Personal Correspondence - To or From Fayette County Residents

Nannie Owen Cobb to Pearlie Griggs

Brooks Station, Ga.
March 31, 1899

Miss Pearlie Griggs, My Dear Neice

I received your kind and welcome letter; was so glad to hear from you and to hear you was all well. (I could not decipher several lines of this letter because the fold had worn away some of the words and the letter was also torn on the right side).

This leaves us all up but not well. I have been real sick on and off but I am better at this time. I began to think my time had come last Sunday
night; was a week ago I had to sit up all night. (There were several words here that I couldn't decipher as well). I had severe pains about
my heart. When the doctor got here, he said my lungs was causing the trouble. But thank God I am better now but not able to do anything yet.

Pearlie, you can't imagine how I enjoyed reading your letter. Alabama can't claim you for you are a true Georgian as the old man said warp and
filling. I know you can't enjoy yourself with those grinning girls out there. We have a few of that kind in Ga. but as a general rule, the most
of them are intelligent. I wish you was out here. I know you would enjoy yourself. There is so many girls around here and they are such good
company but as for the young men, they are scarce. There is sixteen girls in hollering distance of us and but two grown young men. But there
is several at Brooks and County line. All the girls seem to think alot of me. All Mr. Cobbs' nieces think more of me than they do of their own
aunts, or at least, they say they do and act like it. Pearlie if you could hear some of the folks talk around Mitchell Hill, I know you would
be real amused. They say cotch and fotch and sot. And when they are speaking of anything soft, they say saft. Sometimes I think it is wrong
to laugh at them but who can help it. They say yearth instead of earth but there isn't but a few that talk that way. If it is wrong to laugh at
them, I hope God will forgive me and the rest around here. How large is Nannie? I would be so glad to see you all. Has Nannie got blue eyes or
have they changed? You and Rhodum both had dark brown eyes when you was little, but your eyes was (The remainder of the letter is missing and uncomplete).

Note: I believe this letter to have been written by Nannie (Owen) Cobb who had married Jefferson Davis "Jeff" Cobb in 1883. Nannie (Owen) Cobb
was the half sister of Sarah Elizabeth Bowers. Sarah Elizabeth Bowers had married James Neil/Neal Griggs in Fayette County, Ga. in 1879. Sarah & James had moved westward into Alabama in 1888; the children mentioned in the above letter were their children. Rhodum Levi Griggs was 19, Bell Briggs died as an infant, Pearl May "Pearlie" Griggs was 15 and Nannie Griggs was 12 when this letter was written in 1899. Sarah Elizabeth Bowers' ancestors were of German descent and she had striking blue eyes which were evident even in the black & white pictures that were taken so many years ago.

Contributed for use by Pat Stricklin

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