OLD LETTERS FROM
Written by THOMAS and ZACHARIAH ROBINSON to JOHN and MARY M. (Robinson)
PEFFLEY, of
Two of the original letters are in the possession of Grant E. Rose,
Ladoga and Alice Peffley Priest at
Barbara
Salem, Botetourt Co.,
Putnam Co.,
letter last evening sent to us by Sirkle (Robinson)
who had been at the
office two days before and it had not come yet. We all hail it's
welcome
visit and every eye glistens and sparkles to hear its contents, and are
highly grateful to hear that you are pleased with the country and the
people.
You state that you are all well at present and for these kind mercies,
we feel it our duty to thank our Heavenly Father for his benevolent
mercies sincerely hoping that these few lines will find you my dear
children enjoying the same good blessing of health. You want to know
all about our affairs here and I will give you a detail after I make
more inquiry. In the first place I will say something of your old
neighbors as that will do to fill part of my letter. You say to F.
GARST, "you have selected several thousand acres of land for him." I
can
tell you that he has commenced purchasing the
has purchased G. STOVER'S, MATT. STOVER'S at the sawmill
and the place
where M. FRANTZ lives. For which he pays $3600.00 and G. STOVER expects
to go to your country about the first of October next and GEO. STOVER is
going with him. JOHN GARST has bought all the land that belonged to
Dreadful fire last night a week, James Huff's shop on the street took
fire from the chimney supposed to have caught low down between the logs
and chimney it was discovered about 12 at night and before relief could
be obtained it was in a flame, and consumed about 400 hats Six
bbls. of
flour with a great many other valuable things. Then his dwelling house
and kitchen with some other small houses took fire and in a few minutes
all were consumed then the house of Mr. Goodwin where Dr. Griffin and
Dillon lived took fire, in a second the whole end was in a flame and
soon consumed then Mr. White's store and dwelling, took fire on the roof
and was in a blaze from one end to the other but by the violent exertion
of the people the fire was checked, and the house was saved, but all the
rooms in the upper story were racked and torn to pieces some other
houses caught but were saved. By wetting woolen blankets and spreading
on the roof.
There were nearly Four Hundred of the blankets with large holes burned
in them and some nearly burned up. About 30 tin buckets thrown from the
tpp of the houses and ruined after pouring their
contents on the roof.
Huff's loss is about two thousand dollars.
Poor Joe Akels, last Thursday was caught in that
suite with Geo.
Grounds, Costs and the negro wench is near a hundred
dollars. Joe says
he came naked into the world and naked he must go out, what a sorrowful
scene with him and family, much pitied by his neighbors.
Old Mrs. Erby is dead and the old man Erby nearly off. Mark gave me an
??der on him a few days ago
for that money he owes you and I heard he
was very low in health so I did not go in to pester him in his frail
state, and poor ??en. is
about to burst. I understand all his property
is under execution and will be sold in a few days unless he can borrow
the money or sell his land and what to do with him I do not know so I
quit him and commenced on Hanes. He tells Stephens he owes you nothing,
Stephens told me if you have any proof to say in your next letter and he
will warrant him. Halls (or Molls) money Stephens says I shall have in a
few days.
He says Dillards money is uncertain he has been
waiting a long time in
hopes he would come to Salem but he never came he sent a list of the
amount by his brother Nathan but never has heard of them since.
Dunnington's money I got which is $144.00 he said you
got a pair of side
leathers at 62 1/2c. I got that of Frantz $150.00 and made a set of
gears to fill the place of them you took with you--oats at Hashbargers,
in a day or two after you left here. Zach and I went after them and
found so grown together that a number of the top sheaves we left fast
growed together and that we fetched was so damp it
made a heavy load and
coming up the hill at Weathers' we had like to stalled.
Just now I heard from McCrery that cut his throat with a razor a few
days ago he is at the point of death. It is not known for what he did
it. Old Mrs. Keagy is very low and I think will be
off in a few days.
