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John Wood to Mother Isabella Wood 12 April 1863
Background I am pretty certain that the major general mentioned in the letter is Lucius M. Walker. I am basing this mostly on the fact that John Wood mentions both Marmaduke and Walker in the letter and he wrote the letter either on his way to the Arkansas/Missouri area or from the area where these two men (Marmaduke and Walker) were also known to be. John S. Marmaduke and Walker get into an altercation…really a difference of opinion over a battle strategy and they end up dueling. Walker is wounded and dies. The Letter April the 12, 1863 White Rock Hill Co Texas Dear Mother, I have taken…
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A Bathroom for the Barn Addition
Keep It Old…Make It Old I wanted to make sure that the old house still looked and felt old once the renovations were completed and that is why I doggedly stuck to my mantra of “keep it original”. It didn’t matter if we had to scoop it up with a spoon and Spackle it into place, if the original could be patched and kept (within reason, of course) that is what we did. And I think we did a great job. I have caught some flack from an old house dude who said that all he could see was replacement windows and siding. Well…yeah. The original windows were already gone…
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Cleaning Up After a Hoarder: Before and After Photos
The Magic Blue Dumpster Without a doubt, a big blue dumpster may be the best magic trick ever. It was delivered in our front yard and we immediately started filling it. The picture above shows one day’s worth of work. And then more magic happened. They took this one away and left yet another empty one that was soon filled to the brim as well. Please do not think that we went crazy and threw everything away. We didn’t. Jerry and I donned respirators and gloves and went through every box, every drawer, every everything before the dumpster was even on the premises. You can see some of the treasures…
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I Suffer from an Abundance of Opportunity
I am Blessed I am truly blessed. This project has been an amazing journey. I have had so many opportunities to learn new skills and to learn some pretty interesting things about myself as well. Jerry will tell you that I can generate more ideas that anyone he knows (not always a good thing, in his experience). My brain just likes to keep working…all the time. It is great. I have wonderful conversations with myself. Sometimes, I will laugh out loud because of something I “thought” and found to be funny. But there is a dark side…I can see the way things could be with such clarity that I often…
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Crazy Jane’s Obituary and the End of R.A. Ferguson’s C5 Brand
Background Robert Andrew Ferguson, R.A., Uncle Bob, the C5 Horse and Cattle Man…Grandpa Ferguson. Whatever name you think he went by, he was a big deal in the part of Hill County. He made his fortune in the gold fields of California and invested his gold in horses. R.A. was supposed to have had more horses under brand than any man in the world and his obituary indicated that he kept them long past the time when he could work them. He just loved his horses and spent a good deal of his fortune in his later years for the privilege to have them. R.A. donated the land for what…
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Hugh Wood Letter to His Mother, Isabella Wood 12 July 1857
Background Hugh Wood, son of James and Isabella, was born in Scotland in 1834. He is maybe one of the more tragic figures in our family. His letters are filled with a longing for home and he tends to be pretty hard on himself…talking about his failures and trials. I am still working on what happened to him and will let you all know when I have the answer. The Letter Paducah, Ky 12 July 1857 My Dear Mother, I take this opportunity of writing you a few lines to let you know where and how I am after the failure of our expedition to Nicaragua. I felt ashamed to…
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Jane Patterson 1910 “Early Reminiscences” Hillsboro Mirror
Background Jane Wood Frazier Patterson was interviewed in the spring of 1910, and gave her memories of her life. There are some errors in the letter. A few include the story about the family in Leon County. I refer you to the letter written by Isabella Riddell Wood about their journey to Ft. Graham. This articles also states that brother Hugh left for the Gold Fields of California was never heard from since. We have letters from Hugh so…I don’t know about the “never hearing from him again” unless he went to California almost a decade after the Gold Rush. Our letters stop before the start of the Civil War. …
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Hugh Wood’s Letter to his Mother, Isabella Wood 13 May 1857 New Orleans, LA
Background Hugh was the oldest of the Wood’s son and was the first to leave home in search of his fortune. Hugh’s letters show that he was desperately trying to find a place for himself. There was an economic disaster in the United States during this time period and that may account for why he had so much trouble finding work. He talks about his desire to come home in almost every letter and also of his love of his family. I keep wondering why he left in the first place and why he didn’t come home when he had the opportunities to do so. While reading the letters of…
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John Wood Letter to His Mother, Isabella Wood, 21 March (no year given)
Background John Wood was born in 1841 in Scotland. He joined the CSA and wrote back to his family until his death. This letter is incomplete and the year date is missing. The Letter March the 21 Dear Mother, I received your letter the other day. I was very glad to hear from home and to hear that you was well. We have got to___________________________ (Junebluff?) now and will be ordered away before long. I don’t now where too. I got in here yesterday. There was a man shot for deserting. I went out and saw him. It was a dreadful sight. Had to kneel down in front…
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Confederate Soldier Letter Home to Mother in Texas – 1863
Background John Wood was born in Scotland in 1841 and was about 10 years old when they emigrated to Texas. He became a soldier when he enlisted in the Confederate army (along with his brothers-in-law in Hill County, Texas) and went off to war. These men joined the Confederate Army on March 28, 1862, a few days before conscription went into effect. Conscription would have seen all eligible men who were not in the army arrested. There is no written evidence of their opinion about the war, but the very late enlistment date of all of the family members may indicate a reluctance to join a fight they didn’t feel…