Baine Co. Ala 1
March 13th, 1868

Dear Sallie 2

Your kind letter of Feb. 19th 3 came promptly to hand and found all well. I was glad to hear from you; hope your Ma 4 found all well in Pontotoc. 5 Did you get along well while she was gone and has she returned? You were right in your thinking; I was waiting to hear from you before writing again. I have a letter from Sister Eliza 6 since I wrote you last. She reported all well in Pontotoc. I believe I told you about my School in the last letter however I am going ahead with it; have as many Students as I can teach well. But then the school is not (?) interesting and will not be profitable. Jef D. 7 is learning finely, often talks about his little cousins in Miss. Loula 8 is the rudest-one to be found, James R. 9 is talking finely, he is the family Idol. The children wish me to tell you that (St. Nick) as they call him, was very kind to them Christmas times, he brought so much candy and raisens, etc. Why we have not done much in the garden yet, it has been too cold, but we hope for some warm weather soon. Loula says tell Hannie 10 she has 26 little chickens. She is a great girl to see to the chickens. Is Hannie as sweet as ever, does she recollect Uncle George 11?

I was very sorry to learn that Henry Mitchell 12 did not pay the money he is owing, also to learn that in slack was impatient about money. I hope all things will end well yet, without giving your Uncle Thomas 13 much trouble, though he will have some no doubt. Are Mattie 14 and Willie 15 to make a crop by themselves or do they work with the men you Ma has hired, etc. 16

I was at Gadsden a few days since. Spent a night with bro. John 17 and family; they were all well except your cousin Mary Cain. 18 She has been in bad health a long time and don't seem to get any better. I fear she has Consumption.

Some wicked being set fire to the block containing the Masonic Lodge in Gadsden a few nights ago, which destroyed the entire block buildings, goods, etc. The loss is estimated to be about $30,000. Great loss for a little town in these hard times. People are getting along pretty well with their farms. Wheat looks well and we are hoping for a good crop. I still think of leaving here in the summer or fall, where I will go depends on circumstances. Money is very scarce and hard to get, but few men that seem to care whether they pay their debts or not. I have not heard from bro Frank 19 since he was over to see us Christmas time. Suppose he is well.

You need not fear that your letters will be criticised. Allow me to say, that though you use some objectionable expressions, your diction is correct. The same may be said of my own compositions. I generally write in haste, consequently my style is free, open and sometimes not good. Could I see you frequently, we might have some long talks about our own faults. I do not mean to flatter you at all, when I say that you write more correctly than most persons of your age and experience. I often think of all the children. I hope you may all be happy and live to be useful. My love to your Ma and all the children, also any friend that may desire to hear from me. Forget not --- you are often thought of --- Dear Sallie remember the wishes and advice of a departed father. 20 Adieu. Your Uncle, G. W. Potter

Notes:

1Baine Co is a variant name for Etowah County, Alabama. It is also a variant name for the town of Attala which is located in Etowah County, Alabama. Source: Geographic Names Info System.

2Sallie Margaret Potter, born 17 Jun 1851 in Itawamba Co, MS. She was the daughter of Daniel Potter and Mary Rebecca Smith.

3At the time of this letter Sallie, aged 16, had recently returned from the school she had been attending in Lexington, Holmes County, MS. This school was started circa 1852 as the "Lexington Female College" and in 1859 the name was changed to the "Central Mississippi Female College". The school was located about 2 blocks off the NW corner of the square along with a big house that was purchased for the principal to live in. When the school was closed in the late 1800's, the county acquired the building and continued its use as a school. The building was torn down around 1904. At some later date, the Lexington Grammar School was constructed on the site. Source: Posting from Dudley Riniker, email address: rinicker@nedtdoor.com. His source: 100th Anniversary edition (?) of the "Lexington Advertiser", copies of which are in the Chancery Clerks Office as well as in the Lexington Library. This article has a picture of the school.

4Mary Rebecca Smith born 13 Jan 1830 in Lawrence District, SC.

5It is unknown at this time why Mary Rebecca Smith was in Pontotoc during this time period. We do know that Daniel Potter owned land in Pontotoc County and the Census for the year 1860 for that county shows that he lived next door to his brother Cornelius Oglethorpe Potter. This census shows that Cornelius' household consisted of his wife, Margaret E. Hill, his son James, his son George C. and his mother, Margaret Parker. However, at the time this letter was written (1868), Daniel Potter was deceased, so Mary may have been visiting to conclude business transactions with regard to the land they held there or just visiting with her Potter in-laws.

