In the mail to you today... Sandra -----Original [SH1]Message----- From: Shelley Cardiel [mailto:familia@sprintmail.com] Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 11:06 PM To: Sandra Harris Subject: RE: [CAFresno] ALLEN Family Letter Shelley Cardiel 11502 NE 90th St Kirkland, WA 98033 -----Original Message----- From: Sandra Harris [mailto:Sandrah@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 8:51 AM To: Shelley Cardiel Subject: RE: [CAFresno] ALLEN Family Letter I have it. Need your address to mail to you. Sandra Gives wife, Minnie, son, Walter, sister, Mrs. Ola Woodworth and brother, W. H. Allen. He is native NC, resident for 37 years in Laton. -----Original Message----- From: Shelley Cardiel [mailto:familia@sprintmail.com] Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 9:56 AM To: Sandra Harris Subject: RE: [CAFresno] ALLEN Family Letter Thank would be great! Shelley -----Original Message----- From: Sandra Harris [mailto:sandrah@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 6:33 AM To: Shelley Cardiel Subject: Re: [CAFresno] ALLEN Family Letter shelly, would you like me to check for an obituary? -----Original Message----- From: Shelley Cardiel <familia@sprintmail.com> Sent: Jan 1, 2005 12:14 AM To: CAFRESNO-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [CAFresno] ALLEN Family Letter I've "rescued" an old letter written by Emma J. ALLEN of Highview, NC to her brother Tommy J. ALLEN of River Dale, Fresno Co., CA in July 1897. The letter is as follows: Letter Addressed to: Tommy J. ALLEN, River Dale, Fresno Co., California Dated: July 19th 1897 @ Highview, NC Postmarked at: Virgil?, VA - Wash. DC Postmark Date: July 24 1897 My Dear Sweet Brother I one more time take great plasure in writing to let you know I have not forgot you yet it was not because I dident want to write to you Willie & myself talked about you every day he sayed he wont to see you so bad he did not know what to do but we have had a great deal of sickness in our family Willie has ben sick all of the year he had too very hard spells the Docktor had to tend on him I have had a very hard time on the account of his sickness I had him to wait on & help the children work out all the time Linnie all so has ben sick all the spring. Willie is well enouf to go to see sister Eller to day Willie OBRIANT spent the night with us last night. Luler SANFORD & Lonver JONES is married at last they was married last tuesday. When is you going to have surch luck Willie say he want you to come & take his old girl before some one else get her & her don't want no one to have her but you. She is going to get a great fortion from old man Syph Pool he say she would bin his today if she had not got in bad health & on the account of it she would not marry him her health has got good again & is going to school prepairing her self for a teacher she is a good hearted girl & would suite any man I wont you to write to her she is at home from school now if you would take a notion to some of the girls you would come home at through you would have to work hard but would see more pleasure. No don't we don't want you to stay so far from us if you was to get sick no one to wait on you our crops is look very well we have a nice knew grown of tabaco we have ben trouble very mach with bugs in corn have killed good deal of peoples have not hurt ours much yet we made a find crop of oats & don very well with wheat Willie told me to tell you had loved you yet if he was a poor hand to write you have more time than he do & his health is bad he say you must write & if you have any money to throw away please thing to throw it to him as you can make it so easy Linnie says tell Unkle Tommy to send her some gold ear rings all of her other uncles have give her a present. We have tryed to have you a good potograph taken we can't get no good ones sew will send you this it is not like eather one much if we ever can get a good one we will send it to you this will do better than nothing has you to look at it is Willie & myself Jannie STOKES & Henry STOKES & Linnie Lee ALLEN you need not thing we is as ugly at that we is much better looking than that I truely hope this will find you & all of your family well. Your loving sister until death, Emma J. ALLEN E.J. ALLEN Based on limited research I believe that the letter is written to Thomas Jefferson ALLEN b. 2 Nov 1865 in Person County, North Carolina to parents William Gaston ALLEN and Martha E. SANFORD. Thomas died 7 March 1930 in Fresno County, California. I'm hoping to locate someone from this ALLEN Family so that this wonderful old family letter can be returned to the care of family. If you are a member of this family, or know someone who might be, please contact me. Thanks, Shelley