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- Transcript: Willis
May 28th 1878
Dear Son
Your favor of the 26th reached me yesterday
was glad to hear from you by letter. I had intended
writing you last week but felt unwell, conseque
-ntly not in a humor to write. True enough
we are on the move again, will begin this
week toward the last of the week, so as not
to stop Sallies school, and to give me time
to recuperate &c &c. Gaston has purchased the
Irving place, the one he wanted so bad in
his first coming here. And you would be sur
prised to see how the thing has come about.
It appears that Sandall was at the bottom of the
purchase to keep Gas, out & for the laudable
purpose of driving him away perhaps, rn for some mo
-tive. But after Gas. purchased lots, got his mill up
and they saw he could not be driven off, Then
it was they (he and Tomison joint partners in the
business) it seems found out they had the lion by the
tail and if they sold to any one else, a third
mill & Gin would be bound to starve some one
out. Consequently Sandall come to Gas, and offer
ed to sell him the Irving place for $800 dol
$250 to be paid the first of January & the balance one
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year from that payment, he said to Gaston “two mills
can make a good living here, but a third one
wont do.” So after all his management he had
to give Gas the Club to knock his own brains
our with. Gaston has worked it old - not only
on Sandall but Sams good friend Caldwell
who has sent me a message to come back & I should
have anything I wanted on Sams account, I believe
I told you he had refused me anything more while
you were up, for it was at that time I sent for an
other monthly supply as before, about six dollars worth
was all pr. Month I was getting there on Sams
account
The Irving house has four rooms, two front
ones 16” feet square with shed rooms back some
length, ten or twelve feet wide, with an 8 foot
[ ] & gallery six or seven feet wide the
whole length fronting South. No kitchen, ex
cept one of the shed rooms, there is a smoke -
house, and a splendid well of water, some
fruit trees tho young but they have fruit on
them this year. Dunn was the party who
wanted to purchase the Irving place & he is
broke up to smashes so say the knowing
ones & is making trips to Austin with
his Lawyer Boon trying to settle up his
accounts with the Government
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Gaston is strongly talked of as the candidate
for Sheriff as it seems people are beginning
to come to the conclusion that the present
incumbent has had it about long enough
for the good of the County - so [ ] it be
Last Saturday Gaston
ground about seventy bushels of corn. Almost
all the custom[ers] he lost by the failure when
you were here has come back, and but for the
scarcity of corn he would get more grinding
And if he was able to buy corn & keep meal
could find sale for it every day. Gaston says
that he feels like things were working round
favorable for him in all respects, that is if
his purchasing a place &c &c don’t bring on a
European war & cause cotton to be almost
worthless by fall
I have had no letters from
Sam later than the one you mention tho
he has sent me papers of a later date
How I dread
moving this hot weather. I shall want my bed -
stead when we move, but will let you know
when to send it up. could that large spring
mattress be sold for anything like its value I
will not have room for it & what other bed
-ing I have here, but would like to keep it
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for summer use if I could have room so as to
take care of it during the winter, when I would
prefer a feather bed to sleep on. I shall be glad
to see you at any time you can come up & hope
we will be somewhat better situated. Sallie and
I regret having to leave our little garden, as it
is just now producing beans Tomatoes cucumbers &
and some other vegetables which we will have
to buy. Today we had four kinds of vegetables from it
I feel impatient to hear you have effected
that land sale.
No news here except two deaths in
the last week. Mr. McClouds wife & a child two
years old of Mr. Fulinuidors
With best wishes and much
love from your affectionate
Mother
Mary Jones.
I see that I have not told you where the Irving
place is after all it is the place opposite to
where Gastons Mill now stands, by the way
Gas is moving over his mill today. Every one
says he has the best place for his business any-
where to be found, the Tank is splendid, lots of fish
in it
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