Old Granny Burntrager lays
very near unto death. Old Mrs. Huffman ditto
with consumption. Chris Huffman is dead and buried in eight days after
you left here.
John says I must write to his sister Polly. And John, he sends his best
love to you both and says I must tell you what he is doing he raised a
house and a still-house last week and intends to commence stilling in
about three weeks. He has bought three stills one holds a 140
gallons
also 70 still tubs and several unpainted wine casks a cider mill etc.
The house he raised is for Joe Stover to live in while he stills for
him, he has hired a young man a year for which he pays $70.00.
Stover says yesterday while he was working at his new fabric near the
stillhouse that when they got their stills in
operation they could make
from eight to ten dollars per day. Zach says Write for me Hanner
and
Betsey and tell our dear sister Polly and brother John we send our most
affectionate love and good will with the best luck and sincerely hope
you may live long and happy in that new and prosperous country. (and to
these last words) I and your dear old mother with all your brothers and
sisters render a hearty and sincere Amen.
Betsey and Hannah have each a daughter about five months old. Betsey
called hers Sarah and Hannah called hers Lavina, Zach
and their hired
negro have made upwards of five hundred flour barrels since New Years
day two hundred all ready packed with flour, they have to make five
thousand, this season for Wrolunds Mill 84 barrels a
week is Zach's and
the negros task between them. Zach has planned a
peach orchard plum and
grape orchard and intends making wine, peach, plum and apple brandy. Now
my dear son and daughter your letter stated everything so nice what you
had done and what you was doing that I thought perhaps you would find
some satisfaction in hearing of our proceedings. Your first letter I
could never read the whole of it without stopping filial and benevolent
tears for my dear and for absent children who have penetrated far into
dreary lands to provide something to support yourselves and dear little
children oh may the Lord of Glory and the God of Heaven and Earth with
his infinite mercies guide you in all the paths of peace and consolation
through this life and at the appointed time when this mortal body must
be changed that you may both be perfectly willing to quit this world of
labor and toil for one of Glory and everlasting happiness is the sincere
prayer of your old Father and Mother.
As I have said nothing about Allen and myself you may think we are doing
nothing. All went to school til the first of March,
since that we have
made several hundred rails, collered two fields for
corn sowed one field
of oats and sowed four fields of clover seed and made a great deal of
fence. The high winds last winter blowed down fences
for me that had
stood the storms for 12 years and it is said that D. Shanks Thermometer
showed that it was four degrees and a half colder than was ever known
before in Botetourt. The reason we sowed so much clover seed it is
selling at 10 dollars per bushel in
engaged in matrimony and you must tell that young American buck to hold
himself in readiness until she comes. That is the one you mentioned in
your last letter.
Allen, Leanerer (Leannah)
Ruth, Joseph and Perry went to school last
winter and Perry run two races with the master. Olds beat the first and
Perry beat the last.
John and Polly what next--a few weddings John Smith to Betsey Pefley,
Sam Peffley to Hannah Stover, A Mr. Cizar a storekeeper at Lexington in
Virginia to Hannah Miller. He has bought Spunks old
storehouse and lot
for the sum of $2850.00 and is going to set up a large store there. No
less than five stores in
John you recollect the widow Greene if you don't you do Polly. was not
you and your Mamy in John's wagon going to
some less than one million of great broad ribbons and scared John's
horses almost to death. Well the flying jib is married to the hog
drunken Bohon. Mat Frantz to a Graybill and a Graybill to a Miss
Frankenbarger. Mr. Williams
in
used to clerk for Shanks. This will do for the present Stop until I
start afresh, Aim Howbard to a Mr. Soffered a blacksmith that worked in
the shop at Howbard's. I think I have mentioned all
your brothers and
sisters in this letter but Sirkle he is well and your
second letter he
lifted, read it and then sealed it brought it to us and I have not seen
him since but shall perhaps before I seal this letter. Mangus
bought a
place about a week ago on Catawba two miles above the forge near
Fincastle it is a 178 acres I think for which he is to pay $1500.00
down. I then went to Jacob Gish and he took your note. Myers is to start
in two or three days.I shall
do all in my power to get all your money
and send it with Old Geo. Stover next October when he moves to your
country. ~~~~~~~~ John by trying to sell your note I found the worth of
cash in Botetourt, your note of $184 dollars 25 per cent discount on a
six year note) $73.60 is the money you would get for your note.
