Charleston, Miss, Sep 16, 1889
My Dear Grandson,
I rec your letter some days since and the delay is in part from a protracted meeting being carried on here for the last 8 days by Mr. FREEMAN, MORRISSON, PORTER & KILGORE. It is still being carried on and so you may judge that it has been very interesting. Your brother Reed has joined the church, also your sister Lucy & Asa, Pryor BAILEY, Charley MARSHALL and many other boys. Doct Matthews, Mr. Spence Ollie (?) and John NEELEY, your father has been attending quite regularly day and night. I have been occasionally I have not been feeling quite as well as usual for the last ten days. The meeting will probably close about the middle of the week. Your aunt Lizzie leaves here to day for home. Her husband has lost the post office. Foree and her father go to Memphis to day, the children are all well Katie has been well since you left and has joined the church. Your father will stay in Memphis two or three days buying goods. I hope you will become interested in your school and progress rapidly in your studies which will be of great value to yourself and your father will feel as if his money has not been spent in vain.
You certainly have superior advantages. You have a cousin that will take as much interest as a brother and again he is better educated than perhaps you will ever be without perchance you should have the same advantages again you have his society by night and day and I am confident he will do everything for your mental and moral culture. Therefore you are unusually pleasantly situated for a boy who has for the first time gone away from home. When you left home your resolutions were good that you would make the best of your time and endeavour by all your might to make yourself a man. To do that many obstacles are to be encountered diligence is the word by which this may be accomplished. You have by nature all the mental capacity that is necessary for the important part of acquiring learning. We have living men of great powers without much learning. But by diligence they have made their powers felt throughout our country. You know that you have five brothers and sisters yet to be raised and educated. All are entitled to equal advantages with yourself and are smart and sprightly and if they should live to be reared to manhood and womanhood you will feel proud of them. It will take money to place them in the world with these advantages and your dear father through his labor has to furnish them with the necessaries. Therefore, you will see how necessary it is for yourself as well as the others to improve all the opportunities. You know your father is not rich. You also know that he is willing to do everything that is in his power for the good of his children. He loves his children as much as any father. I am proud of my grandchildren and I know they have enough of the native intellect to make them smart and good. Why because their grandmother and mother had it and there when intellect comes if the mother is not blessed with intellect you need not expect much in her progeny. I have lived to see this fully verified. The crops have been doing admirably since you left. The weather has been very favorable for the making but in the last 3 or 4 days the worms have been at work fearfully. They have not appeared in your father's crop to any injury. The crops down the valley are cut up that is the leaves no more cotton is made after they appear. I expect however they will make as much as the hands can pick. Your father has gone down to day to locate the bridge across the creek that is to be built at his place by the county. He has done nothing towards putting up his gin. He expects to get it up by the first Oct. Reed is staying in the store very steady. Mr. Fort and Mr. Henry are about as usual. We are having but little sickness in town. Miss Emma PLATNER died last week. Your Aunt Lizzie has not been so well the past week. She is suffering with...
Your colt Betsy looks well. I have sold Bettie and Lamar to Andrew TAYLOR. Tell Charly he is much missed by the old folks as well as the girls. Katie recd a letter from him but she has been very much interested in this meeting. All join me in much love to yourself and Charly. Hoping you are both having a happy time.
Your afft Grandfather
A. B. Betts
Remember me particularly to all the relatives
The return address on the envelope is:
A. L. CROW
--Dealer in--
General Merchandise
Charleston, MISS.
Written on the envelope is "Grandfather's letter. Please let it remain in the envelope"