ANTIQUE EPHEMERA - LETTERS TO GENA WORLEY PREWITT
1/13/2022 07:00:00 AMAt an antique shop in Austin Texas I found a small collections letters written to Gena WORLEY (later Gena PREWITT). I have scanned and transcribed them and tried to connect them to the appropriate family members. Gena appears to have been interested in family history as well.
LETTER #1
Rockdale Texas. Dec. 17, 1899
Miss Gena Worley, Taylor Texas
My Dear little granddaughter,
After some delay I will try to answer your kind and much appreciated and nice little letter. I would have answered sooner but we had hog killing last week which kept one very busy the entire week but it is over for a while I am glad to say.
I am glad you are learning so fast and have gotten so you can write me a letter. I am sure you will write often when you get so it will not tire you to write like I suppose it does not. Uncle Frank (Jonathan Frank SMITH) says your deportment was splendid for you age. I'm glad you like your teacher so well.
You will all come down Christmas as you did not come last Christmas. We have lots of nice meat and sausage and I will have a fat turkey to boot. I am sure you and Gano (Gano Edward WORLEY) will get your Pappa and mama in the ------ to come. Aunt Loula (Margaret "Lula" SMITH) and Frank will come out Christmas Eve. Gay Hill will have a Christmas tree with lots of presents on it. I know if you and Gano can be there you will be sure to get some of the nice presents. It will be on Christmas night. be sure to come and tell Gano we have three of the prettiest little pigs, he must come down to see them and go to the Christmas tree. He may get a nice little gun. Holloway wants a little gun. I know Gano wants one too but I do not know what you would like the best to get but I know you would like something nice, very nice, all little girls like nice presents on Christmas which Santa Claus knows.
I have a few nice scraps for your scrap book. Tell Mama (Mary Roe SMITH WORLEY) to just pick out the nicest and those most suitable for your Scrap book which I send you. Your many little thanks for the scraps I sent kindly excepted. Hope you will be pleased with these I send you now. I thought I would go to town before I answered your letter so I could tell you all about the Santa Claus Palace but was disappointed but I guess I can tell you about it some other time. it is getting late now so will have to close. hoping this will find you well and happy and wishing you a pleasant Christmas and a happy new year if you spend it here or at a home. I know you will come if you can. I shall expect an early reply.
I am as every yours, Grandma Emma SMITH
LETTER #2
Nile, Texas. Feb. 20. 1900
Miss Gena Worley
Dear little niece. I will ans. your letter that I got few days ago. I was proud to hear from you. Gena I am not going to school now. I had to quit. Our school has bout broke up on the account of the smallpox. There is lots of it and plenty of measels. You was talking bout sending me a handkerchief - you needn't
mind, the hart your your Uncle Eden (Aden Lee WORLEY) gave me is coming open. Dora has been real sick with cold. I wish you all would come down to see us. Kiss old Gano for me. I wish I could see you all. I must close for I am in a big hurry to get this letter off on the train. Write soon. From your Aunt Anna. (Anna Louise WORLEY JACKSON)
P.S. Gena your grandpa said he was coming up there in a few days and bring your grandma up and Aunt Emerica [possibly America Worley BAILEY] with him so bye.
LETTER # 3
Sugar Land, Texas
October 3, 1926
I have been intending to write you for the last month, but there has been so much to straight out that I have neglected letter writing. First I want to tell you that I certainly did enjoy my short visit to Taylor, and I hope to make a longer one next summer. I am liking Sugar Land rather well now. The school work is much lighter and easier than it was at home. The business part of town is not as large
as that of Thrall but there are about 2000 people living here. The entire town belong to Mr. Elridge, the owner of the sugar refinery. The houses are all built alike, five room bungalows, and none is privately owned. They have all modern convenience including gas. I have a lovely room with charming people, just a man and his wife; he is the county engineer, a graduate of Princeton University. I also like my room mate very much. We take our meals in a private home about five houses down.
the street. What is nicer still, we have many opportunities to go over to Houston. I think that I have been very fortunate so far. The Sunday before I left home, I got what information I could from Grandma about her grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War. This is the way the line runs:
Margaret Emma JONES SMITH. Daughter of Phoebe Roe GRAY and Rueben Anderson JONES (born in 1812. Phoebe Roe GRAY was the daughter of James H. GRAY (from Ireland) and Elizabeth WEIR. Rueben Anderson JONES was the son of Leah CARTER and John JONES. John JONES was 8 years old when he came over from Wales; must have been about 1748.
I don't know whether you can decipher all of this or not. Of course this is not all necessary but I thought you might be interested. John Jones is the one who was in the Revolutionary war, but Grandma knows nothing about the dates and things like that. But Leah Carter Jones, the wife of John Jones, received $1000 pension from Washington while she was living in Fayetteville, Tennessee for his service in the war. Evidently there will be a war record and consequently, I think it should not be hard to trace. Grandma said that she remembered when her grandmother received this pension. let me know what you do and what the cost is. How are Mary Ann and Little Brother? I am planning to go to Austin Thanksgiving and then home for the remainder of the week. I must close now.
Lovingly yours, Pearl (Pearl FLETCHER)
This is Grandpa's line as well as he remembers it:
Lem Smith (Lemuel SMITH). So on Mary Caroline ROBERTS and Lem SMITH. Lem Smith Sr. Came to Texas from Washington City when 18 yrs. old. His mother had apprenticed him to a cabinet maker and he ran away. Lem SMITH Sr., parents were John SMITH and Unknown TROUP (French).
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