Signed, THOS. ROBINSON. April 28th,
1834,
and Polly Peffley,
Dear Brother and Sister:
I once more embrace this opportunity of writing to you ~ The first item
I shall endeavor to inform you of is the visit I have had in
contemplation to visit you this spring but I must state with a degree of
sorrow that instead of coming myself, I only have the pleasure of
sending you a letter to try and let you know the cause of my delaying
the journey until some future period. The circumstance is as follows.
Our money in these parts is in jeopardy that is our paper money silver
cannot be had at present. The Maryland bank is broken in other words
proved to be insolvent and the Richmond bank of
share the same fate it is also believed that many other banks in this
state will soon break. This bank breaking has very much injured this
county and the adjoining one which has caused money to be very scarce
and times hard, for this one reason I have concluded not to visit that
part of the continent until times take a change for the better which I
hope will be by next fall then I may venture with safety but to start
now with this money it may prove of no avail before I would reach my
journeys end.
Bro. Zirkle started on a visit to Shenandoah and
Rockingham Counties
last April a year and just returned the other day and he says he lost
thirty- five dollars by the Maryland breaking, he says that he is going
to Rockingham County the last of this month to catch him a companion for
life or in plain words a wife her name is Malinda Rosinbarger.
They live
over the mountain from New Market on the
waited on five young men during his absence and made all their wedding
clothes.
Cousin Eleanor Rosinbarger is married and Zirk was in attendance she
married about the first of last March. She married a man by the name of
Price. He is very rich and lives near the
married to a March. Cousin Jno {Jonathan}Zirkle also married a Miss
March,
after being married one year and one month. Uncle Z.{Zirkle?} daughter
Melinda is married and moved to
and in tolerable health, perhaps you have not heard that Benjamin Zirkle
of Shenandoah has sold his possessions and moved to
Ary is moved back from
I now commence again in our own
place he bought of J. Britts for $500.00 to a Lutheran Preacher by the
name of Miller. He may be a fine man, but we would much rather have had
the good old friend Britts there still for he is very much missing
(where you find one thats
just and true don't change the old for the
new). A few words concerning religion some time previous there was a
great revival in the neighborhood at the Green Ridge Meeting House
amongst the Baptists .
A few words concerning marriages and deaths. Catherina
Brown to John
Brown of Amsterdam, Polly Peffley to Mr. Hypes of
Franklin County. Polly
Evans to William Pettet a widower, Peggy Gowns to Mr.
Lowery of Mason's
Cove, L. C. young Frederick Garsts wife is very sick
and has been sick
for some time. Eliza Baldwin is very low with consumption it is feared
she will soon go as her sister Louise went sometime previous. Old Granny
Carvin is thought to be on the point of death, the
rest of our neighbors
are generally well, as far as I know. We have had a very disagreeable
cold winter here, but are blest with a very early spring although
usually wet the grain looks very promising throughout the County.
William Wrowland has bought the Lick place for Three
thousand dollars
and there is going to be a town laid off before long, the lots will sell
very high there has been many offers made already there is now
storehouses building there four merchants from Salem are there making
preparations there and some from the north are expected shortly.
Since I have commenced writing to you Thomas Evans has departed this
life. On the 25th of April there was a family of people moving Westward
they camped all night near Mr. Stoners in this county, and on the 26th,
they started on their journey as usual this family consisted of one old
man and lady and three daughters, the man was driving a caryall
stopped.
