To Martha A. Sartain
Madison Co
Madison Springs Ga
From Privet
Lewis Sartain
16 Reg. Ga. Vol.
Richmond Va. July the 28 Monday 1862
Dear lovin wife and children one & all. It is in & thru
the murses of god that I am blest with this one more opportunity
of riten you a few more lines to let you no that I am well and harty,
hoping & trusten in god that thes[e] few lines may come safe
to hand & find you and the children well & doing well. I
hant got nothen strang[e] to rite to you onley ther was a man died
her[e] in this company last Sunday by the nam[e] of John Chandler.
He was a man of a week consetusion [constitution]. Sum thinks it
was the feever. H.H. Stricklin & S.F. Achols [Echols] &
Asa Scarber [Scarborough] is gon to the horse pitel [hospital].
Tha [they] was all sick. My mind has changed sence I come her [here]and
tha [they] are all nise & cleen that I have ben in. I think
it is much beter then [than] lien [lying] her [here] in the hard
ground. Martha I have rote to you a bout the time [s] so often I
shant say nothen about the times in this letter. Martha I can say
to you that S.B. Sanders is in the camps & he preached for us
yesterday from Revlation 6 chapter & 17 verse. I thot it was
as good
A surmont as I ever hurd. It maid me think of being at A Associasion.
He preach [ed] in the grove. I am a going to try to do as he told
us to do. I have hurd 4 surmants sence I came her [here] and gose
to prare [prayer] every nite. When I got back from meaten [meeting]
yesturday ther had com a letter for me & tomus Scarber [Thomas
Scarborough]. It was dated july the 20 Sunday and I tuck the letter &
went of [off] down on the side of the hill & when I brake it
aben & found the hare in the letter my eyes flood with teers.
It tuck [took] me sum time to reed the letters. Martha the letter
stated that you & the children was all well. I was glad to her]hear]
that. Martha, you stated that you had ben oferd 50 Dollars for the
Steers but had not sold them & wanted to no of me what to do
with them. Martha you no as well what to do as I do. If you and
the nabers thinks it is a nuf you can sel them or if you think you
can git more for them by keeping them you can do so but there is
a resk to run. Tha [they] mite [get] kild or dy. I am willing for
you to sel tyhem if you want too tho do as you pleas. Fifty dollars
is a big sum of money. Turn over.
Martha you rote that you had not stade by your self nary nite
sence I left home. I was glad to her [hear] that. I hope the lord
will bles your friends for stayin with you & you sed that you
had looked for me often times & seen me coming & hoped that
the time would com when you cold [could] look & see me coming
again. I hope & pray for that tim to com again. You sed that
brother John’s baby was ded. I was sorry to her [hear] of that
but it is beter of [off]. You sed you had rote to me so often that
you did not no [know] how to rite. Don’t git our of hart. I
have got 2 letters from you now besides the peas [piece] you sent
in Gilfords letter. Martha you sed if I get sick for me to rite
to you & Alford would com after me. When a man gits sick her
[here] tha [they] wont let him go home, but if I get sick I am A
going to trust in A doctor that is abel to save me. You sed if I
neaded aney thing fo me to rite to you & you wold send it to
me. Martha ther is A heap of things that I wold be glad to have
but the change of diet her don’t do no body no good to eate
it. Turn over
Martha you sed you hoped that the good lord woul heer your prayre &
my prayrs. I hope so too. Martha you sed that Mandy cride all nit &
A weeke. You sed that Jim run to meet the wagen Expectten to see
me & told his uncle Bery to tel me to come home & henry
cauld [called] me twist [twice]. May the good lord belss [bless] &
be a husben to you & A Father to my children. You sed that Father
had hierd Carter Burnett & if you paid your part you wold draw
your part of the crop. I don’t know [know] the youse of it
for he will want a cote. You can do as you pleas, but I don’t
want the cote I don’t think. Martha that part of the letter
that J.B. Bray rote, I can reed it good, but the other peas [piece]
I cant hardly reed at tall. I want you to git Bery to rite your
letters. You sed somthin A bout mother but I could not under stand
it. You sed that you got that money from Bray & he fetch sum
bread that I baked & if you had of non [known] it you wold went
and eate it turn
over
Martha I sent back 10 dollars by L. [Lewis] Scarber from Agustay
[ Augusta, Ga.] & you hant sed whether you got it or not. Martha
I reseaved A nother letter from you to day. It was dated the 6 day
of July stating that you was all well. I found me well and doing
well. I was cooken diner. I had Stude [stewed] sum peaches &
heet them up rite firme & made A Batter Cake out of them and
fride them. I was frying them when the letter com to me. You stated
the letter dated 6 that you had sold 2 sheaps & in the letter
dated 20, that you had sold 1 sheep. Martha you sed that you &
the children & Bery & Poley [Polly, wife of John Berry Bray]
was going to L. [Lewis] Scarborough & was at Suses [Suzie] Crunten
gitten Appel when I was riten my letter. I wold be glad if I had
ben with you. You sed that you had not eate from home nary tim sence
I left you at Johns. Martha Gabriel Nash owe me 5 dollars &
5 cts. Martha you sed that L. [Livingston] Bond [paid yoou fifty
sents, I give him 60 sents. I paid for him at Train at Athens, 10cts
and then give him 50 sents at Agustay. Martha when I left home I
think that there was 8 bushel of corn sheld [shelled] up in the
barn if I hant for got. So I will turn over and stop on the other
side.
