LETTER #1 from William Henry Brown to Albert Rosencrans Brown
Written after he walked mostly, from Knoxville, TN to be with relatives In Scott Co. Arkansas.
His maternal grandfather, Benjamin Brown had settled there with a second wife and had several
children
Blansett, Ark
May 10, 1883
Dear brother,
I arrived here at Grandpa�s yesterday just exactly three years after the day I got here before.
When I went to Chattanooga I found the kinfolks all well jolly so I stayed there until Wednesday
night. I then went to Nashville but did not get anything to do. I then came on to Little rock
and could get nothing to do there either, and so I was in a nice fix about 600 miles from home
without any money or friends and did not know what to do but put out for hire which I did Saturday
morning about 9 o�clock. I tramped 26 miles the first day on Sunday I walked 37, that took me within
12 miles of Russellville.
On Monday I went on to russellville and there left the railroad and went to Dardinell and got on
the Waldern (Waldron) road, after walking a few miles on the Waldern road I was overtaken by a young
man in a buggy with two good ponies. He stopped and asked me how far I was going when I told him he
said if I would pay half the expence of staying all night that night he would take me as far as he was
going on my road. I told I had no money and he said he could simpathise with me for he had �been thair�
himself many a time and if I would jump in he would take my any how, so I jumped in and we went on to
Danville(?) before we got there he told me if I would go with him he (would) just stop for supper and
go ahead all night and so we went the whole night long and got to Bluffton next morning about sun up.
He left the Waldern road there and I picked and walked to within l � miles of Waldern that day and got
here next day about 11:00am.
All well but Grandpa can�t sit up more than half the time. Now I am here I don�t see what I can do I
can�t get work close around here and I cant go any where else when I haven�t got a cent. It will take
the last I have got to pay the postage on this letter and I have to pay express charges on my valice
before I get it. I had it expressed from L.R. to Waldern. I want you to send me $5 or $10, send $5 any
way and 10 if you can or I don�t know what in thunder I will do.
P.S. direct your letter to Blansett. I will write again as soon as I get money to buy paper and stamps.
W.H.B.
Transcribed and submitted by Betsy Smith
Return to Brown Family Letters