The rest of the family was then out of sight some persons went to the
caryall and found the man sitting with the lines in
his hand--dead. The
family was sent for Mr. Joel Croompecker (sic- Crumpacker, a Reverend in
the Church of the Brethren, who solemnized 8 Peffley
couples in
Botetourt Co. Virginia - Jeff Scism) was eye witness
of the scene he
said he never saw people apparently so much distressed in all his life
to find their parent dead who a few minutes before was in good health,
it is thought he was struck with the dead palsey,
this happened the day
before Thos. Evans died.
Brother John's companion (Elizabeth) was entered in the grave yard where
her Father lies and several of her relation between C. Gish and A.
Stover's plantation. She was entered the 20th of May at ten o'clock A.
M. The Rev. Joel Croompecker and Mr. Sperry preached
the funeral. I
commenced writing to you on the latter end of April please read this
letter to all your surrounding neighbors and friends.
Zachariah and Hannah Robinson's letter to John and Polly Peffley.
Address: John Peffley,
Michael Etter.
July 10th, 1840, Big Lick, Roanoke Ct. Va. Most affectionate son and
daughter it is with the tears of gratitude and joy that I am writing to
you to answer the favor which I just received by the hands of your
brother Zach which is written by your tender hand and directed to me. It
appears from your letter dated May the 16th that you didn't get the
letter which I sent you last winter which stated that Dr. Franklin died
on the 17th of last October. He had been at your uncle's and was laying
very low when Trainor got there, with a fever and the
Dr. stayed with
him three weeks and cured him then he started for home and got as far as
Abingdon in Virginia .
The next most important query on my mind is of the political nature. I
am sixty seven years old on the first day of August and I can say I
never have saw such lecturing and canvassing as is in operation at our
last election, It appears the time is fast approaching when the few must
rule the many and if it cannot be done by fair play it must by foul for
this is the determination of the Feds with the aid of their swindling Banks.
Polly I see in your letter a few lines on politics concerning Van Buren
and Harrison, I would have been glad if you had written a line or two
more on the political head as the few you did write are so very
interesting to me at this next election for President will, I sincerely
hope, be the last effort that our enemies will ever make to force the
farmer and the mechanic to give up their liberty to the banks and their
agents that is at this moment getting our surplus produce at their own
price. I have been taking two Whig papers and two Republican for the
last twelve months and I have been watching each party in politics, as I
used to read the Scripture and watch each party in religion and I find
the two great contending parties are composed of the laboring class on
one side and Bankites and Gentlemen on the other, but
who is it wants to
get in power? Is it not the Federalists that the Republicans have tried
twice and they cannot please the majority of the people.
Was not old
John ADAMS in Four years under the name of Federalist and the
Republicans so disgusted with Federal politics that they have since
assumed the name Federal Republicans and by subterfuge the Fed.
Republicans got John Quincy and old Clay to rule as President and how
long did they please the majority of the honest industrious people of
the free and enlightened country? But four years, well that makes eight
years out of 64--the Torys with all their fictitious
names have had the
honor to rule our
years and the Torys growled all the time as they do
now and Jefferson
served the Republicans 8 years so did Madison and so did Monroe this is
32 years the Republicans had their democrat president to rule over them
then in stepped John Quincy ADAMS with his Federal notions of a high
protection tariff and national improvement laws which did not set well
with the Republican patriot breast and they turned out the old tory and
all the new names are not sufficient to blind the Democrat eyes. They
then put in their
them so well that they put in Van Buren--Jackson Vice President and he
has carried out the Republicanism so completely that the feds is next
thing to crazy. Are they not staving to and fro through the country with
their humbugs of fire and brimstone to make prosalites
to their
federalism much like the Methodist Preacher the feds preach up
subtreasurey and a standing army to scare the
Republicans into their
society and they think it will have the same power over the intellectual
faculties as fire and brimstone for neither of them are visible or
perhaps never will be in existance. Here let me drop
a word for old
Harrison he has promised to serve but one term--this is as long as any
of his brother feds served the Republicans and the old preacher feels a
fearful delicacy in breaking their rule because he knows he cannot, dumb
as he is he knows by experience a few presidents cannot please a
Republican government a single four years and yet they are crying and
whindling continually to get into office what a keen apetite the feds
have for the public pap .
