--part1_54.cd3607.25c11e59_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi I would like to share this email that I received from Marc Shelton with others on the lists that have connections to Habersham co.Ga. gbeam --part1_54.cd3607.25c11e59_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: [email protected] From: [email protected] Full-name: Sheltontree2000 Message-ID: <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 16:10:14 EST Subject: A letter to link Sarah B. Shelton-LaPrade and Stephen Shelton To: [email protected] CC: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Windows AOL sub 54 Dear GROUP, It sure to me enough time to getting down to writting out this letter I have. In some ways I guess the reason I am doing it now is to get a response back from my Shelton group lists and find out what you all think of the letter regarding the notice that Sarah B. Shelton-LaPrade and Stephen Shelton are related, thus related then to William B. Shelton, and Anderson M. Shelton. This letter may be the only real evidence that exists that actually link Sarah B. Shelton- LaPrade to my Stephen Shelton. The letter is about four pages, It gives good reference to Habersham County. Sarah B. Shelton and Stephen Don't come until much latter in the latter. The letter will be written as it is with now spelling corrections for authenticity. Well, here it goes. Capt. W.T. Gosnell Dec. 6, 1963 Dear Son: I have been jotting these things down as they come to my mind. When of was about 13 years old my father rented the Vincent LaPrade farm for onr year. This farm was bordered on one side by the Ezekiel (Zeke) Mote farm and on the other side by th Benton Barron farm. Then, the Benton Barron farm war bordered by the old Enos Brock farm all on the same road, My Father lived on the old Enos Bock farm a short distance from the Benton Barron home. When we were there in 1936 the old Oaky Mountain Baptist Church is Between the Benton Barron home and the Laprade home. Bout half way from the Laprade house to the Bottom land then in cultivation was a gold mine. The bottom land is the level land lying along the banks river, creeks, and brancehs. The Cultivated landon rolling hillside is called upland. We used to stand a few feet from the gold mine pits and try to see as far down them as possible. If they had caved in we would have been goners for sure. At that time the Laprade fram was owned by Joe Brock. He offered to sell th farm to my Dad. He was to take the tanbark off the place wach year as annual payments. In the spring after the sap had risen, men would to the forrest and peel tanbark, each on on his own posessions. This was done by cutting down chestnut oask trees, pealing all the bark off, and then stacking the bark aroung the stum and log of the fallen tree, to be hauled to the tan yard as it was then called. This bark was then ground up and Animal hides mostely from cattle, were tanned in the ooze made from this bark, the make leather, This tannerywhen I was small was located down the road three of four miles from the Benton Barron home. I think it was owned by Lindsey Willbanks. I hope I spelled Lindsey right. A man by the name of Whiting living near this place at the timemade shoes at the tannery. The Zeke Mote farm was between the Vincent Laprade farm, the Zeke Creek being the border line between the zeke Mote farm and the Ben Free farm. Farther up the creek and adjoining another part of the Ben Free farm was the Drewery Mote farm. Ezekiel Mote and Drewry Mote were my Grandmp Wooten's Brothers, and the only two of the Mote Boys Who remained in the mountains and raised families. My Grandma Wooten's sister, Mary mote, Married Henry Spencer, who's brother. Tome Spencer, owned the Spencer Hotel, that stood on the corner of the square where the main street leading to the Clarkesville depot begins. On the opposite side was one of the Asbury stores. Grandma Wooten's sister, Annie Mote, married a Watson. And her sister, Katie Mote, also married a Watson. Her sister, Elizabeth Mote Marries a cantrell. She died very young. I have seen all of Grandma's sisters except Elizabeth. They have all visited in my dad' home and we have visited in their home. These all lived their lives in Habersham county and reared families. The Youngest one of Grandma's Brothers was Frank Mote, who lived in New Holland, Ga. the last I heard of him. Lewis Mote lived in Goode, Miss. and reared a family of twenty six children by two wives. John and James Mote also moved somewhere. Inever knew where. Farther down the road from Benton Barron farm was Enos Brock farm the the Joe G? Crow's farm then the tannery. The Willbanks, the David Porter store, the Seed Post Office was in this store. before it was made a rural route. Ontop of the hill farther on down the road was the old Taylor Willbanks store where Robert Gosnell was a clerk when I was a