Macclenny, Florida
Feb. 11, 19_5 (?)
Dear Georgia,
I started a letter to you yesterday and Harold Wolfe and his wife came down from Live Oak for a little visit, so I decided I would wait and write today. Mae & I are not well, so it makes it hard to get started. Harold told me something about grandpa Williams that might help. He was born in North Carolina. He came to Darien, GA when a young man. There was where he met grandma. He worked on a dredge boat on the Oakmulgee (sic) River as a cook. Later he came to Jacksonville and went in business with a Mr. Root(?) on the south east corner of Bay and Main. That put him somewhat on the river. My mother said her mother would send her to the store for groceries and she would go out on the wharf and climb in a small boat and paddle around for a while. Grandpa also dealt in cotton. Once when I was quite a young girl Mama and I were in Jax and we came out of Cohen's and walked down by her old home. I can't remember the street at that time. The court house and all were in that vicinity. Harold says the Episcopal Cathedral is near her old home place now. There (sic) house was one story and painted brown. When the Civil War broke and grandpa couldn't volunteer as something was wrong with one hand. The gun boats were coming in and he decided to take the family out of the city. They took the train for Olustee and the Yanks were coming in and setting fire here and there. They could see from the train. The Yanks confiscated the cotton. The battle of Olustee had a number of men wounded lying in the woods. Grandmother would send Mama and uncle Roland(?) out with food and hot coffee to the wounded. Harold stopped at one of our neighbors two or three weeks ago to see if this man could tell him where the Olustee house was located. He told Harold about a certain old house that used to be there in a certain spot two story and painted brown. This man had lived there at sometime, but not during the war as he is a fairly young man. His father probably gave him the information. I found a small piece of paper and one or two other things about grandpa. I have not the least idea where I put them. One piece said he was made sheriff of Duval County after the ward. Georgia, Aunt Martha Bryan, who lived in Starke, wrote mama to ship grandpa's trunk to her. Mama sent it. I don't know what she found as I don't think Mama ever opened it. I guess Gertrude live in Starke. She married a man I think named Arthur Williams. They had a nice big house painted white. I think it was called Williams Hotel. Her husband is dead and I guess she still lives there. I thought one time I would write and ask her, but I didn't know her zip code or nothing. One of Claude's daughters lives in Valdosta. She and her husband have a one(?) side home on some river down that way.
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She was here last week end and I asked her if she had to go through Starke to the lake. She said no, but would sometime to see if she could locate her place.
You know Claude's wife and oldest daughter live in the house with Mae and me. I don't know what we would do without them. Harold said he had a History of Jacksonville. I imagine you could find them in the Library.
Wish I could give you more information and good luck to Frank in doing some searching.
With love to you and Grace from Mae & Rosa
Letter to: Georgia (Williams) Martin
Grace (Williams) Harris (sisters) [daughters of Richard D. Williams & Eliza Meredith Alford
From: Mae & Rosa Wolfe daughters of Georgia (Williams) Wolfe & James Lorenzo Wolfe
Richard D. Williams & Georgia (Williams) Wolfe were brother & sister, children of Samuel N. Williams & Eliza Smith
Copy of letter supplied by Valerie Harris Berberich, Wells, VT March 21, 2002
Woodlawn Cemetery data:
James Lorenzo Wolfe 27 Oct 1852 - 2 Jun 1904
Georgia Mae (Williams) Wolfe 27 Apr 1857 - 10 Apr 1932
Georgia Mae Wolfe 1884 - 1978
Rosa Ethel Wolfe 1887 - 1977