Polly you state to me that the price of everything is low times hard and
money scarce, May I tell my reason, (by experience) First we chartered
the Buchanan Bank on James River for our convenience this charter gave
the stockholders liberty to lock up One hundred and fifty thousand
dollars of our specie and issue seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars
of paper, this paper filled our counties of Botetourt and Roanoke alive
with money and all that was too lazy to work and could get indorsers
to
our new bank got to speculating until every enterprising man was over
head and ears in debt to our new bank and paying $1.50 to $2.00 per
bushel for wheat, $1.00 for corn .85c for rye Bacon from 12 1/2 to 17
cents per pound and beef as high as 17c per pound in Baltimore, New York
and Philadelphia, and from 6 to 7 dollars per barrel this put new life
in us all. We raised large crops going to get rich right off those that
have no land will buy and borrow the money to pay for it now the banks
have us all on their hook and heavy crops coming on at high prices to
pay our debts but here comes the hard times, the specie is already
locked up in the banks and each spculator gets notice
to come and lift
his land and if he has not property to raise the money he must borrow it
of his neighbors to lift his note in the banKnights
of Pythiaserhaps Ten
thousand dollars he then burns his note and the bank locks up their
notes to cause a scarcity of money so they can get his heavy crop at
their own price. We now find this flood of money is gone and where is
it? Is it burned up? No but it is locked up and kept from circulation
until the bank agent can buy our property at their own price for we are
all in debt and obliged to sell for what we can get or the sheriff will
sell it for us under a mortgage or deed of trust, This is hard times for
the Farmer, the mechanic and all the laboring class of the community and
it is a glorious time for the banks, their agents and the hard hearted
paper shavers. So by the industrious mans loss the idle lazy speculator
gets rich and they will snarl and grin in the face of the farmer and
tell him it is their sub-treasury and Van Buren's administration is the
cause of all the distress in the country this is to blind the ignorant
so that their thirteen hundred united banks may still continue to fleece
the country of its honest industry.
The Democratic party found to their sorrow that one United States Bank
would sap the foundation of their liberty and ruin the country and they
prayed their president to kill it and he did so, but the states now have
Thirteen hundred in operation and doing ten times the mischief to the
prosperity of the country and price of commodities than the old United
Bank did. Those young swindlers are all united for we see when one
suspends specie payment all the rest strike to its motion in rapid
succession until we cannot draw one dollar of specie out of those
thirteen hundred monsters and yet the crafty whigs
want the democrats to
withdraw their power from Van and the present administration that is
straining every nerve to save the country from ruin and help them to put
in Old Docile Harrison that will sanction any sort of shin plasters
Tariff- national improvement that Old Clay and the Feds think will best
promote the interests of their present ragged filthy flimsy banking
system. John and Polly, I do wish I could find decent words to express
the horror and disgust I feel for the present banking system for they
are going in the same channel that the Banks of England do, they sap all
surplus labor and give it to the King and his Lords to sport on.
Frederick Garst was to see me in May and says he has
bought a small farm
of land he does not know how he likes the country. He has purchased in
Smith and Chris. Kinsey and the above information is
from them. We got a
letter from Circle in March and they were all well He states the money
in that country is fifty percent under par and times harder than ever
before.
We have a splendid court and jail house in Salem and Mr. Snyder is
elected for our next Assembly he beat Mr. Payton 32 votes and the whigs
are trying to make a contested election of it, this corresponds with the
creeds for they say, it is the minority that composes the wisdom and
prudence of every country and that Minority should always rule over the
majority which is composed of the ignorant and the illiterate and common
class of the community in every country.
