Date: 27 Apr 1859
Today's letter from Dr. John Randolph Traylor, Sr. to John Hill primarily focuses on the management of Hill's affairs in Louisiana by Dr. Traylor. Although we do see Dr. White mentioned twice, the husband of Dr. Traylor's daughter Mary Louise.
Dr. Traylor also comments about the health of the folks around him and a bit about crops he is planting and hopes for a better harvest than the previous year.
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Transcription:
Col. John Hill Marion La. Apr 27 / 59
Waverly, Texas
Dear Sir,
I have been long expecting to reply to your two last favours [sic] but for causes not very satisfactory have not done so as yet. Not long since I sent a draft of C. T. Powell for the amt, due you & directed F. S. & Co. to credit you with $600.00 on my account. This amt, will not cover the amt, collected for you. If you do not particularly need it I will keep it until next season. I made a very poor crop last year. booked about $3000.00 made rather poor collections & having incured [sic] some liabilities, find myself pretty tite run (?).
I have collected the debt of Everett Moor nearly all of Singleton, Grisham & $72.80 of E. George. There is yet ten dollars due from him. Esqr Ford paid his little a/c the other day. There was a small mistake in your favour in it. This I beleave [sic] (without refuring [sic] to the books) is all that, I have collected which is unacknowledged. I beleave [sic] that you have been informed that Cooper has paid & that, the funds are in the hands of F. S. & Co.
Mayo has been over & Quite sick about this. I did not see him but tryed [sic] to do so by going to M. E. Daniel, he told me that Mayo expresed [sic] much regret that, he could not pay yet. He sayed [sic] that he had shortly since returned from the swamp & saw the man that, bought Mayo out. He had been disappointed in getting his money from Miss- & could not pay Mayo so that it made a disappointment all round.
It does not appear that the swamp is a very money making place. W. A. Daniel has not paid Dr. White & myself yet & it is because he has not been able. Goldsby has paid nothing begs not to be sued, says that he will pay certainly before it can be collected. He has paid Frillsen by procuring a $1000.00 of accommodation drafts, I beleave [sic] that he has paid almost all his other debts except, those not due & what he owes to you. He has sued Cooper for what is due on the Andrews debt with that, & a good crop he will be able to pay all that he owes. Beside this he is offering the place on which he lives for sale, Cooper to retaliate entered the land around him & says that he has taken a good portion of the best part of his farm. That he has been offered $5 cash per acre for it if he could give possession, which he can not do until this crop is gathered. Goldsby says it is not worth 2 [?] per acre so they go.
The debt of Willingham for 1st note of [Cole?] is still unpaid you have forgotten that transaction. It was in this wise Willingham was owing Cole & promised to pay that debt for him which he did in cash drafts on others & a note of his own. Some of the drafts were returned for non payment, leaving a balance of some seven hundred dollars still unpaid.
Willingham is a man of considerable property & I am told purfectly [sic] good. I am expecting to here [sic] from him every day. If he does not pay soon I will put it in suit.
The land trade is again a failure, 10 or 12 days before the time it was to be closed a gentleman caled [sic] & offered to take the place at the price stipulated, but I did not feel justified in selling until the time had expired agreed upon. Since then he has concluded to look about for sometime before the purchaises [sic]. He is a brotherinlaw [sic] of Tod (?) Robinson's. I was in conversation a fiew {sic} days since with Sam Robinson & told him that I intended to write to you & advise you to rise on it that it was worth more. He said that the last person mentioned he thought would buy (?) the Jourdin plase [sic] & if he did he would buy your land for his Brotherin law provided you did not rise too much on it. (?)
I am planting this year 120 Acres in cotton of my best land & about the same in corn. If I am blessed with seasons I hope to make a better show than last year. I have about 40 acres yet to plant which I plant late from chois [sic]. I shall get over plowing my corn in a fiew [sic] days, tomorrow if it does not rain too much it is now raining. We have had a fine spring but for its being rather cool, we had considerable frost last week which did not damage us much except in putting back our crops.
The health of our country is generally very good though we have some sickness, L.M. (?), old woman Shortlitt (?) a week after confinement took savier [sic] cold was very sick, had several savier [sic] fits, but is now better & I think will recover. Since I commensed [sic] writing Dr. White informed me that, he had Rec'd a letter from you & that, you had lost another valuable negro. You are certainly having very bad luck [some?] way. Tell Mary she must write to me again & Robert, I beleave [sic] I have an unanswered letter from him, he must not be offended, I will write to him as soon as I can & he must write again. Tell Wm Powell, M.D. that Marion bosts [sic] of having been sent for several times in preferance [sic] to me. That however is no great compliment. I have [booked?] this year, I think some 6 or 800 dollars. Randy had a chill today the rest all well.
Give my love to All. Yours truly
John Traylor
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