Martha it is gitten dark & I must quit tel morning. Martha
this is tusday morning & I am well. Martha you sed if I needed
eney thing to let you no [know] it & you wold send it to me.
I wold be glad to have my gloves. Cold weather comes & I wold
be glad to have sum red pepper if you cold send it. Martha the reason
that the letter that was dated the 6 day did no com no soner, it
was b ecos it want [wasn’t addressed correctly] bact rite.
If you wil Back the letters this way tha will com. To Lewis Sartain
Richmond Va. In the care of John N. Montgomery, 16 Reg Ga. Vol.
Back that way & tha will com. So I must come to a close by saying,
Martha I want us to live so on orth thus when wee com to Dy that
our peas [peace] will be made with god so if wee never meet no more
on orth I will meat you and the children wher ther will be no more
parten. I want us to pray nite & morning with our faile. I sent
you a letter by J.w. Daniel & paper & stamps & velups,
so I remain your loving husban tel Death so fare well wife &
children
From Lewis Sartain
To Martha a. Sartain
Rite to me again
Mandy E. Sartain
& I will to you
John C Sartain
Henry b. Sartain
Martha, I want you to send me sum of your hare and Mander &
John & Henry. Ty it up separate and then put it in a letter.
Martha, William Beard [My great grandfather & brother of Martha],
went to Richmond the other Day to get his liknes Draud and tha Askt
him 5 Dollars for jest a little [ordinary] looken frame and he did
not have it Draud but I thot that was too much to five. It is ten
Dollars for A good fraim. Turn over on the other
side
A few lines. wee got her [here] on Monday the 23 and was Musterd
in on Tusday the 24 and on Wensday the 25 wee Frild About 1 our
and wee never Drild non sence tel yesterday the 12 of July. Wee
Drild about 1 our. Wee hant Draud no money yet nor wee wont tel
August when the rest Draws ther Bounty. I fur got to rite this tel
now.
Lewis Sartain
to Martha A. Sartain
Sunday the 13 Day
Martha, yesterday was Sunday and I rote the letter and Allen
Stricklin is A going to starte home to marrow or Wens Tuesday and
this is Monday and I thot wold rite a few lines more to you. Sum
thing I fur got. I saw Gorge Millham last Thursday. He is campt
in A 1/2 mile of us. I seed James Neal. Martha rite how the weather
is doing. Martha I sed somthen A bout bein A meaten yesterday. It
was Proffessor Mel from Athens that preach the sarmont but I did
not no [know] it then. His text was in Romans the 8 Chapter &
33 virs. He preach a powfel surment.
No. 10 the last peas
Martha I shal send the letters with out paying the postag her
[here] for the folks ses her that the letters will go the best with
outo paying for them her and if you can send any, git stamps. You
had beter do it for tha cant git non in Richmond. When I rote Alfreds
letter I put the stamp in the letter to pay the posteg, but I got
to send it by W.D. Bray. Martha I think it time for me to stop riten.
If you, when you rite, will rite me half as much,I shal think it
will be A big letter. Rite to me Lewis Sartain Martha A. Sartain
Good By<
p class="auto-style13">Transcribers note: This letter contained 10 separate
letters. Some were written front & back. Some were on different sizes of
paper. He probably had to search for pieces of paper to write on. There was
absolutely no punctuation and was very difficult to read, so I took the liberty
of adding it for clarification.
