Here is a letter written by my great great grandmother Nancy Sumner Ray's sister Cinthia Sumner (bef 1815-1885): This is like being invisible, nosing in on someone's private life:
1-Cinthia Sumner [4944], daughter of Samuel Sumner
[86], was born before 1815 in ,
Buncombe Co, NC, died after 24 Nov 1885, and was buried in Williams Cemetery,
Bat Cave, NC.
General Notes: The following is a
letter Cynthia wrote to her sister.
Batcave
Henderson
County, N.C.
November 24, 1885
Mrs. Margaret Williams
My dear and only sister,
Your kind and more than welcome
letter came to hand in due time and
found all as we11 as usual. As for
myself; I am never well. I do not know
what it is to feel well one day I am troubled with heart disease all
the time and
seldom clear of headaches. I can
neither knit nor sew. It gives me a such
a headache. I have not cooked a meal
of victuals in over five years. I seldom go out of the house unless it is
very Pleasant weather. I have my meals
carried to me in cold weather/ and you are able to do your own work. What a difference. If I was that stout; I would
visit you right away.
As it is; I can't visit my children.
I have not been to see Martha in
over a year. She lives in
Rutherford. The rest all live near
enough to visit them occasionally. I
have not walked a mile in over five years.
The children are all tolerably stout but Martha. She is weak but hardly able
to do her work and has six children.
And the oldest one is down now with his leg broken. Lou. has but one child.. and she is
grown. Mark is living with me. He has
five children.. the rudest ever was. Two of the first wife
and three of the
last. We are
getting along tolerably
well considering everything. His wife lost her right hand four years ago..
but she can do a good deal of work yet.
She can do most anything but sew by hand. Can sew on the machine. Mark
is gone to Asheville with a load of tobacco. This is the first tobacco farming that has been done in this
vicinity. There will
be more raised another
year. There has
been considerable improvement
since you. left here. The country is becoming very thickly settled. There is a small town at the
bridge; two stores and a
Post office/ a
merchant mill and a
carding factory. Bill R. Conner
is badly
deranged. He wants
to Preach all the time and says the
People won't hear
him. Brother Jesse and Uncle Dempsey have been
dead some time. Perhaps you heard it. Mat Ledbetter's oldest daughter Sarah Ann also Katy Lyda's daughter Rachel
Ann.. They were taken to be confined and
died. They both left little
children. Katy lives with her
son-in-law and takes care of the children, Mat comes over occasionally
to see us.
He is quite
a different man to what he use to be.
He is a
very moral fellow. Joshua Whitaker is in very
Poor health. He
has almost come to Poverty.
John Casey is dead and Peggy
is married again.
Jesse Nilliams married David Halker^s widow of Rutherford.. a very
respectable old lady. I seldom see
Lizzie. I suppose she is getting along
very well. She
is married and
has three children.
A similar circumstance recently
occured in this country. A girl by the name of Bradley was taken to be
confined and went to the woods
and laid her baby between
two logs and broke a few weeds and laid over it and
left it there to die. Next day it was
found dead. She is now in
Asheville Jail. She is a grand-daughter of Michael Sumner.
We get letters from Mary Annn
sometimes. Why is it she
always writes so sad? Hoping you are
well. I will close for the Present.
Write soon and let me hear from you all.
Your affectionate sister until
death;
Cynthia Williams
P.S. Please excuse my left hand
writing.
Cinthia married David Williams
[4945] [MRIN: 1783], son of John
Williams [4946] and Mary/Polly Ashworth
[4947]. David was born on 11 May 1807,
died about 1880 about age 73, and was buried in Williams Cemetery, Bat Cave,
NC.
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