6Eliza A. Potter born in 1822 in Georgia, daughter of James Potter and Margaret Parker, sister to Daniel and George Washington Potter and Aunt to Sallie Margaret Potter. She married H. L. Coleman on 16 Mar 1854 in Pontotoc County and from the reference here in this letter appears to have still been in Pontotoc at the time this letter was written.

7Jefferson Davis Potter, son of George Washington Potter and Frances Eliza Jane Burnett.

8Loula Potter, born about 1864 in AL, daughter of George Washington Potter and Frances Eliza Jane Burnett.

9James R., unidentified at the time of this transcription. Am assuming that he is a child of George Washington Potter and Frances Eliza Jane Burnett.

10Hannah Potter, daughter of Daniel Potter and Mary Rebecca Smith. Her birth date and place have not been established at the time of this transcription, but she appears to be one of the youngest children in the family. Transcribers Note: Thanks to members of the Boone Family, it has now been established that Hannah (middle name Catherine) was born on 8 Dec 1860 and that she married Charles Franklin Boone on 26 Feb 1879 in Tate Co, MS. Hannah and Charles had 8 children and Hannah passed away on 28 Feb 1910. She is buried in the Baldwin Cemetery, Lee Co, MS.

11George Washington Potter born 12 Jun 1838 in either AL or GA; son of James Potter and Margaret Parker.

12Undetermined at the time of this transcription just who Henry Mitchell is. The Potter family was associated with a family named Mitchell through Nancy E. Potter (daughter of James Potter and Margaret Potter) who married a Daniel E. Mitchell on 22 Mar 1849 in Pontotoc County. Possibility exists that this Henry Mitchell is somehow related to Daniel E. Mitchell.

13At the time of this transcription I have only identified 9 of the 11 children born to James and Margaret Potter. I do not have any records for a Thomas Potter, so perhaps this "Uncle Thomas" is one of the 2 missing children of James and Margaret. Have an email dated 7 Mar 2000 from a Potter descendant by the name of Marilyn Potter Crockett; email address: Potterglad@aol.com or Mcrockett3@aol.com who indicates that a Thomas Potter married a Sara Staggs June 23, 1856 in Pontotoc County. Marilyn also has records of a James T. Potter who married a Leona Gasaway June 14, 1858 in Pontotoc. I believe this James T. is the other missing brother.

14Matt Potter, son of Daniel Potter and Mary Rebecca Smith, brother to Sallie Margaret Potter. Unknown at the time of this transcription if Matt's proper name is Matthew; his birth date and place are also unknown at this time. The 1860 Pontotoc County census shows a James M. Potter age 11 living in the Daniel Potter household, so it is possible that the middle initial of "M" stands for Matthew and that the "Mattie" referred to in this letter is actually James Matthew Potter, but I have not been able to confirm this.

15William C. Potter, son of Daniel Potter and Mary Rebecca Smith, brother to Sallie Margaret Potter. William or "Willie's" birth place is unknown at the time of this transcription. Have a birth date of 1854, based on his age being given as 6 years on the 1860 Pontotoc County census. Transcribers Note: further info has come to light on William C. Potter; he married a Sarah Thomas and had at least one son, named Guy Rivers Potter. Guy (b. 25 Dec 1895) served in WWI and was killed in France in 1918.

16At the time of this letter, Daniel Potter was deceased and Mary Rebecca Smith was trying to continue to farm their land (located somewhere just south of Senatobia). Her son, "Mattie" (if he is the James M. Potter from the 1860 Pontotoc Co Census (see note 14)), would have been 19 years of age and "Willie" would have only been 14, so it is highly likely that Mary Rebecca would have had to "hire" hands to help her sons.

17John W. Potter born 1818 in Crawford Co., GA, son of James Potter and Margaret Parker.

18Mary Frances Potter, daughter of John W. Potter and Martha Eunice Brown. At the time this letter was written she was already married to a gentleman by the name of William Lawrence Cain. Mary Frances' second marriage was to a Capt. Henry Frank Wescot; she died 13 Oct 1880 in Gadsden, Etowah County, AL (in childbirth).

19Assume he is referring to James Franklin Potter born 24 Nov 1833 in Georgia, son of James Potter and Margaret Parker.

20George must be referring to Sallie's recently departed father, Daniel.

Note: Transcribed 22 March 2000 by K. L. Rhodes from a bad photocopy of the original letter.
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