Clarke County
Shubuta, Miss Mar 12th A.D. 1870

Col. Lauchlin Bethune,
Dear Uncle
I once more seat my self to try to interest you should you be lucky enough to receive this epistle. I have wrote you since I received last letter & received no answer & have bin verry anxious to hear from you & family, also the conexion pleas send me a family record of the Bethune family as far back as you can trace them. Our family conexion have all past off of the stage of action so that we know but little about the family conexion or the genaligy of our families. I think it a great peace of neglect that persons do not keep up a regular chain of their family histry for refrences for their ofsprings to know where or what family they organally sprang from & also pleas inform us of the ancestors of our fathers family John McLeod, his father and fathers brothers and their names and grand fathers in Scotland & if you can for us as we are verry anxious to know what family in Scotland our father sprang from so as to get up a family reccord. All our fathers conexion in this country has departed this life of old settlers & our father having bin burnt out I fear this family records is lost tho it may be found out its whereabouts if not burnt. He had some sisters I learn that did not move to this country but we do not know their names nor do we know where they emigrated to we want to know who they married. Also we want to know the date that our grandfather emigrated from Scotland here & if any brothers ever emigrated with him or at any time. Our object is to trace the family conexion back to Scotland & there is a legacy of several millions of dollars left the McLeod heirs or it is beleaved to be the heirs of our grandfather McLeod and brothers & we are anxious to get up the chain of family conexion because there is no one living in this country that can tell us or give us a histry of the family conexion & we have bin speaking of this several years but have neglected it but since this estate in Scotland have bin advertized for the heirs to make proof & come after it, Our fathers family have requestes us to trace the family conexion up if possible & you will confer a great favor on us for any infermation you are able to give us or any asistance.
Dear Uncle we will now procede to give you the details of our fathers family - sister Isabella McSwain lives in Perry Co, P.O. Augusta Miss, first married Abner Carter had six children by first husband three sons Washington J.P. Carter, both married, Print a lawer, A.D. Carter, dentis; three daughters Sabra Dantzler, Mobile Ala, husband merchant, Margarett McLaurin, husband Dr. M.D., Ranken Co Miss, Cate Bradford, husband lawer past Christian Miss; second family the McSwain's children - Colen, Albert, Rachel, all about grown. Sister Margarett dead, married L.B. Lott, six children three sons John (married), James & Kenneth; three girls Mary married Jasper Philips a farmer he departed this life three weeks ago dezease of the heart, Sarah married John H. Parker, farmer, departed this life about the same time, Isabel Lott married Thomas Moore 27th June 1869 farmer we raised her and educated her. They are doing verry well at this time. Dr McLeod our brother as you are aware departed this life in 1855, Mary E. his daughter married S.H. Terrall lawer Quitman Clarke Co Miss, a nice man and good lawer three children, two sons & one daughter, oldest son Kenneth McLeod nice young man killed on the brest works battle of Nashville. J.J. McLeod single, Perry Lauchin McLeod not quite grown, Perry Co. Margaret McLeod 16 years old lives with Maj S.H. Terrall, Quitman. Sister Catharine married Alex Gordon, Buckatunna, Wayne Co Miss. 10 children, three dead, Catherine, Rachel & Lizabeth. Liven Rosannah, Josephine, Sidney, Nancy, Peter, John, Samp. We have four daughters Margaret Celia married J.M. Everett merchant of trade liven with us, Catherine Caroline 15 year old, Mary Susanah 12 years old, Isabella Lafayette 7 years old in August next, three sons dead John McLeod, Scott, Roston Lafayette died in the war in the sege of Vixburg 17 years old departed this life 28 June 1863. John S. McLeod as you are aware departed this life in 1853 yellow fever, Catherine McLeod married H.R. Avera Robeson County, Texas P.O. Calvert has 13 children, six boys John Scott, Abner P. Hardy, Rufus, Print, Urnest; Lydia Mary Susannah, Rachel, Catherine, Isabel, Emma, Sabrah, Ella.
Dear Uncle we have heard nothin from you since the close of the war nor family do not know how many have survived the war but hope that your family has been more lucky than ours. We would be verry glad to hear from all you & would have written you often buyt did not know what office to direct our letters to and our mail routs have ben so disorganized and offices abolished that we did not know where to direct a letter & do not know whether you will get this. We hope to hear from you seen & hope our families will keep up corespondence in the future. The war closed against us to our great misfortune I was in Macon Georgia in hospital at surrender returned home not able to do anything for a long time after, found everything lost but my little family & home but through the blesing of the Lord I recovered so that I was abvle to prractice my profession & support my family & to keep my children at school which I hope to educate should the Lord permit me to be able to follow my profession. I have bin practising dentistry for many years & am getting about what I can do tho I have to travel considerable which causes me to be from home a large portion of my time. Had it not bin for my reputation as a dentist I would have met with agreat opposition in my practice for since the war closed it has caused scores of Little Quacks to start out that know nothing about the profession. Mrs Avera's health is not verry good tho better for the past two years than for several years past. She often speaks of you & speaks of paying you a visit at some future time if we can ever rase money enough to spare to take her there and back she is anxious to see you all and I hope that we may be able yet to pay you a visit should we be permitted to live a while longer.
Should any of the conexion ever come out to this country they will find us in the town of Shubuta, Clark Co. Miss on the Mobile & Ohio R.R. we would be glad to have any of the conexion to pay us a visit if it is possible & we would be mouch pleased if you & Aunt Bethune could come out to see us we would let all the conexion know & they would meet you here if you could come if you would let us know in time to notify them should you take the notion to come.
Our children all join us in love to the family & hopes to be remembered by all the family.
We remain you affectionat nephew & niece. J.W. Avera & Rachel A. Avera to L. Bethune

My note: Alexander Gordon is the son of John Gordon.
This letter was published in the book, Miscellaneous Records of S.E. Mississippi