Found at the Library of VA online, and eventually (!), obtained copies of the original letters from the Wilson Library at the University of NC at Chapel Hill. These fall under the copyright law, so I unfortunately cannot place the images online. Joyce Gore Locke (direct descendant): ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accession No 40346 Author Gore-Coffman families. Title Papers, 1811-2003. Record Ser. Personal papers collection; 40346. Restrictions Duplication restricted: The Library of Virginia does not have copyright on the Isaac Gore letters. Quantity .225 cu. ft. Format In part photocopies. Summary Papers, 1811-2003, of the Gore-Coffman families of Rockingham County, Virginia, including a daily diary, letters, Bible records, genealogical notes, a bill of incorporation, and printed material. Principally concerns Gore-Coffman families genealogy, social and work life of a Coffman family member in Rockingham County in the late 1870's, and the everyday life of Isaac Gore (b. 1765), former Shenandoah County resident, in Overton County, Tennessee during the 1810's and 1830's. Summary There are letters, 3 January 1811 and 3 January 1832, from Isaac Gore in Overton County, Tennessee, to his son-in-law and daughter Samuel and Margaret Gore Coffman in New Market, Shenandoah County, Virginia, principally concerning his move from the Shenandoah Valley to Overton County, the sale of real estate, and family matters. Also includes a bill, 1817, passed by the General Assembly incorporating New Market Academy and appointing trustees to oversee its operation. There is also a diary by an undetermined Coffman family author that notes daily activities, travel and location of family members, death and causes of death for family members and area residents, age and birth dates of family members, results of local, state and national elections, crop production, crop prices, crop yields, and Coffman family matters. The diary was written on the blank pages of yearly farmer's almanacs. Transcripts for the letters and the diary are in this collection. Genealogical notes for the Gore-Coffman families are also contained herein. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email from James L. Gore to Joyce Gore Locke: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 21:18:25 I received your letter this morning containing the two letters of Isaac Gore. I have transcribed the first one which follows below. It was dated 3 January 1811 and was addressed to Mr. Samuel Coffman in New Market, Virginia which is where Isaac and Ingabo previously lived. Samuel Coffman was the husband of Isaac's eldest child Margaret Gore. At the time of this letter they had been married three and a half years. Isaac was listed in the 1810 Shenandoah County, Virginia census as living in the town of New Market. His next appearance was in Overton County in 1812. Accordingly, I had written in my article that he left Virginia and came to Tennessee in 1811. I only missed it by a day since according to his letter he arrived in Overton County on 31 December 1810 after a trip of 44 days which means that he left New Market on 17 November 1810. I cannot imagine anyone attempting to make such a journey at that time of the year. Transcription of this letter is as follows. I have done it in the same format as the letter itself; i.e., where he ends a line and begins a new one, so do I. This will make it easy for you to follow. I have added punctuation as necessary and I have also changed some of his misspelled words in order to make the reading flow easier. I will have some comments at the end of the letter: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page 1 Overton County, Tennessee, 3rd of January 1811 Respected Son & Daughter, We arrived at my brother's on New Year's Eve and found them all well. We are also in a reasonable state of health blessed be to the Almighty hoping there to find you enjoying the same blessing. We was on the road six weeks & two days. The roads was extremely bad. Met with no loss worth relating. Found grain on the road very high and great deal of it not good. Their crops in this country remarkable sorry owing to a great drought. I expect to make a crop next summer here and perhaps against that in oat(s). I may get a home of my own as I think the time long already. My brother intends removing to another improvement on the other side of the river and give me possession of his house he now lives in. I can't give you any information where I may settle myself but after planting I shall make a start to explore some other part of the world as I never expected to settle myself here altho think it to be a healthy part of the country. I omitted giving you a power to dispose of my real property in that place; however, you may offer it for sale. I___ I got no satisfaction from the Shugarts on my way to this country but am in hopes that it will not all be lost. Should I live to see you next summer as I'm determined so to do, should we both live and I should keep my health, can tell you more about that and many other things. Wish you to send me on by mail a list of the notes I left with you and also whether you settled with William Byrd & Joseph Harris as I wrote by Joseph Harris requesting you to settle with them. I also request -ed him to deliver my books to you. When I settled with him at brother-in -law John Moore. You C please to give me credit in my book for what you should settle with Joseph Harris as the book should open against me. (turn over) Page 2 I also wish you to draw of from my book the account between Alexander Thomas and myself as I wish to let him know how matters stand with us. When you write, direct your letter to the White Plains, White County, Tennessee. I left directions in my book for you to direct to Jackson County, Tennessee but my brother tells me that the post office is broke up at that place. I wish you to write me any extra news that you have in your place. Don't fail to let me know concerning John Oneal's affairs and mine as I never shall be satisfied until that business is settled. Shall send in my team if I can get a load that will bear carriage. Give my best respects to Mr. Strayer and family, Washington Stephenson, Joshua ______, Polly and Peggy Gore, and all inquiring friends. I wish you to get my old friends John Zirkle & William Wast to write me concerning the __ the route and the different parts of the country's that they explored and what part they think would suit me as I must of L_cy them on their return. They promised to write me or come by my brother's but have not done neither. Must con -clude by embarrassing myself. Your affectionate father till death us do part. s/Isaac Gore Mr. Samuel Coffman - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comments by James L. Gore: Page 1, line 11 and page 2, line 16: Note the spelling of the word explore as exploar (cf. Gore as Goar). Page 1, lines 22, 23 and page 2, line 20: Note that the hyphen (-) is placed at the beginning of the line instead of at the end. I have never seen anyone hyphenate words in this manner. Page 1, lines 22, 23: Isaac apparently had a brother-in-law named John Moore, thus indicating that one of his sisters had married him. In the second letter dated 3 January 1832, mention is made of John and Sally Moore. Isaac had a sister named Sarah Gore who married 19 June 1783 to William Marshall. Somewhere in my records I recall this same Sarah marrying again (I do not remember who) after the death of William Marshall and moving to north Georgia. You can bet I will be searching my records for that information as soon as I send this e-mail. Page 2, line 1: Alexander Thomas may be related to your (mine, Joyce Locke) ancestress Lydia Thomas who married John Gore. Page 2, lines 12, 13: Isaac makes reference to Polly and Peggy Gore. Isaac had a sister named Margaret who may have been nicknamed Peggy but he had no sister named Polly which is a nickname for Mary. If Peggy is a reference to his sister Margaret, then she must have never married. If I have estimated Margaret's year of birth correctly as 1769, then she would have been about 41 years of age. If Polly was a daughter of Peggy, then she would have been born out of wedlock since she carried the name of Gore. Of Isaac's twelve children, only two remained in Virginia - Margaret who married Samuel Coffman to whom this letter is addressed and Clarissa who was only 13 1/2 years of age when this letter was written. Of Isaac's ten remaining children, one died in infancy and the other nine came with him to Tennessee. If Polly and Peggy are related to Isaac at all, it would have to be through his daughter Margaret who would have given birth to them before she married Samuel Coffman. It is interesting to note that Margaret's first child, Adelaide Coffman, was born 2 December 1806 which was six months prior to her marriage on 22 June 1807 to Samuel Coffman. Margaret was nearly 20 when she gave birth to Adelaide whom she apparently had by Samuel Coffman. She certainly could have had two other children prior to this. I will be doing some follow-up research on this. ----------------------------------------- END