Marshall-George_Harvey_and_Lizzie=Dec.11,1899

George Harvey and Lizzie Marshall
Ripley, Texas - December 11, 1899

Ripley Texas December the 11 1899

Mrs Mary F Elliott - Dear Sister and family it is with a sad heart I will try to write to you Death has visited our home and taken our dear Oldest Son he died the 14 day of Oct with congestion of the brain he had a chill thursday and that night congestion set up He was in an unconscious condition when we found him and was speechless and he never regained conscioiusness nor spoke any more I went to him and gave him a pill about --minutes before we found him in that condition and he was perfectly rashnal he lived from Thursday until Saturday at 10 oclock. Mary I thought I had had trouble before but that was the hardest for me to realise of anything I ever had to bare the way he was taken away from us We can hardly bare it if I could have done anything for him or if he could have called Mama one more time we could have given him up better He never swallowed a drop of anything. We had 2 doctors but they could not do any good Gilford was a good boy always willing to do anything for Mama and Papa he had been converted and joined the church but he was a little wild and rude but I cant think that God would let him be lost while I have a hope I have a fear I dont think he done anything for wickedness he was mischievous he was 17 years old the day before he died Oh how we do miss him Dear Mary this has been one of the most unhappy years of my life We have had so much sickness myself and the children and all the children had the measles in March and the 4 youngest children had the whooping cough and then they taken the chills and George has had 2 spells of sickness and his health has been bad all through the year but he is getting stout now I have another sweete little boy he is 2 months old His name is Joseph Flecher that is what we think of calling him Amanda paid us a pleasant visit in the summer We enjoyed it as well as we could to be as sick as we all were when she was here We had 2 letters from her since she was here. They made a fine crop and are getting along well Crops was good here considerin the dry weather it has been the dryest year I ever saw and it is still dry We have to hall watter we will have to hall to kill hogs with tomorrow We had a long dry hot summer havent had any cold weather yet little cool several times it is tolerable cool today We made 10 bales of cotton and 500 bushels of corn Cotton has been a better price this fall than it had ben in a long time Stock is hier than usual and times are som better with most people there are not much sale for mules George was gone all last week trying to sell some mules and only sold one for $50 dollars Mary Elic seems better satisfied keeping bach than he ever has since he has been in Texas his health is good he is nearly deaf he was hear one night last weak and he could hardly hear at all I am afraid he will lose his hearing interely though I hope not Brother Williams family has had some sickness they are well now Lela is teaching school Ethels family was well the last we heard We are all well except bad colds little Mary has a very bad cold and coughs bad She had the whooping cough the worst I ever saw sometimes I could almost give her up before she would get her breath We had the childrens photoes taken but have not got them yet I want to get this before I send this off Mary is going to send you one for a Christmas present It will be a dull sad Xmas with me it is so hard for me to be resigned to Gods will it may be the best but I cant see it that way he children all accused me of thinking more of Gilford than I did of any of them but I didnt think I did Ethel said she thought it was because he was the oldest but I have been foolish about him ever he had the slow fever and came so near dying I had made up my mind to give him up then and it wouldnt have hurt me so bad for we had everything done and had done everything that could be done for him and this was such a shock to all of us it does seem lik it is more than we can bare I cant look no way but I see something he helped his papa to do I cant hardly see through the tears to write I hope I will see a lighter day than this and meet my dear boy in that light and better lane some sweete day where there will be no more sorrow nor tears of grief and no more parting with loved ones It is so very sad it dont seem like home to me We have got the childrens photoes and they look very much like them Charleys eyes is blurred most too much and Rayfords is not as good as the other I hope these lines will find you all injoying the best of health We all send our love to your all so by by for this time as ever your loving
Brother and Sister
GH and Lizzie Marshall

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