Elizabeth Steward Lewis
Submitted by John Laird - letters are chiefly news from home in North Carolina, but mention many of the Fountain County residents who moved from North Carolina.
Letters From North Carolina to Fountain County
File Created: 2006-Aug-16
The 1881 History of Fountain County lists the a number of Currituck County, North Carolina immigrants, arriving in Indiana ca 1832: Nicholas Whitheall, Thomas Poyner, Adley Woodhouse, Wiliam Voliva, Jefferson Voliva, Nathan Voliva, and the younger Reddick Hunnings and Thomas Whitheall. Two years later, Charles and Cortney Taylor, along with Charles' sister Catherine Doxey and her husband William, and the widow of their brother Eliza Brumsey Taylor all arrived in Richland Township from Currituck. The North Carolina State Archives contains a thirty year correspondence primarily to Eliza Brumsey Taylor (Carson) in Newtown, Fountain County, Indiana, and later of Livingston County, Illinois. Those letters are chiefly news from home in North Carolina, but mention many of the Fountain County residents who moved from North Carolina.
A sampling of those letters follows, many of which include poor spelling and grammer, but are presented verbatim: "December 3, 1835 To Mrs. Eliza Taylor Newtown, Fountain County, Indiana
Dear Sister, After my complements to you I have to inform you that I am well at present and Samuel is well at present. Betsy is helpless and has bin every since September last. Polly Pell is well at present and children. Der Sister I have received two letters from you, one last day of August and the other the 20th day of October. I have sent you one letter the 30th of September last. I am the same home that you left me at but dont expect to stay thare any longer than January next, and dont know where I am agoin to live at next year.
Dr Sister I have had sum notion of braking up but on the account of Betsey I cant, and I cant come to you for Betsy is bad off. She is at times that she cant feed herself, her hands and fingers is droad up so that she cant do anything. Samuel ses he shall come to se you as sun as he can. Dr sister I want you to right to me your side a nation every chance you can get. Mandy Hughs, Lety Baxter, Edney Snader (?) and Huldy Tatum and Ellen Dunton and several more remember thare love to you, and Cassandra Simmons ses she shold be glad to see you and your babee in your lap. So no more at present but remain your loving sister until dethe. N.B. Tell Charles Taylor that E.L. Stevens received his letter the last day of August 1835. John Simmons ses tell Wm. Doxey that he is saler.
" Lucy [sister of Eliza]. "April 2, 1836 To Mrs. Eliza Taylor Newtown, Fountain County, Indiana Dear Sister, I once more take the liberty of writing to you hoping by the mercer of God that these lines will find you and yours well. As for my part I are not well. I tell you that your and my sister Betsey departed this life on 31st day of March 1836 and the surcumstance of her death after so long sick has all most broke my hart and as such I feel myself desries to give you notice of the sircumstances. I am aliving at the house of Thomas Payners decesed [likely Poyner]. Your brother Samuel is well at this present, your sister has been down every since Auugust last. And I have heard that you are acomming back and I wish you to state me if you are comming back or not as quick as time will omit and it is my desire for you to cum back. If you are not comming back it is my wish to get out there to you, but I have no oppertunity to do so. and wish you to state me if you are not a cumming back for you to state me if you are satisfied and the surcumstance you are in, if you had other be back if you cud. And I have wrote you two letters that I have got no answer from you, and I take it hard that you have not wrote me before know, and I shall indever to stay by myself till I heare of you and if you are a cumming back. I wont brake up till I see you and then I shall no more about such a thing. Betsy talked a grate deal aboute you and you child and I am grate hopes that she died a christan by her talk. so no more at present and if we never meet in this world I hope to meet you again in a better one than this. Your couzin Hulda Tatum gives her respects to you. You brother Samuel a living of John Forbes. I have wrote to you three times and I shant write no more till I here from you, and Mr. Pell left of drinking and thare are all well. Will Pell has lost his oldest child and Sally gives her respects to you, and we this April the 2nd 1836.
