A Letter from the Texas Confederate Home

Terrell Bryan, my great-grandfather, wrote this letter to Mr. T. J. Martin of Ringgold, Louisiana. Thomas Jefferson Martin, a minister in Bienville Parish, was the husband of Laura Bryan, Terrell's niece. 

If you've seen my web pages, you may have seen a transcription of this letter. Above the transcription, I wrote, A copy of this letter was in my father's notebook. I am assuming that he received it from Marguerite Cook Clark, a granddaughter of Thomas J. Martin of Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

I don't know if my father received the copy from Marguerite Cook Clark, but she did have the original. I found this on my third visit to see her genealogical collection. 

Texas Confederate Home

Austin, 25th May, 1910

    Mr. Thos’J. Martin Ringgold La

       My Dear Tom & family, Yours of 20 instr rec this morning.  I am surely glad to hear from you & so many others so near and dear to me. I wish I could see all back there U express myself to all.  Well I am so lonely in this world no place like home when Harriet was with me but she finished her work & run her race all well so God’s law saw best what to do.  So I have to submit to the law.  She died with a pain in her shoulder in about one hour after it struck her.  She was getting dinner after eleven o’clock and died a little after twelve, about one hours she suffered.  Died in good health.  My 4 children was with her to see her buried.  So I drifted from place to place.  Now I am here.  I think to stay.  We are well cared for about 350 inmates.  My children, 4 in number.  Dollie married T.S. Wylie live at Bronte, Coke County,  Bunch to J. D. Biggs at Morgan Mill, Erath County.  Allie to Johnie Hammettee, Seymour, RFD No.7, Baylor Country, Redic to Mirtie Hearston, Seymour F.D.D., No 7 Baylor County.  Hollie to J.A. Latta. She died, left one child about 13 years now.  He has married has one more little girl.  Our Texas baby Laura to Harve Keith at Stephenville.  She died, left 3 sweet little girls.  He married again.  All are going well. May God bless them all.  I was glad to hear from Ben M. & John H. and others of our kin.  Charley to you did not state about him.  Abe Evans where is he and a great many others.  Give my best wishes to all that ever knew me and to all our kin God Bless them so if we never meet on earth pray to meet with loved ones as children of God.  Tom think that will be joyful beyond the grave.  Tom pray that we may be there in Gods house eternal in heaven with loved ones then never to separate any more.  My best love to you and family and all the loved ones. 

                                               As ever
                                                Terrell Bryan

For more about Terrell Bryan's time at the Texas Confederate Home including information about those mentioned in the letter, click here. 

These posts tell more about Terrell Bryan in the Texas Confederate Home and his later years of life. 

• Friday's Photo: Terrell Bryan's Twilight Years

• Friday's Photo: A New Photo of Terrell Bryan AND More About His Time at the Texas Confederate Home

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2017

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016. Used with permission.

Letter - Terrell Bryan to Thomas Martin in Bienville Parish. 25 May 1910. Web. 29 Jul. 2017. <http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bryanquinn/Bryan-WillsdeedsobitTX-TerrellBryantoThomMartin.htm>