folder 10: 1844

Chapel Hill February 26th 1844

My Dear Husband

As I did not receive your letter until this morning, I am somewhat at a loss to know whether it would be best for me to write to-day, or wait until Friday the day you specified I should in future write. I thought however as yours was written on Tuesday & did not reach me until Monday, that if I waited until Friday you might become uneasy about us, before you could receive it. I will if nothing prevents, write again about Wednesday next & after that time always write on Friday. I was very much disappointed at not receiving a letter on Saturday and was charitable enough to believe that but for irregularity in the mails I should have done so, I laid down my work shortly after dinner on that day I thought I would write you any how, but concluded again that you might leave Charlotte before my letter arrived there. It is unpleasant to be undecided in one's mind upon any subject & I am glad you have given me a set day ----

We have been going on for the past week or so almost exactly in the old way - Children all well & lively, - eat heartily & seem to enjoy themsleves out of doors this fine weather exceedingly - even little Wesley has been benefited by it - he is carried out every day & seems to enjoy the sight of the fowls - pigs, trees etc as much as any of them. the little fellow continues to fatten & I think has improved in fact he is sweeter than ever - really we have cause for gratitude that the Giver of all good has blessed us this far in our children. They are at least promising now, what they will be - we cannot foresee yet I hope for the best.

I received a long letter from Laura on Thursday, which [crossed out - though -] was gratifying to me in some respects, yet it left me sad - for she informed me that she nor mother would come up until after Clay's visit which you know will be the 12th of April - really I was much put out [crossed out - about it -] I cannot see why. Dr, Mrs K. & Sister C. wrote as they did about it - it was too bad to raise one's hopes so [and I] do not believe however, that either designed to deceive me. Laura says, Mother's health is far from being good that she does not complain of much except weakness - I rather think that her mind is the cause of it & if we could get here she would soon become much interested in the buildings etc - & she would get better - I have scrupulously avoided however insisting on her coming up immediately, as we may yet have a good portion of Winter & I know she would be incommoded for the want of a good room, but I am selfish - and would be very glad if she would come sooner. Laura went down the Country on Thursday with Cousin Dick Hines - her letter did not contain much that would interest you - except that Sister C. had just received a letter from Bro. R. [all well at the Falls - you would have been pleased too I think with her account of Sue - she spoke so highly of her sweet disposition etc. I am glad to hear she likes music better than she did.

Mr. Jenkins came in Saturday evening to know where to direct a letter to you, said he should write to you - I suppose he did & gave you an account of his proceedings so that it will not be worth while for me to say much about it. The house looks larger than I thought it would - & I can assure you will cut quite a dash - Mr. J. astonishes the natives hereabouts with the great progress he has made --- I have regretted very much that I did not insist on having my garden [paled?] immediately - for I verily believe that I shall work in vain - for the Turkies & chickens are there nearly all the time. I

have, however done a good deal there in the way of sowing & setting out. there is another reason why it would have been best is that I do not know where to set some of my shrubs & trees until it is [paled?] for they would in all probability be destroyed. Often did I think of you last week & wish you could be here to give your advice on some seemingly important matters to me. I believe I should have set the men to work & had it done forthwith but did not know where to put the smoke house. I do not think there is room enough for the dairy & that too on the space you mentioned. So will let it rest until you return.- Govr Swain has determined to cultivate the piece of ground that lies between us & Mr. Hooper - it is a really Hobby with him he goes there three or four times in the day - he wishes you were here - thinks he could persuade you to join him in running a rock wall between the two lots & insists upon it that it would be the cheapest fence you could have. I believe he is building one just in the bottom - I see some one is engaged with the rock he had moved down there off the ground - he has been to see us twice & sent once to know how we all were I [illegible] surprized at that, but he told me when he came the reason he sent was that he heard Richard was sick. The little fellow (Richard) came from school one day & complained of head ache so I told him he need not go to school - he had a very slight fever that afternoon which I expect proceeded from cold - [Bune?] came over & heard Richard was sick, l told his father so the Govr said " it scared him" & he sent right off - I mention all this to let you know that he is a warm friend of yours & would I doubt not assist us in your absence if we needed it. I have not had much company since you left - Mrs D Hooper came over & brought her work & sat with me all the afternoon nearly - the old lady has also been to see me, Cousin A Hall came over one night & sat until bed time but she has been half sick with cold

