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 Holy day celebrations at school and the demise of the necessary. Soon to be going home.

  • » Date: 1840-01-03
  • » Subject: Holy day celebrations at school and the demise of the necessary. Soon to be going home.
  • » Written By: Dr. Samuel Crockett Gleaves
  • » Addressed To: Charles A. T. Smith
  • » Transcriber: Alice Hix
  • » File # 261

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Mr Charles A. T. Smith
Clifton P. O.
Russell Cty
Virginia

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Emory & Henry College January 3rd 1840

Dear Charles
I seat myself with pleasure to write to you according to promise. Since you left College I have been well. As I intend to give you the particulars of the College I will do so. In the first place I will tell you something about our holy day. Mr Collins give us several days and we spent it right well I can asure you. The first night their was a great deal of noise all night some of the boys would endeavor to ring the bell all times in the night and runing all over the College. And what is better they turned over the necessary some time in the night it is the one standing at the corner of the garden. It is now laying on its side exposed to all the inclemencys of the weather public to any person that pass along. Our examination will be on next Monday and Tuesday and then we will leave E & Henry and go home. Mr. Sevy has gone home. He heard that his family was unwell But he come very near of being killed by a slay of Mr Smiths the hane run of and run over him Charles I have

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no more news than what I have told you But you must write to me an direct your letter to Wythe C House &c, nothing more I blieve but remains

your Cousin
Samuel C. Gleaves

C A T Smith

P S) I have your cloths in your box all safe
S. C. G.

(Pushing times)
Do not let any person see this Charles but yourself – S.C.G

Transcriber Notes

The question arises as to how this letter came to be in this collection.  From the envelope it appears that the letter was never mailed since there is no postage indicated nor is there any appearance of wax used to seal the letter.  Also since Samuel is planning to leave the school in a few days, he may have planned to have it delivered some other way.  It is thus assumed that the letter was never sent to the recipient.

The holy day referred to was probably Christmas Day, 1839 due to the date on the letter.

The ‘necessary’ referred to in the letter would be an ‘outhouse’ or toilet.

Samuel signs this letter as ‘your cousin’.  After a few hours of Internet research by the transcriber, here is the resultant research for Charles Smith:

1850 Census for Russell County, Virginia, shows Charles A. Smith, age 28 (making his birth year about 1822 which would match Samuel’s birth in 1823) as a farmer, born in Russell County, Va.  He is living with Col. Harry Smith, age 76 (birth year about 1774), born in Faquier County, Va with real estate of $140,000; and Mary M. Smith, age 70 (birth year of 1780) and born in Montgomery County, Va.
1860 Census for Russell County, Virginia shows Charles A. Smith listed first for the household, being 37 years old, a farmer with real estate of $70,000 and $41,475 personal estate and now blind.  Also in the household is Mary Mc. Smith, age 79 with real estate of $10,000 and personal estate of $24,710.
Virginia marriage records show Harry Smith and Mary Mc Taylor marrying in Montgomery County on 15 August 1804.
It is concluded that Charles A. T. Smith is the son of Harry and Mary McCanless Taylor.  Mary McCanless Taylor is the younger sister of Elizabeth Campbell Taylor. 
Elizabeth Campbell Taylor would marry Samuel Crockett in 1799 and they would be the parents of Malvina Crockett who would marry James Turk Gleaves in 1822.  Malvina and James Gleaves are the parents of Samuel born 1823.
Thus Samuel and Charles would be first cousins once removed sharing John McCanless Taylor as the common ancestor.

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