Letter
to Sarah
A. E.
Pounds
Barnett
Rural
Route
No. 1
moved to
Bowie
Co.,
Texas
October
the
17th,
1906
LETTER TRANSCRIPTION BELOW
Dear
Cousin
and
Sister
in
Christ I
hope,
though
feeling
my
unworthiness
to claim
kin with
you.
I
thought
I would
write
you a
few
lines to
let you
know why
Balus
has not
answered
your
good
letter.
He has
granulated
sore
eyes and
he can't
hardly
see how
to read
or
write,
and I
did not
feel
like I
could
answer
as good
a letter
as that
was. I
read
your
good
letter
and the
love you
manifested
(illegible
on copy)
your
letter
cause(d)
me to
love you
though I
never
saw you
that I
know of.
Then I
read
your
good
p.2
experience
in the
primitive
Baptist
and I
told
Balus I
felt
like I
wanted
to get
hold of
hand and
shake
hands
with you
as a
token of
love.
If I
know my
self I
love the
old time
Baptist
that is
the kind
we claim
to be.
Our
church
numbers
about 35
members,
and we
are all
in peace
for
which I
hope I
feel
thankful.
If
there is
anything
I love,
it is
peace
and love
and
fellowship
in the
church.
If I
have
ever
enjoyed
religion,
it has
been
since I
joined
the
primitive
Baptist.
If I
was
deprive(d)
of a
home
with
them, I
would
not have
any home
in this
old
world.
Lord
help me
live in
a way
that I
may
always
have a
home
with
them.
If
there is
a people
on earth
I love,
it is
the old
Baptist.
I want
to live
and die
with
them.
All the
churches
in our
association
are in a
prosperous
condition.
We are
having
good
meetings.
Two
months
ago one
of boys
joined
the
church.
I guess
you know
by
experience
how much
good
that
done
poor
soul. I
do enjoy
seeing
the
letting,
blaiting
lambs
coming
home to
the fold
telling
what
good
things
the Lord
has done
for
them.
You
spoke
about
hearing
Brother
More
preach.
p.4
He
stayed
with us
about 6
months.
I have
heard
him a
good
many
times.
I sure
do enjoy
his
preaching.
He is a
good
preacher
and a
good
kind
humble
man.
The
last
account
we had
of him,
he was
in
Kansas
visiting
his
father
and
mother.
Cousin
Sarah,
I would
like to
see you
and hear
you
talk. I
know I
would
enjoy
your
conversation
for I
sure do
enjoy
reading
your
good
letters.
Tell
cousin
Balus
that I
don't
remember
of ever
seeing
him but
one
time.
He come
to our
house
and eat
supper
with us.
Then we
all went
over to
Uncle
Wiley
Fowlers
to sit
up with
him. So
I will
close
until
hear
from you
again.
Remember
me in
your
prayers.
--------------------------------------------------
Diane
Parvin
wrote
this.
She is
a
descendant
of Sarah
& Balius
Barnett.
"My copy
of the
letter
is
scanned;
and
most of
the
closing
is cut
off;
however,
it looks
like "Tinnie"
Foster
and not
"Minnie".
Do you
suppose
that it
could be
Tinnie
Foster
(Mary
Loucinda
"Tennie"
Foster,
Balus
Foster's
wife?)
There
is no
Balus
Pounds;
however
there is
a Balus
Foster
who
moved
from
Alabama
to Texas
about
that
time.
*L.B.
Pounds'
letter
says
that
Balous
Foster
moved to
Texas.
LETTER
COPIES
BELOW (3
pages)
\
TOP
TOP
..."
Read
Part 3 &
4 above
of the
transcription
for the
complete
letter"
TOP
Return
to Balus & Mary
Note
from
Mike &
Family:
" I will
not
pretend
that I
wasn't
excited
about
receiving
this
precious
letter.
It is
actually,
the only
written
document
by
our
Great
Grandmother,
that I
know
of..."
To
Marlene;
" You
can
never
know how
much
I/We
appreciate
your
thoughtfulness,
and
consideration,
in
sharing
with us
this
piece of
family
'Gold',
I can
only
thank
you on
behalf
of the
entire
Family,
this
will go
down as
one of
the
great
discoveries,
in our
families
history.
"