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to his mother, Annalaticia Johnston, of Pitt Co., NC |
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TYPED AS WRITTEN
Letter addressed to Mrs. Annalaticia Johnson (SHE WOULD SIGN HER NAME
JOHNSTON AS WELL AS HER HUSBAND)
Dear mother I once more embrace the opportunity of writing a few lines to
inform you that myself and fammily are enjoying reasonable health at
present. Thanks be to a kind benefactor for the same. Hoping that this
communication may reach your hands and find you all enjoying the same. I
received Brother James letter the 2nd day of May and was sorry to hear the
death of my Father. But I thought for several days before I received
brother Jame's letter that I should hear the Death of some of you for it
seemed to bare on my mind that something great had happened to some of you.
Dear Mother I know that it looks to you like you are ruined and will look
more so when the fammily comes to be broke up and scattered. But Dear Mother
I would admonish you to bare things as patiently as you can. For our life
is but a momentary thing at leest. And also consider how may poor widdows
and orphans there are in the world that are left destitute of food and
rainment. Dear mother I wrote to Father and you by Mr Tison which letter I
expect you have received before now. But Brother james requested me to
write immediately after I received his letter but I have not done it till
now. For I was engaged to be marryed and I thought that I would not write
till it was over. I was marryed the 15th of this present. I have a pretty
little redheaded girl to keep house for me. She is not yet fourteen years of
age but i could not afford to wate for her any longer. She can from Lenore
County North Carolina her name was Jemima S Nunn. She wishes to be
remembered to you all and particulary to you for some of the old women has
told her about you and how you said that iff I ever marryed how glad you
should be to see her. Therefore she sends you her best respects. Dear
Mother I shall be glad to see you all once more but I don't know whether I
shall or not for we are a great ways apart. My wifes father died a few
weeks before father did. I did once look for brother Charles in this
country but I have lost all hopes of ever seeing him in this country and I
also expected to see brother james here sometime or other but I have nearly
lost all hopes of that for by his letter I perceive that he is inclined to
stay in that poor old country. I understand that he is a courting over on
sandy ridge and iff he gets marryed there he is safe from the conetoe swamps
as well as charles. But I think that they had both better leave that old
country and come here. Tell them that Aunt Abbey says she expects taht John
Newton has put them out of heart of this country. She says tell them
thatthey hant no business a staying there and Jemima says she thinks that
Brother had better come and look at this country for she thinks iff he would
that he would have no inclination to stay there any longer. Tell Stephen
that I shall begin to persuade him next as I am about to fail in the first
two. I am in hopes I shall not fail in the third. Tell him not to think of
staying there to get marryed for there will lots of girls here in a year or
two. Dear mother I must now come to a close hoping that iff I never more
see you again in this time world thout we may be prepared to meet in joy in
the eternal world where the parting of parents and children will be known no
more. N.B. Write to me at every opportunity and remember me to all enquiring friends iff there be any iff I was in that country again I would move.
TYPED AS WRITTEN
Letter addressed to Mrs. Annalatatica Johnson Dear Mother, I once more take my pen in hand to inform you that we are all enjoying moderate health at present thanks be to a kind benefactor for the same. Hoping that this communication may reach you and find you all enjoying the same. I have been thinking about writing to you for some time but have neglected it till now. Tho I have nothing of much imporance to write to you. We have had a tolerable pretty spring and sumer my wheat is only tolerable my corn crop looks as promising as I ever had. I shall finish____of it to day. My cotton crop is very sorry tho, it has a good many blooms on it at this time the lice has damage it very bad. So much that I htink I need not expect to make more than half a crop. My last years crop on ___ ____ _____ 4 wt, my coffee cost me ___87 cut sugar ___ 7 ___ molasses 42 cts ____ gallon all our country produce sells very cheap and money continues scarce. All our neighbours are will I believe and I think there is not much sickness in our country at this time. Annalaticia continues to have convulsions yet and I am fearful always will for I have tryed to get her cured till it almost seems useless. I have tryed the most skillful Doctors in our state and it seems that they have done her but very little good if any. Sometime this fall I want to have her put under the influences of magnetism as it is the opinion of some of the faculty that if she is mesmeried till she is wholy inside the influence of it that is will cure her and I have determined to use every effort in my house to get her cured regardless of expenses. I have been____ very much tryint to settle up the estate that I administered upon and am in hopes that I will get through with them by christmas next. And if I do I think I shall never undertake unless it should be some of my relations. Tho I have never sustained any loss by it yet it is troublesome and unthankful business. We have but very little this year. Dear Mother religion seems to be at a very lo iff with us at this time. I t seems that the political excitement of 44 has led nearly all the _______ out of the way and when this is the case we may expect that the Lord will not bless us but I hope the time will again come when christians will be at there posts and then we may expect to receive refreshing showers from the presence or the lord. I wish you to remember me to all my Brothers and sisters for I should be glad to see them all. I also wish to be remembered to all our relations in that country and to all who enquire after me if any. Dear Mother when I reflect on the land of my nativity the country that give me birth and the places of my boyhood where I spent the days of my youth I seem for a moment to be there. But as time and circumstances alter cases it is not reasonable to suppose that we shall ever enjoy each other presence much more if any in this world. Therefore it should be our chief concern to try to live so as to be prepared to meet in glory when our mortal bodys shall repose in there mother dust for there is a promis left us if we live godly in christ jesus. I must come to a close wishing you to write to me at very opportunity we remain you son and daughte r till death.
Robert Johnson
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