| Lebanon, Ala,
January the 20th, 1867
Miss Lizzi Hackworth,
Dear
Cousin it is through the kind providence of God that I this blessed sabbath
evening seat myself to write a few lines in answer to yours of the 6th Dec,
which gave me much satisfaction as I had almost got out of patience waiting
for an answer from you[.] Your appology is a very good one and I will excuse
you for not writing sooner, and I will also make an appology myself[.] I
received your letter the 31st of Dec and the next day started South with
a load of apples and was gone until the 13th and have been busy ever since,
so you see I’ve had but little time to write. Dear
cousin this is a quiet but impressing sabbath day, when I awoke from my
bed of slumber this morning and looked out over the valey and beheld the
whole earth shrouded in snow. I
was made to reflect on the past and meditate on the omnipotence of that
God who doeth the thing for our good and by in whos hand our lives
are spare or taken as the sees best. Dear
cousin is it not a pleasant thing to view the earth arrayed in white and
the trees of the forest as it were bowing with reverence to the creator,
but enough on that subject[.] You
write for me to let you know how father & and mother health was, they
are in tolerably health at this time[.] Mother
had a very severe attack of chills fever[.] She
has been improving very fast and is know able to do light work but tolerbly
weak yet[.] The rest of the
family are well[.] Sister Martha & brother Dobbs were up to see us and
left here the first of this month for the montevallo circuit (that is the
same that they traveled last year[.]) They
were in tolerbly good health[.] Sister
was sick a good portion of her time last year. We
have also hear from them since then[.] They
arrived at Montevallo and they we well then. Lizzi
there is but little news of interest in this country. Religion
is at a low ebb, politics unsettled, marriages are of dayly day occurance[.] There
has been a great change since I was there in that particular. Dear
cousin I was very sorry to hear that cousin Joseph Golston had the misfortune
of loosing one of his children[.] You
will please let me know in your next letter which one it was that died. Wm gave
me no name; you wrote that
cousin Wm Rigney intended going west[.] I
have heard by Mr. Woodall who has just come from where he lives that he has is
already on his way westward[.] You
will please let me know if he came up to see y[ou} before he left and if
so how his family were[.] When times are some better in this country than
they have been though money is very scarce and hard to get here, corn is
$1.50cts per bushel Wheat $2.00 per bushel, pork 1-cts per lb &co. Cousin
we have a very fine prospect for a good school at Portersville this year. Mr.
Patterson who is a very good teacher will commence the first monday in February
withy 32 subscribers and some 12 or 15 boarders expected[.] I
think there will [be] at least 50 scholars. William
and I will go first session brother Emory will farm it take charge
of the farm this year with some hired help. Dear
cousin, I would like to see you and the rest of the connection but if you
do not come down I am sure not to see you this spring. I
must close[.] Give my best
respects to all. Tell cousin Sarah Golston I have not received an answer
from her yet, and I am getting very impatient to hear from her[.] Tell
Wm and Levi to write.
I remain your affectionate cousin,
H. B. Williams |
