Kermit Texas
Aug. 17, 1981

Dear Lowry & Hazel$1$ $$,


        Thanks so much for your letter and "Inside Ireland & England".

        Today I will take the wedding picture of Grandfather & Grandmother Shanahan$2$ $$ down to have copied. I'll have 3 made -- one each for you two, and one for Judy Colleen & Annie Lee$3$ $$.

        Enclosed is marvellous letter from her Uncle George Potter$4$ $$ to Grandmother Sallie Potter Shanahan$5$ $$. You'll love it!

        No, Lowry, I certainly do not have a copy of Grandfather Shanahan's "The Being of God"$6$ $$. I very much want it! Thanks in advance.

        Aileen has a wonderful piece written by Gpa. S. about his conversion. I read it when I visited there years ago. I'd surely like to have a copy, wouldn't you?

        Have been having some eye trouble. Minor surgery on left eye, etc. Dan will take me back to specialist tomorrow for new contact lens for right eye - and new glasses.

        We are very blessed to have Dan (also Colleen). He is so wonderful to help us. Don't know what we'd do without him.

        You may guess from looking at this penmanship that I'm in a hurry. But did want to get this off today.

        Glad everything is going so well.

Love,
Billie

$1$ $$ Letter Recipient: Lowry Lee Stewart and his wife Hazel Clementine Rollins.
$2$ $$ Grandfather and Grandmother: Michael William Shanahan and his wife Sallie Margaret Potter, grandparents of the letter writer (Beulah 'Billie' Pearl Shanahan Murrie) and the letter recipient (Lowry Lee Stewart).
$3$ $$ Judy Colleen and Annie Lee Stewart, daughters of Lowry Lee Stewart and Hazel Clementine Rollins.
$4$ $$ George Washington Potter (1838 - 1910), son of James Potter and Margaret Parker, husband of Frances Eliza Jane Burnett, brother of Daniel D. Potter and Uncle of Sallie Margaret Potter. Read George's letter to Sallie
$5$ $$ Sallie Margaret Potter Shanahan, daughter of Daniel D. Potter and Mary Rebecca Smith, wife of Michael William Shanahan.
$6$ $$ "The Being of God": The document to which the letter writer refers is 35 handwritten pages of bible verses. Unknown if the recipient (Lowry) ever sent copy of this document to Billie; however, a copy of this document remained in Lowry's files and was sent to me (transcriptionist K. L. Rhodes) by Judy Stewart Waite on 24 Jan 2001. The reason they called this document "The Being of God" is that this title is written on the top of the first page. These verses are not signed by the person who wrote them. It is unknown why Lowry believed they were written by Michael William Shanahan. It is also unknown where Lowry obtained them, but I believe this document was likely one of the ones that was originally housed and kept in the desk of Michael William Shanahan. Lowry may very well have assumed they were written by Michael because they came from his desk; however, this desk was where the family kept all the 'family treasures' and was known to also contain letters written by other family members such as Daniel Potter, George Washington Potter, etc. It is the opinion of the transcriptionist (K. L. Rhodes) that these verses may not, in fact, be the handwriting of Michael William Shanahan, but rather the handwriting of Daniel D. Potter, a Baptist Minister. Since we have samples of both Michael's and Daniel's handwriting samples from the document "The Being of God" will be published on this site and you can compare and draw your own conclusions. Eventually I may be able to publish all the pages of this document but it is very long and will take quite some time to scan, etc. so for now samples will have to suffice.

View Sample 1 of Daniel Potter's Handwriting
View Sample 2 of Daniel Potter's Handwriting
View Sample 1 of Michael W. Shanahan's Handwriting
View Sample 2 of Michael W. Shanahan's Handwriting
View Sample 3 of Michael W. Shanahan's Handwriting
View Sample 4 of Michael W. Shanahan's Handwriting
View Sample 5 of Michael W. Shanahan's Handwriting
View Sample 1 Handwriting from 'The Being of God' document
View Sample 2 Handwriting from 'The Being of God' document