This short letter was written by a Charles Roach of Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia, to his “Dear uncel.” The cover asks that it go to Charles Roach, David Roach or James Roach at New Bern. It is not dated, but a note on the back in the same hand reads “day of Aprel 1824,” so it was probably written around April 1824.
Charles writes that his brother John left for North Carolina in 1820 and has not been heard from since, and asks his uncle to let him know if John arrived safely. He names his mother’s youngest children, Mary and Sarah, and a sister Elizabeth, and scolds his uncle for never writing to “your Brothers children” since they moved to Georgia. The note on the back says his mother had five children by his father and two girls by James Collier.
The letter shows that a branch of the family, children of a brother of the uncle, was living in Laurens County, Georgia, by the 1820s. It does not name the writer’s father.
Letter from Charles Roach of Laurens County, Georgia, to his uncle – about 1824
Transcription notes: spelling, capitalization and punctuation follow the original. Words in [square brackets] are editorial notes; [?] marks an uncertain reading and [illegible] marks words that could not be read.
Dear uncel I take the opertunity of writing to you that mother and all [?] rest of the family is well at this time and Brother John Sot of to North caro lina in the year 1820 and I never have heard from him sence and if he has got their Safe I want you to [interlined: let] me [interlined: know] uncle
Mothers to youngest children is nam Mary [struck through: illegible] an Sarah Mother has one girl by fa[hole in paper] her name is Eliza beth we three boys is very ni groane but scatterd mitly I m serprize unce l that you never have sent nary letter in georgia Sence wee have ben hear you orter Sent one if you thought eny thing of your Brothers children
this is Charleses writen not a very good scribe nor a speler if you ever write a letter direct it to Dublin Laurenc County Charles Roach
About the original
Back of the sheet, upper part (same hand, in large decorative letters): “C R day of [A]prel 1824 Five children by my good Father tow by james Collier bothe Girles” followed by rows of initials: “C R · R R · R R J R C” and “E R · M C S C”.
Address panel (back of the sheet): “Direct [struck through: illegible] to North carolina Blaten [?] County Newbern town Charles Roach ur David Roach ur James Roach” with the initials “C R” in decorative ovals.
Source: Charles Roach to his uncle, Dublin GA, about 1824. Roach Family Papers (#346), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Box 1, Folder a (Correspondence, 1820–1897). Collection guide. Digitized folder: ECU Digital Collections, 0346-b1-fa.
Part of the Roach Family Papers collection on East Carolina Roots.