Here I must say a few words to my old friend John,--you state that he
still works at his trade--I am glad to hear of his health and would be
extremely glad to see him, and converse on politics, as we used to do on
religion, for they run parralell with each other, the
one to promote the
happiness of the body and the other is to promote the consolation of the
soul. My old soldier of the cross, my old Democrat and patriot of
liberty do we not see the scripture fulfilling every day where it says
"The wisdom of the wise is foolishness to God." Look at the wisdom of
the wise. They are paying thousands of dollars for the conveyance of old
log cabbins through towns and cities for fools to
laugh at, they try
every strategim to get the simple and ignorant into
the tory ranks.
Friend John how often have these wise men changed their names since you
knew them, Five times I think, well that is about every twleve
years now
sir I think when a man or woman changes their name so often there is too
much white in their eye, no matter what they say they are.
When I first knew their wise party they were called Tory then Federalist
then Federalist Republican then Whig then Whig Republican and now
conservative Whig Republican and with all their fictitous
names they are
the same Tory party that was always bafling and
squalling and calling
General Washington and his men new rebels. About every 24 years another
generation rises that knew not the Lord and this is why many an honest
man joins that party not understanding their craft. The origin of the
tory clan were distant relatives of Old King George
the third and near
relation of Lord Fairfox, Lord Delaware and Lord
Botetourt, look at
their high blood that is qualification enough to cause the ignorant
republicans to drop their low blooded Jacksons and Dutch Van Burens, and
take Harrison, he is one of the remnants and bagends
of old Lord
Botetourt that made such a lucky escape to old England which saved his
bacon, without salt, at the commencement of the Revolution, after he had
sanctioned the death of several rebels as he called them.
I must tell you of the last race we had in
Whigs run one of their high blooded Candidates. All the Watse
and the
McClanahans with many of their friends lectioneered by making speeches
and rubbing down their candidates for months previous to the election
and the Republicans run one of their common old wagon and Farmer
candidates and beat their high flier about 32 votes there was some heavy
bets on the race and the wise high bloods have lost their money they now
are trying to contest the election to save their money if they can. I
never saw a set of men so down in the mouth and chop fallen as these
poor lawyers, sheriffs, squires and doctors are since the race. They
took the pains to go to every house in the country where they thought
was the least chance to gull the ignorant, by preaching up the
Subtreasurey and standing army and Van Buren's big Treasureers that has
run off with the public money and a number of voters said if this is
true I will not vote for Snyder or Van Buren so they set them down on
the Whig list. By this strategim they had a large
majority before the
day of the election and then they came out 32 behind as above stated
after they were beat when they were met by our spouty
democrats the
following conversation ensued, "how are you sir? what
have you done with
your race hag? are you going to send him to
you intend to keep him here and rub him down for the
spring etc, etc?"
John Garst is one of our smartest Politicians in our
little county at
present Some of you that was formerly acquainted with
John may think I
overreached the medium mark but he would surprise you to hear him. I
would actually choose him to represent the county as soon as any man in
it at this time.
Our wheat crop are light beyond measure, the fly, the rust, the scab,
Chince bug has swept thousands of bushels in our
country and the rye is
thin next to nothing. Oats corn and potatoes are bidding fair for a
heavy crop. I passed by the graves of your parents a few weeks ago and I
believe it is tolerably good yet.
Polly you say that you dreamed you was on your way to
see us all and how
glad you was. Poor little Daughter I can hardly write these lines for
the big tears are trickling down my withered cheeks to think what joy it
would give for a moment to see you and John and your dear little
children and then in a few days to bid you fairwell
forever. This would
turn my joy into sorrow and finally end in a flood of tears.
It appears in your letter that you think you are not completely
satisfied where you are living. The Iowa or the Arkansas or across the
Rocky Mountains on the great Columbia is the place where sickness pain,
sorrow and death never can reach the human family but my dear children
it is too evident that place can never be found this side of eternity.