Louisia Brumsey" "To Miss Eliza Taylor, Fountain County, Indiana, Newtown Post Office. Currituck County, North Carolina, January 24, 1837. Dear and loved Sister, I received your last letter and felt myself overjoyed of hearing of you and yours once more, and thanks be to God I take the liberty of information you your lines found me and your brother well and all the rest of your folks, and I hope that these few lines will by the help of the Holy God find you and yours enjoying the same blessens. Well, sister I remain in the same place. Your brother agreeable to his intenchen of coming out thare along with Mr. Chapling in September. He was taken very sick in Norfolk and the expenctation of every one that he wood die, but he as got about and he wood come thare if he had not been taken sick. He cant say at this time when he will start but as soon as oppertunity will admit. Brother Samuel is not willing for me to come thare, and he wishes to know if he was to come thare and was not satisfied wheather you wood come back with him or not, and it is my desire for you and your child to com back hear again, and I will do everything to give you satisifaction that in my power, for I do not think you are satisfied whare you are. Your sister Polly and family gives you and your child our best respects. Mr. Pell has not drunk but two drinks of sperits in better than twelve months. The people are vary sickly at this time and they die vary fast. Joshus Baxter is dead and a number of hour people. Sally Fisher and Busker Baxter give their respects to you and a number of others teagers to mentchen. Betheral Ballance and Nathan Payner are come home again and Wm Pool and famley is well. Nancy Gray rembers her love to Mr. Xka ? (Alex?) Whitheall and says that she taks it on kind that he has not never wrote her a letter. She wants him to right her and she wishes for him to wright the deaths and ages of all the names of her folks, and names that was in the book he carred off with him. I remember my love to Charles and family and Nealey Simmons is marred to Isaac Miller and they live with me and gives ther respects to you and yours. We do not wish you to stop in writing for I wish I cood hear or see you every day. So no more at present for my mind is so full I cant, and I am your till death and if we never meet in this world I hope we shall meet whare thare will be no parting.
This the 24th of January 1837. Lucy Brumsey" "To: Eliza Taylor January 27, 1837 Newtown, Fountain County, Indiana I have nothing of no great importance to inform you of except that we have had several deaths, sum very suden. Philip Brocket died in nine hours after taking, James W. Nicholson in about twentyfour hours. These are the sudenest but a great many more to tedious to mention. And marriages we have had in abundance. Dempsey Walker and Molley Taylor . . . Give my love to Charles Taylor and wife and to all of my Currituck friends and tell them we are doing as well as Cowing Jack can afford. Lucy" Samuel Brumsey, brother of Eliza Taylor Carson, wrote from Camden County, North Carolina to James and Eliza Carson, c/o Newtown P.O., Fountain County, Indiana, on November 26, 1840, which reads in part: "Send me word how you all are and how Harrison is likely to stand with you. I pray that the allmity Crator will bring Harrison out concorer for I am a Whig man though and by remember me to Charles Taylor and family, William Doxey and family and send me word where Samuel Porter is and what he is doing
" A letter from Lucy Cowell in Currituck County, to Mrs. Cortny Taylor, Fountain County, Indiana, dated April 9, 1855, reads in its entirety: "Dear Friend: I take this opportunity of writing a few lines to you in ans. to your last letter. I am tolerby well at present and ever wish these few lines that I am writing to find you well. And you stated in your last letter that you wrote me that you wanted me to tell you what has become of your people. Well I will give you as correct a statement of these names which Mrs. Nicholson left out as posable. Macey Taylor is living in E. City and has been married a long time. Olly Taylor is also living in E. City N.C. Lydia Rhodes is also there living and your brother Wm. Thompson has bin dead? (not clear) some length of time, but I don't know how long. I believe that is all of the names you requested to know of, and if the is any more you must write me their names. Cortney I should like to see you but that is in vain. I suppose for I shall never come out there I know, and I suppose you will never come back to Currituck again, and Cortney, I want you to write how the times is out there and I want to know what that dumb child of yours does for a livelehood and also your circumstances in life. And how you like that part of the world and if you like it better you do N.C. I want you to write to sister Eliza and tell her that I want to know what is the reason that she never writes to me for I have wrote so often that I have give out writing. Tell her to be sure and write to me and let me know how she is making out. And I should like to be with you but I am not able to come. You and she must write back to me. Tell Sister Eliza that brother Samuel is dead. He has been dead three years this July and tell her also that she is a little of money coming to her but I cant get it without her receipt. They is very little, about $7.00. I haint seen sister Polly in some time for she lives in Va. but her son is dead and I have wrote so before but I dont know whether she knows it or not. Any how you can tell her of it, that her Pollys son Wm. Thompson is dead. You must write when you can and tell sister Eliza to write to me as quick as she can and nothing else at present only I remain yours until death. Lucy Cowell. N.B. (Note below?) Direct your letters to Coijack P.O., Currituck County, N.C."
The above letters submitted by: John Laird -- Thanks muches, John