small girl. Many times I have gone with my Dad to this store. A short distance from the store out in the woods if the graveyard where Mr. and Mrs. Gosnell (Bill & Cindy) and one of your Dad's sisters are burried. There was a Baptist church called Old Salem at this place whivh was later moved to the Macedonia Church. From there on the same road is the Macedonia school house and about one or two hundred yards from this school house is the place your Dad, Lamar, Eurilla, Irene were both born in Rabun county. Farther on is the little Fair Play Law House. Here the road forks. One leads to Macedonia church, one of the roads was called Possum Trail Road. The other road starting from the Law House if a one mile rural mail route leading to a farm your once before we came to Oklahoma. Owen and Velma were born on this farm. There was good apple and peach orchard on it. Your Dad wanted to buy a new Ford ?ouring car and instead of borrowing money from the bank, he borrowed it from an individual, Nevitt Taylor, to make the down payment on the car. He mortgaged the farm and all equipment including the team. The man got offened (when Lamar shot one of his turkey poults for tresspassing in our cabbage patch) and forclosed the mortgage. We were left without a home. We sold the cattle I Owned, all the furnityre, hogs, and chickens. I claimed all the cows and two or three yearlings which were really mine raised from heifer calf that was given to me by Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gosnell. We took all the proceeds from all of this and moved to Oklahoma in 1924. About 2 miles farther up this same roas on top of the mountain is where your grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gosnell, reared their famils and both died there. Will Gosnell, your Dad's borther owned a farm adjoining part of ours and reared his family there. I think his son Minor Gosnell, still lives there. We now go back to the Law House and the Possum Rail Road, Leading from the Law House to the River Road which runs along Soque River to the old wool carder where they made rolls out of wool, which housewives apum into thread, wove into cloth or knit into socks and stockings. One of the Soque River Bridges is near this old Carder. We now cross this river bridge whichleads on by Alley's Chapel church and A. &M. College, Bethelhem Baptist Church where I attended School on term. Grandpa Shelton, then lived on ghe late Dr. James Phillips farm about two miles up the Soque River from the Clarkesville bridge. He and my Dad cultivated this farm one year. The late Dr. I. A. Ketron's residence stood on the hill near the Bethlehem Church, overlooking the city of Clarkesville. The road that leads to Walter's farm and Stone Pile Baptist Church (Stone Pile Roas) begins at the Bethlehem Church. The cool Springs Road comes into the Riber Road at the Clarkesville Bridge. Going into Clarkesville, after crossing the bridge you turn onto a lefthand street upa steep hill, you come to Clarkesville, Church (Baptist). Across the right from there was the Free Hotel. On the other side from the street from the Hotel was the Martin Building. On the corner of the swuare containing the Post Office and Asbury Hadwarw store, from there across the street was the courthouse and farther down was the city jail/ The Mountain View Hotel and Spencer Hotel were all wooded structures. The Courthouse, Martin Bldg. and City jail were brick if I remeber correctly. Down main street toward the depot was the late John Knoz Burns old residence. The methodist Church I believe was along this street. Alco the Eciscopal Church. I saw my first train at the Clarkesville Depot on the Talluah Falls Railroad. We'll go abck to the Old Law House mentioned earlier. We'll go doun by the Macedonia Creek and up the Hill to the Macedonia Church where my oldest children and I attended Sunday School and church. At that time your Dad wouldn't go to Church so the children and I took a shortcut trhough the woods and walked when the farmhand didn't take us in the wagon. From here we go on by the Ivester and Franklin homes. Manson Franklin, the Baptist preacher who performed our wedding ceremony lived on this road. I think we turn off this road onto the road leading to Hollywood. Turnerville and Talluah Falls, Then we pass by New Liberty Methodist Church, Kollock's Chapel which was either Episcopal or Catholic. From here we go on to Hills Crossing. one mile from Clarkesville depot. We'll now go back to Zeke's Creek, from here we go to the ton of the hill where the road forks. The plain road leads ro the Ben Free home. Another road leads to the Drewry Mote home, and short road about two hundred yards a long le ads to Georgia nad Fayette Morrison's home which is a part of of the old Ben Free Palntation. Ny Father and Mother wete Married two years and seven months before if was born. When I was