You are now in the midst of glory if you could only be content therwith
or do you not believe the Scriptures when they say "if you have food and
rainment be you content therewith, it is not riches
and pleasure that
make the soul happy, it is the calm and serene mind that gives the
stability to the happy soul." Look at neighbor F. G. he could have
stayed here if he had sown such seed as he had wished to reap but you
know all he craved was money and all of his plans were laid to
accumulate upwards of twenty two thousand dollars and did it make him
happy? no, far from it he is the most dissatisfied man
that ever left
this country. John is out doctoring every day for sometime Since he
practised some under Trainer he is about as good as
any of our doctors
Garst had moved back within 180 miles of his old
stand to find a better
place than the Green Ridge and next start he makes will be on the Combe
place for expect he will never get anything for it John White in Salem
bought it and he is likely to burst his boiler and if so Garst
will have
to take back his land.
Perry says he thinks he would hardly know the sister Polly if he was to
meet her in the road. Joseph is cradling at Jonathan Evans and I don't
know what he says, but he is a stout boy about six feet high. We have a
new neighbor come from where I was raised by the name of Anthony Rhoads.
He has bought the Widow Frances place, that used to be, he gives
$1500.00 for it thats well
paid for isn't it John? John Garst's Polly is
married to Ben Brubaker and they have bought the Bradley place for them
Isaac Ren is married to Eliza Gish and lives where
Fifer did at Ren's.
Old Keagy Old Erba and Old Gast (Garst) yet are each between
eighty and
ninety years old and very feeble. Old Gast stayed all
night with me a
few weeks ago and at night he got out of bed and fell from the top of
the stairs to the bottom and nearly broke his arm he is dreadful weak
and walks with two canes.
The nice new bridge on Peppers Ferry New River that cost twelve thousand
dollars was swept away by the high water a few weeks ago. The river was
four feet higher than it had been for the last seventy years Young John
Gish has bought the Tanyard where Mike Sigler owned.
There is two stores
in little
boring for salt at the lick they are upwards of 100 feet deep and solid
rock the whole way I think it is a poor prospect. Twelve months boring
100 ft and they think they will have to go 800 ft. The man that works at
it was at my house last Sunday and said he could go but from 8 to 12
inches per day the rock is composed of rock flint of the hardest sort it
takes one third of his time to sharpen his augers he says nearly all the
old salt wells on the Canawha are now fresh water.
Son John and daughter Polly I am drawing to the last of my paper and I
still want to continue my discourse with you as it may probably be the
last time I may have the power of using my intellectual faculties on
paper. When I see many of our old acquaintances leaving this stage of
action that are much younger than me I think how short and uncertain
this life.
A German doctor was to see us last week that was well acquainted with
Trainer he says his parents is sick and thinks that D. I. Trainers
Legacy will be about $2500.00 and presses on John to go and see to it.
Leap tells me about the same that Trainer did of what was coming to him
in Germany after the death of his mother and D. Leap says she is dead
about two years ago.
John and Polly I hope you will all understand the principals by
recommending your cousin John Garst as a qualified
candidate you see I
go for the talent and not the education unless we can have both
together. A man with good learning can write down a good flurry of a
speech and the whole of it decided by some great orator and this he can
get as pat as A.B.C. then he can stand before the multitude and tell
what great laws and wonders he will do for his constituents if they will
elect him and at the sametime he has not the economy
or frugality to
manage a little farm and by this strategim he is
elected and instead of
having a talented man to represent us, we have nothing but a learned
babler with his long learned speeches to consume time
and prolong the
session to 112 days at about $9 per day which makes the small sum of
$1098.00 per session this is what we get by sending our learned lawyers
and bablers instead of sending an honest old farmer
to represent us in
our legislature.
Friend Britt(???)I am sorry to inform you of the death
of our old
estemed friendhe is drowned
in the river of politics - - (+)(+)
Signed, T. Robinson.
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--
Jeffery G. Scism, IBSSG
~~