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for ten days past. I have visited a few of my friends lately - the barrel of molases has arrived - for which I paid $2 waggonage. Mr Haigh wrote you it cost 30 cents per gallon & there are 33 gallons - it is of the new crop - & he thinks very good - I have not tried it yet - he says - white lead is selling very low - & he doubts not but you can get all the paints you will need on very good terms - Mr N Tucker Jr. came to see us on Saturday evening & brought 400 pages of some work Mr. Lemay sent - he wrote you a note saying he wished you to make out an index, prepare a title page preface etc - before you start on your circuit & he missed the mark widely he said there would be 150 pages more which he would send to you as he printed them - I merely told William [T?] - to tell him you were gone & I expected could do nothing until your return. I received a letter from S McKee since I wrote - she says my friends are delighted at the prospect of your being appointed Supreme Court Judge thinking that you will return to Raleigh if you are - I was quite amused to think how far they were wrong - I suppose you have seen that they could get but three members & they adjourned to meet again on the 18th of March I am pretty certain however that Judge Nash will be the man.

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Hon: William H. Battle Lincolnton Lincoln Co No Ca

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In justice to Kemp I must tell you that I asked him while at dinner why i did not hear of Mr. Wilson's praising him - he said because he did not tell me - Mr. W said twice last week that he always knew his lessons - Will is reading Latin & [look?] consequential hunting out his words - likes it too very much - They had to write compositions last friday & he chose "The Horse "as a subject & Kemp says he gave [illegible] as an example of a good one - I laughed a good deal at [illegible] you not tired?

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Mr Carr has rented the house in which our boys occupied as their school house & they intended to move into the village Chapel to-day - poor things they have a bad chance I read Kemp your letter, I thought it caused him to look rather serious - the little boys were evidently pleased. Mary is as great a chatterbox as ever says I must tell you - the old brown has 11 chickens & they are so pretty - Junius is as smart as ever - but is bad - Joel is still very regular in his College duties - & I hope is doing well. I have heard from Warrenton tho R. R Ransom son who has come to College as a Phi Beneficiary he sent me word that that Bro K - was mending. I shall write to him in a day or two -- I forgot to tell you that Mrs Hooper says she heard your address was thought very highly of by the students - I understand one member of the Magazine has come out - but it does not appear in that. I should like to know the reason - my paper is exhausted so I must say goodbye. - I do sincerely hope that you have not been [too- crossed out] much disappointed at my not writing before - Be sure to write every week. to your afft wife L M. Battle

Chapel Hill February 22nd [1844]

Dear Rufus

I have been thinking of writing to you some time but have not found so good an opportunity as I have at this time being Washingtons birthday and therefore we have a snap. It is true that I do not calculate to interest you for there is no news stirring about Chapel Hill at this time. I frequently think of your school and ours. You have so many playfellows nearly all of whom I am aquainted with, for I am confined to a school with but five besides myself. Two of them are my brothers Button and Dick the other three are Dr [More's?] sons. Their ages suit our very well and they are a lively and well disposed parcel of boys

We play base ball, or what they call up here town ball roly boly and the like. Our school teacher is named Wilson and is a very tall raw boned sort of a fellow. He has threatened to whale some of us but has not got hold of any of us yet. I am going over Ovid and will get through it soon. I get fifty or sixty lines a lesson I am the highest scholar in school and was so the last session too and I am at the head and foot of my class. I suppose that you are