Mary E. Dove’s Letter

                                                                                        Neshoba County, Mississippi

                                                                                         June the 11, 1873

Dear Sister,

       I seat my self to answer your kind and welcome letter that come to hand the 6th of this month and it found us all well and we was glad you was all well and I hope these few lines may find you all well. Sister you don’t know how glad I was to hear from all of you and to hear better you was in the notion of coming. I hardly know how to believe my self but would be joy to see you.

     You said I would get tired, I could have read three times as much and if I could see you I could talk a month. I want you all to come. I know you could decide no better. Hiram says he never intends to go back there to live. He has gone to Tennessee after his family.

   I want you to try and see if you can come. If you can get as such sewing as you can do and I know you would like this county. You could have a cow and it don’t take much to winter them.

    Johnny has four head, he says to come and he will give his cousin Martin one. He is proud to hear from him and to hear his Aunt Hester was coming. Tell her to come without fail. She will have to come to Meridian, there will be wagons every day from our neighborhood and she can come. They will bring her to us and we will pay them for their trouble. Oh, sister, do come and tell all the rest to come.

   Now is the time to come. You can get a place. John forty acres of land, it won’t be long till Martin can plow and make your bread and John says he will learn him to be a farmer for he is hard to beat in farming. He has got a good crop of corn but we have had so much rain the cotton looks sorry. Oh, sister, I have got the nicest beans and I wish you were here to help eat them. Every time I cook the children wishes you hear to help eat them. They do want to see you all and I want you to come and if you can’t come tell Hester to get Polly Dove to come and I want you to tell Dr. Hawkins to assist them in coming, if he pleases. Tell Hester to go and see the doctor for me and tell him to get up amoung my friends and tell them to help Hester and you to come out here.  John will give you forty acres of land if you will come and I want you to come and tell Liony to come with you and we will help her some. I was sorry to hear of her missfortune for I have got a good companion. He has never give me an angry word yet, he is good and kind to me and keeps me a plenty to eat. Moses was afraid that he wouldn’t treat me kind, but he has, he works hard and makes a heap but has bad luck.

You wanted to know how we look. We have broken some, I have grew a heap. Hiram says he wouldn’t know me if he had met with em anywhere else. I wear a number 6 shoe, I am getting gray but you don’t wonder at it, I hope. I had the neuralgia every bad this spring but got better of it and I hope will remain so. I want you to tell Hester to come and see her old sister and her sweet little niece. She has blue eyes, she is ten month old the day I received your letter on the 6th. I call her Harriet Izyedeler. She is the baby, Thomas William said to tell his aunt to come see his sweet sister.

    Ben Dove is married again and his wife has two children. I have not heard from them in sometime. I want you to tell Liony I want her to come here to me if there is any chance to come. Tell Polly Dove to come and be sure sister, I will look for them.

  Well, I am in a hurry, it is time to put on dinner and I want to (go to) the office this evening. You may write and I will write more next time. Tell Hester to send me her photograph and I will send her mine. I can’t tell half I want to, I hope you won’t think hard. I will have to close this time, so farewell.

                                                   M. E. Dove and John Dove

To: J. R. Beam       Hester E. Shirley

So good by my dear sisters, give my love to all and receive a portion for yourself. Kiss the children for me.

This is from the records of Mrs. Bessie Graham of Glendale, Arizona. From correspondence dated March 16, 1994.

M. E. Dove is Mary Elizabeth Shirley 

John Dove is John Cornelius Dove

Ben Dove is brother of John C. Dove

Hester E. Shirley, sister of Mary Elizabeth

Hiram is Hiram Franklin Dove, brother of John C. Dove

J. R. Beam is Rebecca Shirley, wife of Thomas Beam who is thought to have died in Civil War

Martin is Martin Beam, son of Thomas and Rebecca Beam

Harriet Isadella Dove child of Mary E Shirley and John C. Dove

Thomas William Dove child of Mary E. Shirley and John C. Dove

It appears that Hester and Rebecca remained in Fairfield County.

They are buried at Beaver Creek Baptist Church in Fairfield County.