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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Black Sheep Sunday :: 1872 Letter



On this date in our extended family history . . . the 14th day of August . . . in the year 1872 . . . Joseph Vick of Lexington, Texas sat down to pen a letter to his Aunt Amanda back home in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi . . . this is just one in a series of letters to Aunt Amanda by kith 'n kin who left a war-ravaged Mississippi following the years of the war between the states . . . hoping for a better life in Texas . . .



Lexington Texas
Aug 14th 1872

Dear Aunt

I take my seat this evening to write you a few lines to let you know that we are not all well at this ? I had a chill abot a weak ago Mat has been having some chills but is not now Belle had one today for the first . . . Almost everybody out here has had some chills this summer but there is but very little fatal sickness I dont think that I have heard of a single case.

Crops are very good out here that is cotton I dont think corn is alltogether as good as it was last year cotton is better some people have gone to picking but it is so warm we will not commence until next week there is some ? worms? out here or was about a week ago but they have all disapeared and cotton is doing fine now

There was a man killed out here the other day named birdie by his brotherinlaw named lackey Lackey went to Birdie to borrow a horse to ride to town birdie had just been riding his horse and had came home and fed him he told lackey as soon as his horse got done eating he have him lackey went off some ? and got a horse went to town got drunk went back to birdie and told im he wanted a settlment birdie told him we didn't know there was any when lackey taken him by collar and birdie struck him lackey had his knife in his hand and struck him one lick in the stomach . . . and cut his insides out and then broke and run birdie had a younger brother in the house he got a gun and ? two or three caps at lackey but could not get it to shoot until he had got about one hundred yards don't know whether he hit him or not that was about night and on the next night he lackey stole a horse from his brotherinlaw Jack? Arendal? and left for parts unknown he is a desparate fellow and so was birdie They were both from Miss I think if lackey had been killed to I think the people would have been glad of it

Well I must close write soon and all the news give my love to all yourself included
your affectionate nephew

Joseph H. Vick

Please excuse bad writing and spelling.




1 comment:

Joan said...

gad, I love old letters. Voices from the past ring history true, every time.

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