building a bridge at home. They are all well.
Becca and Linda Alexander is well.
Granville Jetton is married to Elizabeth Conn. Dick James has married the
third wife, Miss Mary, daughter of Silas McHenry. Mary Wright to Sam Rucker.
Mary Goodloe still remains helpless and was worse the last time I heard from
her. William Goodloe has moved to the Western District, Gibson County, Trenton
and Henry's two daughters Altamira and Emily [are] with them on a visit to
spend the summer with their relations. John Goodloe is married to Miss Ann
Neal of Gibson County and lives in Trenton.
Rebecca wished to know how Ned Adams and cousin Betsy was. They are well
and doing better than they did at first. They have lost one of the twins
- the little girl is dead. I cannot think of half the news Rebecca would
like to hear. Cousin Livve Posey is well and all my family except Hannah.
She is very weakly and has some very bad spells. Betsy has bought a house
and lot with her own money and has got a deed in her own name in Woodbury.
Well Polly right her Alfred came home and brought yourlong looked for letter
which I have read with great satisfaction.
I commenced this letter Sunday, I wrote some yesterday, this is Tuesday.
I was just coming to a close when Alfred came. Julia is at Betsy's in
Woodbury.
I remain
Your loving Mother
Rebecca Goodloe
To Mary Douglas
On Wednesday a page was written and enclosed for Susanna.
Wednesday 21st
Dear Susanna
I was nearly done writing whe[n] your grateful letter came to hand. I read
it with pleasure and assure you it was a great cnsolation to me. I thank
you my dear granddaughter for your gratitude and I hope you will always remember
me as you grandmother. It is a very good letter and I did not think you could
write so good.
I am very sorry for your father. I would almost persuade him to try the water
cure. It might benefit him if he knew how to apply it. He must be the best
judge of himself.
For the cramp colic have hot water, dip a blanket in it, wring it
out and wrap the sick person in it as warm as possible, put on warm blankets
or a feather bed. Put warm rocks or boiled cornto the feet
and shoulders so as to sweat them quick. I write this for the benefit of
you mother as she used to be subject to the colic.
Dear Susanna, you must write me again and tell me what you are all doing.
Give my love to Rebecca and tell her to write to me as soon as this comes
and tell the boy to write to me.
send my love to all the family, I expect I will try to write again. The rest
of the family must write for themselves. This is all I can do now. No more
From you affectionate Grandmother,
Rebecca Goodloe
[TO]Susanna Douglas
(P. S.) Hannah was might glad to hear from you all.
This is probably the last letter she ever wrote, as less than two weeks
later, Alfred, her son, wrote that she was dead. She was a noble Christian
woman who loved her children and grandchildren dearly, who abounded in good
works and who rejoiced every time she learmed one of her grandchildren had
become a Christian. Her influence is felt through all the
generations.
On December 9, 2016, Sylvia Smith adds:
Rebecca, the grandmother in Murphreesboro TN is my great, great, great, great grandmother; her name is Rebecca Wright Goodloe.
(Interestingly, the last letter was written on April 18, 1852 and Grandmother Rebecca Goodloe died in May 1852)
Polly, the daughter to whom the letter is written to in Ellis County TX is my great, great, great grandmother; her name is Mary Goodloe Douglas.
Susanna, the granddaughter Rebecca mentions is my great, great grandmother who later married Joseph (Jody) Monroe Bell. Jody was the first person buried in the Bell’s Chapel Cemetery. Both, Jody’s father and uncle were Methodist ministers (& circuit riders).
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