marriage record for James Monroe Stuart & Henrietta S. Johnson



This is a letter written by James Monroe Stuart to his brother George Washington Stuart.
(spelling and punctuation of the original maintained)


Woodlawn Aug 25/59

G.W. Stuart

Dear Brother
According to a promise made in a letter addressed to Ode a few days ago. I have concluded to devote a few moments this evening to penning you a short epistle, although I am not in the best plight for writing an interesting or entertaining letter having been quite indisposed for a week or more with diarrhoea which has pulled me down and debilitated me considerably with the exception of which none of my white family have been sick a moment during the summer but alas - alas- my crop is very sick, the disease with which it has suffered is rather complicated from some time early in May until last Monday a week ago, there has not been any rain comparatively speaking, not enough at all events to wet the ground the consequence is my front land has suffered excessively producing rust to a considerable extent & causing nearly all the top cotton to be thrown off. My land however is still growing & I think I will average a bale to the acre. We had a very heavy rain on last Monday a week ago, doing decidely more harm than good. I had just commenced picking cotton & it retarded my progress very much - my crop must necessarily be very short though some of my neighbors are counting on over a bale to the acre. Judge Richardson has in 230 acres _______ cotton, & he told me the other day that he should make over 250 bales though he had better seasons than we had lower down the river.
There is now another opening for you Ode and Cannon to get a place on the Ouachita. I mention you three especially because you have manifested some desire to come to this section & again because I am particularly anxious to have you three here and last but not least no one of you seperately can touch bottom. A Mr. Hanible Faulk who got into a scrape with some of his negroes - killed one & nearly killed another for which he has had to leave the county. I learned a day or two sinse that he has offered his place for sale, it is among the best places on the Ouachita - the tract contains 2700 - twenty seven hundred acres (don’t be alarmed) eight hundred of which is in a high state of cultivation - it is all tilable land, the most of it of the very best quality - nine hundred acres a piece for you three and the price is thirty dolls. Per acre (don’t be alarmed) you three with your force can make 500 bales cotton on it & that would near you $250000, the _________ is ended - it will near you that & the place is richly worth it. - Now sir pitch in - this is the way fortunes are made, by striking big licks - in five years more land cant be had on this river for less than seventy five or one hundred dollars - so much of the Miss. Vally with its tributaries have been inundated this season, that the Ouachita is getting in high repute. Well I have said my say you can dream on it until someone comes along & away goes this chance - well you cant blame you brother for I have kept you pretty well posted & have never ceased to urge you by all the arguments and persuasions of which I am capable. Suppose you Oden Cannon & __________ ride down this fall any way & see how the land lays write to me at least & give me all the news how is Crit & Sam doing with their mill. I trust they are realizing beyond their most sanguine expectations. Having nothing more to talk about at present must come to a focus. Wife & Henry Clay join in love to you, sister, Betsy & all the family.
Affectionately Your Brother

J.M. Stuart