Asa Fonville wrote this letter from Shelbyville on January 15, 1821, to Charles Roach Senior of Craven County. The letter does not name the state. Its mention of a surveyor away at the “chickasaw purchase” suggests Shelbyville, Tennessee, but that is an inference.
Fonville reports on Roach’s claim to lands that had been held by “Mr Foxes [?],” including a 640-acre tract. The young Mr. Stubblefield, who had a power of attorney to establish the land, had died soon after returning from North Carolina. Fonville asks Roach to send the deeds by Mr. John Fonville, and to send a power of attorney in his own name. In a postscript he describes a 228-acre warrant held by old Mr. Stubblefield and says he thinks “there is something not right about it.”
Charles Roach was the father of James and David K. Roach. David’s July 1822 letter mentions news of his father’s death that reached him in October 1821, so this letter came in the last year of Charles’s life.
Letter from Asa Fonville to Charles Roach Sr. about land – Shelbyville, 1821
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.
Shelbyville 15th January 1821
Dear Sir
Agreeable to the understanding between us I have been to see Mr Stubblefield on the subject of the 640 Acre tract of land which young Mr Stubblefield was to establish by a power of Attorney which he got from Mr Foxes [?]; I saw old Mr Stubblefield who informed me that his son was dead, that he died in a short time after returned from North Carolina & that he had left no memorandum shewing that he had in any [way ?] established the land; and the old Gentleman sets up no claim for any services rendered by his son on said power of Attorney but admits that at the death of his son the power did disapp[ear ?] that on this point he has advised with counsel who has so informed; — the old man informed me that his son had sold or disposed of [the ?] Horse to somebody but to whom he did not know, nor could I gain [?] any information about the Horse when conversing with him;
I have been at considerable trouble in traveling to ascertain the situation of the tracts of land in the names of Mr Foxes [?]; but unfortunately the Surveyor who surveyed the lands a Mr Davis was gone to the chickasaw purchase & has been a great part of his time there for twelve months past in consequence of which I have found it extremely difficult to get him at home so that he could shew the land, but he has promised that as soon as his business would admit of it that he would do any thing in his power to give us the satisfaction he could on this subject & I intend shortly now to have all the business done about the land that can be done; — With regard to the Deeds which you mentioned to me in your letter for all the lands which was claimed by Foxes [?] in this Country I wish you to forward them to me by Mr John Fonville or some other safe hand: — As you have got a title for those lands it would be proper in my opinion for you to send me a power of Attorney properly authenticated in your own name that I might use it if it become necessary in the progress of this business; every attention that is necessary will be paid to this business; you mentioned in your letter that you thought hard that I had not wrote to you before particularly on this subject; the apology that I have to make is that I was not in possession of such information that I could have wrote to you satisfactorily or I would have done so
I am very respectfully
Sir your friend & humble servant [?]
Asa Fonville
NB Old Mr Stubblefield has in his possession a Warrant issued to Charles Batten [?] for 228 Acres there is no assignment upon this Warrant; & the old Man told me that he new of no assignment or claim by his dead son to said Warrant; Some time after I had this conversation with the old Gentleman I saw a young man one of his sons who told me that he had an assignment on a separate peace of paper made by Batten [?] in his life time & had got it attached to the Warrant Please to write to me whether you knew any thing about Butler [?] making this assignment I think there is something not right about it
A. F.
About the original
Address panel: “Mr Charles Roach Senior / Craven County / North Carolina”. At left: “[Favored by ?] Mr John Fonville”. Endorsement written upside down at the foot of the panel, faint: “[illegible] Fonville [?]”.
Note: the surname of the warrant holder is written twice in the postscript and is hard to read; the first looks like “Batten” and the second like “Butler”. Both readings are uncertain.
Source: Asa Fonville to Charles Roach Sr., Shelbyville, 1821. 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.
