This letter was written to Pellam Poinsett Carmack from Henry McGee. Henry McGee was married to Martha Fleming in Gibson County, Tennessee on November 21, 1854. Martha Fleming was the daughter of John Fleming and Mary Anderson of Lincoln County, North Carolina.
Pellam Poinsett Carmack was married to Ann R. Fleming, the daughter of Anderson Fleming and Sarah Barkley, of Lincoln County, N.C., who were also, residents of Gibson Co., Tn. from abt 1846 until late 1870's. Ann Fleming Carmack was the niece of Martha Fleming McGee. Mary, the sister of Ann Fleming Carmack, was living in the household of Ann and Pell Carmack during that time. Mary Fleming married a John W. Emison in White County, Arkansas at the age of 41, her first marriage; and this letter was found in the keepsakes of the Emison family. At the time this letter was written Pellam and Ann Fleming Carmack were living in Dyersburg, Dyer County, Tn and were expecting a child, my grandmother, their fifth child, who was born December 03, 1877 in Dyersburg, Tennessee. The Carmack's and some of Ann Fleming Carmack's siblings, her father and her stepmother, left Dyersburg, Tennessee sometime after the birth of my grandmother and moved to El Paso, White County, Arkansas and were living there in the 1880 census.
If anyone can share anymore information on Martha Fleming and Henry McGee, I would really love to know more about them.
Barbara Brown
Gibson County, Tenn.
April 27th 1877
Mr. Carmack.
Dear Sir,
I have seated my self to right (write) you a few lines in answer to yours
of the 4th of March which came came to hand and we was glad to recieve it
for we had not heard from you in a long time before. I recon you will
think of have been a long time answering it, well it is a task for me to right
(write) now. I am so nervous that I can hardly right (write) so as to be
under stood. Well this leaves us in tolerable health at this time and
we hope it may find you enjoying the blessing of health. My health has not
been good for the last two month, I have been having chills occasionally for
some time. Martha has a sick spell not and a while. We are living by our
selves most of the time I have rented out my land. I am not going to try
to raise any crop of only some little patches. It rains so much that it
looks like a gloom. My prospect, for cropping there is but little planting done,
yet, and rains all most every day. We want you to come see us before you
go to Arkansas as you said in your letter you thought you would by to this fall.
Martha says to tell Mary of she is not particularly engaged thas she thinks that
she might come and stay with us a while any how we want to see you all very
badly but we can't come there we hardly ever leave home any distance for we have
become so
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frail we can't stand much fatigue. Come and see us if can and if you can't
right (write) to us for we like to hear from you. Times are
hard here in regard to many matters provisions and tolerable plenty a reasonably
cheap. I have nothing more that would interest you at this time so I
close for this time. your friend and uncle,
farewell.
Henry McGee
N.B. Martha sends the girls a piece of two of her new dresses.