Dr. Traylor Letter #8

Date: 01 Feb 1860

Today's letter from Dr. John Randolph Traylor, Sr. to John Hill mixes a small amount of business with a good many personal details. Ever the doctor, Dr. Traylor relates a bit of the health of people in the area. He also comments that 1859-1860 has been a very cold winter.

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                        Marion Feby 1st 1860

Col. John Hill

Waverly, Texas

                       Dear Sir,

     I sent to Frillsen & Stevenson by Dr. White $656.00 & requested them to inform you of the same. Mr. Cole has today paid his last note of $2013.00 Which I will send as above as soon as I can. His (?) $656.00 was paid by M.W. Goldsby he is yet owing you a fraction over $100.00. I sent over to Mayo. He said he would be over in a short time & pay up.

     I expect he will be able to do it as he has made $1600.00 by trading this fall & winter. He sold a lot of negroes he purchased at Brother Paschals sale for $700.00 profit the balance he has made by trading on mules. You perhaps recollect he purchased some land & negroes for which he paid $11,000.00. He has sold the land for $12,000.00 making the 5 negroes & $1000.00 clare[sic], so you see he must be flush & the prospect for his paying good.

     I have made no other collection. The note deposited with me for Mrs. Jackson falls due 1st March. If paid when due, what disposition does she want made with it? please learn & inform me. I expected before this to be able to inform your that your Lock Track [sic] was sold to Old Jonny Steel (?). He looked at it & was pleased, sent me word some three week [sic] since that, he would be over soon since which I have not heared [sic] from him. The price agreed upon was three dollars per acre he paying 2/3 this spring the balance in two years without interest. I do not know the cause of his delay.

     I am happy to inform you that we are all well. Our little Sally was quite sick for 3 or 4 days last week of cold but is quite well now.

     The health of the country is quite good though there have occured [sic] a fiew [sic] caces [sic] of much savierty [sic] from cold. Henry Philips died 10 or 12 days since of pneumonia it is said. He lived on Bayou Bartholomew near Bastrop. We have had the savierest [sic] winter that, I ever saw in the south. Since it set in it has been almost constantly cold until about two week since the mercury ranging from 8 up a great deel [sic ]of the time as low as 30 for two weeks pased [sic] we have had beautifull [sic] weather almost like summer until yesterday evening when the wind changed suddenly & blew a gale from the north the mercury was found this morning at 17 and at its highest elivation [sic] today it was 28.

     If they have not already learned it you may tell them that Addy Powell has a daughter that, her name is Ida. We think there is a pretty good chance for a wedin [sic] in our neighborhood. A certain Mr. Harges Editon (?) of the Farmerville Paper, visits there pretty often & I mean Mrs. Bensons & we think it eminent.

     Mr. George & his lady are expected daily from Ala. By the way since he left his fine Gin house & screw with about 20 bags of cotton were burned by accident. I am claring [sic] 50 or 60 acres east of my field by your old place it looks terable [sic] poor, but I can't do any better.

     Tell Katie we can't come up with her Aunt Sarah's Gardin [sic], we should have had to plant last fall to have such peas as she has. We had cabbage, lettis [sic] & mustard up on yesterday I guess there is not much of them left today. Our peas are just coming up.

     Tell Frank he must give Mary a mawling for me & that I am going to write to her in two or three days & give her jipes (?) for the way she scolded me. Sally says tell Taby (?) to turn (?) over here & she will (?) with (?) her.

     What about your trip to Anjalina? Is it timbered or Prairie land?

     Susan joins me in love to you all

               Yours Truly

                      John Traylor