Letter to William H. Lee & Wife Martha Jane Wallis (Wallace) 

Baton Rouge, La Feb 9(?), 1855

Mr. W. H. Lee & Lady,

Dear Brother in law and Sister: Having arrived on yesterday evening safly (sic)
at this place. I have seated myself this morning to drop you a line.

Your letter written to James and myself, since we left, we found in the
Office on our arrival, and were pleased to hear that you were all well.

You say that on the day you wrote your letter, which was the 27^th of Jan. it
was at that time snowing there like the devil.  Well, on that day were at Mobile,
and it was raining there, though it was a very cold rain.

Since I wrote to you from Mobile, James’ health has been a great deal
worse than it then was, and is even so now.And as I now write, he sits by the
table and is eating fried ham and eggs like the devil; the first time he has had any
appetite for two weeks of any account.

He is now able to walk about the room a little without help, but is not able
to be out doors.

He tells me to say to you, that just as soon as he is able to get out, he will
send you that sugar and molasses. But as I am very much hurried, I will close.
 Give my respects. Mr. & Mrs. Sartin, and write soon.

                                                            Very respectfully Yours,

                                                            W. J (?). Wallis

(new page)

P.S. I received both of those letters that you forwarded to me.But there should
have been another one by rights from Gadsden. Please notice the Office if you
have not do so lately, and if there should be one, send it too immediately.
And oblige(?). (illegible—looks like an abbreviation of 3-4 capital letters). W.J.W.

Transcribed by Chris Laster
The Wallace name was also spelled “Wallace.”  I obtained a photocopy of this
letter from a fellow researcher, but I do not know the original source of the letter. 
I will be happy to give full credit to the owner of the original letter if they contact me.

“WH” is William H. Lee and "Lady" is his wife, Martha Jane Wallis(Wallace).  I don't have anything "official" on WJ, but since he refers to WH as his brother in law, I am assuming him to be Martha Jane Wallis' brother. 

Martha Jane Wallis was born about 1828 and died sometime after 1880.  Her father is almost certainly Joseph Wallis, the son of Jonathan Wallis who is buried in the Wallis Cemetery in McDowell's Cove in the Bankhead Forest. 

William H. Lee is the son of John Lee and Celia McCarver who owned 160 acres about 3 miles SW of Mt. Hope (just a few yards north of the Bankhead Nat'l Forest and about one mile east of Franklin County.  They are both buried on this property in unmarked graves along with several other family members. Their home is no longer standing.  William H. Lee was born April 1, 1818 near Mt. Hope, Alabama and died November 4, 1895 in Franklin County, Alabama and is buried in the Mathis Davis Cemetery near Tharptown, Alabama in Franklin County.