about three years of age, my Father rented the Gayette Morrison fam from Ben Free. His Father, Martin Free, when a boy, settled on this plantation. My Grandmother Mote, who was Nancy Free. was Martin Free's Sister, I attended Raper Hill School just across Raper Creek from this Morrison farm, and on the Raper Mountain Road, that leads to Ledford Gap. later called Canup Gap and still later Wykle Store, Raper Creek flowed through th bridge below the old Hills, Mill. My Father brought my Mother as a bridge to my Grandmother Wooten's home which was on this crossroad between the Raper Creek Bridge and Soque Bridge and her home was just across the branch from Hendriz Free's home. This was given to help (Grandma Wooten) by her Father John Mote Sr. Her home was between the Ben Free farm and Hendrix Free farm. At the time of my parents marriage, Hendrix Free's farm was owned by Billy Morrison and his wife Sarah ann who was the daughter of my Grandmother Wooten's Aunt Katie Free. Grandma Wooten's farm extended up the mountainside to the Ben Free farm and down through the bottoms and across Raper Crec. A walnut tree stood on ghe line down in the bottom. Grnadma had showed me many times about where the lines were, else O would never known. They, my grandmother and My Father, sold the palce to Mr. Henry Syamey, who built a house on thehill a short distance from Grandma's house. As my Dad was her only son, she always lived with him. She and I were always going places together and the many things she told me were inbedded in my mind. Oneday while cleaning our a ceder chest I ran across a packer of letters. I began reading them and read some of them. My Grandmother happened to see me nad had me stop/ They were anonymous letters and were very threatening. At that time I think she was keeping her aged Father, John Mote. These letters, they thought were from some of the kin who were envious of my Grandmother. In the letters it seemed they thought she would receive more of the estate tham they. I was about 11 years old when I read those ugly letters, however, it seemed they had no choice but to sell out, give her aged Father to someone else to keep, and move. In those days there were few lawn, no detective or F.B.I we discussed the subject of the letters several times after that, and Father, Mother and Grandmother told me to keep mum to everyone else. None of my brothers and sistersever knew about itand it does seem like a fairy tale but every word is true. This is why the Wooten's Aaron Wooten left no estate, I thought they did like Esau in the bible, sold their heritage for a mess of potage, but they did have a problem. I do not know where my Mother's Father, Levi Shelton, came from. He was Irish amd had blue eyes, fair complexion, He was a Northern soldier or Yankee as they were called. His Father, Steve Shelton. who was my Grast Grandfather, had a sister named Sally Shelton, who married John Laprade. They are both buried in the Oaky Mountain Baptist Church Cemetary. On her tombstone is the words "Thou God seest me" My Mother's Mother was Sarah Ann Williams. Her Father's name was Aboslum of (Ab) Williams. I never knew her Mothe's name. My Father's Mother was Nancy Mote. Her Father was John Mote Sr. born Dec. 1798. The day of the month is illegible. Her Mother's name was Nancy Free Born April 25, 1801. My Father's Father was Abram Wooten. (with to Ts at that time) who died of measles during the civil war. He was a soldier in the Civil War. He volunteered in the Southern Army when my Father was one year old. Abram Wootten's Father was Aaron Wootten (my Father was named Aaron for him) who came from South Carolina and later to Georgia when my Grandfather was a boy, he remarries and one child was born of this union. His name was Ben Wooten. Later they dropped one of the Ts. Your Grandfather Gosnell, your Father's Father, was Willaim Perry Gosnell. His Father was Charlie Gosnell, who remarried a lady named Dockina. Three children were born to this union. The youngest was Carlie Jr. He was a blonde (unreadable) and stately and as I remember him, he looked somewhat like Charles (unreadable). None of the Gosnell family ever mentioned to me where the Gosnells came from, but when I was small the elderly people of that day called themGermans. However I have no proof of this.Your Grandmother Gosnell was Licinda Whitworth. Her father was Thomas Whitworth or Uncle Tommy as he was Called by his many friends. At that time the Witworths were called Whitters. Uncle Tommy was Irish, Your Grandmother's Mother was named Cross. I don't know her first name. She was Indian and a native of american. This is all I knew about your ancestors. Before my Mother Died she sent me my Grandpa Mote's old bible which contains the names and birthdates of himself and wife and their 12 children. This is the only record I have. Hope you enjoy reading it. Your Mother