Letter to Allison Stirewalt,
Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina
from Philip Cruse,
Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Tennessee, 1834
This is a letter that has been passed down in my family that I've transcribed as
written, even with misspellings.
Circular postmark: Fayetteville, Te Aug 28
Addressee:
Allison Stirewalt, North Carolina
Rowan County, Salisbury P. Office
Tennessee
Lincoln County
August the 25th 1834
Dear
Nephew
I take the pleasure of writing to you again to inform you that I received your
letter you wrote to me some time ago and also that we are all well and hoping
that these few lines will find you and your farthers in the same state of
Health together with your neighbors and Acquantances. I wrote a letter to you
some time back, so soon I received yours but I canot help thinking you never
got the letter, for I particular requested in it for you to write me
imetiately, tho never received no Answer Makes me think you never got the
letter I sent, you wrote to me that times where hard in N Carolina and no doubt
is from all information, You also wrote in your letter that very little
incouradgement would bring you to Tennessee. I wish you would come for you
never would mind the trip. I would recommend you to come out here, that is if
your partners are willing for you to come, for I know this to be a better place
for young men then there. Particular machanics of our bussiness, for
blacksmiths are not plenty here. There is two shops in the town of Fayetteville
not very extentively carried on an and mine 2 miles of Fayetteville is only
three shops in existence. I can not half do the work that I would get to do if
I another furnace going, therefore I wish you come and work a wile with me and Moses.
I will give you liberal wages. Me and the gentleman I live with, James C.
Esselman, concluded to have a large shop built this foal. If you dond come
we must have some body els, for this is a fine settlement of substantial
farmers and a high and dry beautifule plantation where I live on, and the stage
passes every day in the week besides hundreds of others. We have a fine crop.
The man I live with has no white family but himself. I want to stay here myself
a few years longer till the Chickasaw gets fairly settled that I intended to
move there. Oh there is plenty places that is better for a blacksmith then
North Carolina, for there is so many there. Why Allison, down in
Mississippi, the smith has a dollar for a horse shoe, four dollars for a horse
round. Come and try, if you dond like, go father or back home to your old
native part where your prety maidens is. If you just come out here and stay here
six months and see the fine looking women here, you hardly go back to North
Carolina. I would ____ but say jokes aside, a real metalic workman is a
wellcome one here. No more at present.
Respectfully,
Signed: Philip Cruse
PS.
I want you to write imetiately when you get this letter and come right on then.
Your Aunt Mary would be very glad to see you come and sends her best
compliments to your mother. She is a hardy hail stout woman like one not more
than 22 years old.
Signed: Philip Cruse
to Allison Stirewadt
PS. If you see any of my farthes family befor start tell them we all well and have plenty to live on.
You
are my
This
page created October 6, 2003 by Julie
Hampton Ganis
Last modified Monday, 06-Oct-2003 22:41:27 MDT