Mr. Tomas Kersey & family,
    Dear uncle, aunt & Cousins & Grandmother I seat myself to answer you most welcom letter that came to hand not long since it found us all well. I was glad to hear that you were all well and doing well. The health of the country is tolerable good, we are having some rite cold weather. It has been cold and rainy for nearly two weeks, we had a big frost last night the 18, the first frost that we have had, it is quite early for this part of Texas. Our fall cotton and gardens were nearly all killed. This is our vegetables was killed.
    You said that I did not tel you wehter we lost any of our family in the storm or not. We did not. We were all spared alive, we are having rite hard times. lost our cotton. Not much sail [sale] for fibeeves {?} or anything that we have to sell but I think that if we live rite and trust in God as we ought that we will come out all wright at alast.
    Papa is not at home. he was gone when we got the letter. he was wel when he left home. he expects to stay three or four weeks. he went to Middletown to help work on the church and thought mabe he would go up to brother Ketons before he returned; sister Mag & Lucy was down about a month ago. They were all well then. we have not heard from any of them since, they live about twenty miles off. They are getting railroads nearly all over Texas. they have one nearly completed that is five miles of were Kete live from Quero to Flouousvill.
    Well, Uncle Tom, I would like very much that you could come out and see us. I would not try to persuade any one to break up and move to our country if they are doing well where they are. it would not be any harm for you to come down and take a look and see your Texas kin if you can see any good chance we would be glad. I have been nearly all over Texas. I have not seen any portion of it that I liked as well as Goliad.
    Victoria & Dewett thes three countys are joining. that the garden spot, that is in my estimation. the worst objection I have is that of the pasture & I think that will soon be done away with. stock are getting so cheap that the pasture men wants to cup up their land in farms and sell them which will be much the best. beef is seling from five to six cents per pound, bacon 12 1/2, corn 75 cts bushel, flour six dollars per barrel and everything else in protions.
    Well I do not believe that I ever told you how may children I have. I have four, two girls & two boys.  the oldest is a girl, she is 15 year old. the youngest our baby is 7 - the boys, one twelve the other ten. Well I recon that you are getting tired on my nonsence. I have drank so much black coffee & eat so much hog and salit that I can hardly write. Wel I wil close my nonsence by asking you all to write. we sould like to hear from you often. tel my cousins to write. you must excuze my badly written letter. so goodly write soon, our love to all

D. B. Kersey

Letter is property of David B. Kersey, Obion County, TN, all rights reserved, 1998

Historical Documents and Letters