Mis108TN-X
TENNESSEE, MISC
September 1, 1844
Written to State of
Louisiana Parish of Claborn
Perleamon Pate
Murphysboro
Jackson Co
Illinois
Dear Brother
I once more take my pen in hand to inform you that we are all well
at this time and hope that
through the great mercies of God that when this reaches you that
you all may be enjoying the
same state of happiness I recieved. A letter from you the other day
dated May the 19th, 1844
which gave me great pleasure to hear from you once more that you were
all well but read the
first with sorrow that stated you had along spell of sickness this
spring you said you had wrote
four or five letters and had recieved no answers now will you
suffer me to tell you that the one
I speak of is all I have recieved in 12 months and I have wrote
several to you I have nothing of
importance to write you.
Henery Dyer moved here this spring and settled in three miles of me
his family is all well and the friends is all well so far as I
know. Henrey tells a desperate tale
about the condition of Tennessee but you know Henrey he tells me
that young James Draper
was at old papes awhile before he left there and told him that you
and your family was all sick
last fall one not able to help the other and that if your neighbors
had not quit their homes and
went and taken care of you that you must have suffered. Well I want to know the truth of all
this he told me also Old Pap told him that he expected that you
would move back, this fall and
that old pap was trying to buy land for you and a great deal more
to tedious to mention Well I
want to know the truth of the whole story as I didn't believe that
any of my breed dogs would
run the back track but you may.
Well Brother I have wrote a good deal and havn't said much
nor I don't expect that I shall say great deal to the purpose
however I think if you do move you
had better try the back woods for I don't believe in the back tract
myself but I have no right to
judge for others but I go in for going forwards and not backwards,
well I havn't said much yet
but only my nonsense for you know that I couldn't say much if I was
to try but I know is so
we have peace and plenty hear all the people cry Out hard times
well I know that money is
scarse but what of that a man can't eat money we have first rate
corn here this year we
had the best prospects for a cotton crop I ever saw until about the
first of August when
there came a hose of worms and they destroyed the whole of it we
had fifty acres of cotton
and it was first rate before the worms came and took it I don't
believe it will make three
hundred pounds to the acre now all it can make is what bolds was
grown before the worms
came well I expect you will say that I have worte a plenty unless
it was better. But bear
with me for it is Sunday and I am lonely my folks is every single
one gone a visiting today
and I am at home writing nonsense to you I want to see you the
worst of all men in the
world and take you by the hand once more I want you to write to me
as soon as you get
this letter that is if you ever get it and state in your letter how
near the steamboats come
to where you live and what landing a man would have to stop at to
go to where you live,
I don't know that I ever shall come to see you in this life but if
I should make the attempt
I want to know all about it, starting is the worst job in
trabeling. You know I can get on a
boat by trabeling thirty miles from my house and if I could get any
ways near your dwelling
it would not be much of a trip to come to see you, who knows, but I
might take a notion
and come as I am a wild boy and love to roam. I expect I had better come to a close as
you will have great room to think that I was badly employed when I
was writing all this
nonsense to you. Henrey Dyer
sends his best love and compliments to you and family.
Nothing more at present but remains your effectionate yet unworthy
brother until death.
Farewell-to
Anthony Pate
NOTE BY JINKS
PATE LEE; 2 Jan 2002:
Anthony Pate, living
in Claiborne Par, LA is a brother
to Perleamon
Pate, living in Jackson Co, IL