This unsigned letter, dated July 8, 1845, is filed with the correspondence in the Roach Family Papers. Neither the writer nor the person addressed is named on these two pages, but it was probably written by James Roach of Craven County to Bryan Adams. It may be the letter itself or a copy Roach kept. Adams appears to answer it in his letter to James Roach of July 13, 1845.
The writer, a would-be buyer, refuses to pay more than $400 for the recipient’s land. In his reply, Adams says Roach will never own the land, even for six hundred dollars. The writer objects that the recipient’s father has the right to keep stock and cut timber on the land, and that the recipient is said to have given a woman named Ruth a right to part of it. Ruth was probably the woman Adams was living with at the time, whom he defends in his second letter of July 20, 1845. Most of this letter is a harsh rebuke of the recipient’s relationship with her. The writer’s own words about her are kept as written below. The letter also mentions the recipient’s mother, his uncle Stephen Chapman, and David Chapman. In his reply, Adams defends his “unkle Steven.”
Letter probably from James Roach to Bryan Adams about a land sale – July 8, 1845
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.
July 8th 1845
Dear sir you rote me that you would split the deferance with me in the price of your land which would be five hundred dollars; That I never could think of giveing yet I hope you ma get that and more too if you doo sell it; as to my self I have some very serious objections to giveing you more than four hundred dollars. one is I am satisfye the land is nat worth any more or at least it would not be to me; one other is that your father has privaledge [struck through: to to] on the land for stock and to cut timber at any time and Whear ever he ma think proper as such what is to hinder him from cuting down what fue box pines you have or bilding hogpens whare ever he ma chose yet I don’t no that he would; one other is as I have been lately infoamed you have given that wench a rite to part of it and I donot wish to have any thing to do with any thing that she is consurned with and I am verry strongly under the imprtion that you would a been a great deel better off; and much more respected if you had never a had any thing to a done with her from the first for she is the very scrapeings of Gods earth and you doo no if you have not lost all your sincises that she is nothing now. never was nor never will be or she would never [struck through: a] taken up with a Maried man as she has with you if she had a ben any friend to good morrels decency respectability or even a freind to you can you make me beleave that she wou ever a brought you under the troubles dificult[ies ?] [and ?] disgrace that you are now under [illegible, stained] the nive would but in the live of a friend she is in my opinion bent apon your downfall and with the assistance of such friends as you take her to be [struck through: illegible] [interlined: I am afrade] you will sooner or later cum to the verry end [struck through: that your uncle Stephen ?] that old iron legs said you’d come to that is the verry end that your uncle Stephen come to for she told david Chapman that you was going the verry track that Stephen Chapman went and would come to the same end and I do beleave that it is their wish that you should come to no better an end if it is true that [struck through: the] Ruth has any interest in that land I would scarcely have it as a present for I will have nothing to do with any thing that she has
the scriptures inform us if we resist the Devel he shall fle from us under the same pricpal if we resist our enemies they [struck through: illegible] can have no power over us I would say more bu I do not wish you to get angry at what I have said for it is not with any intention to hurt your feelings noing that you ar alreaddy in trouble anough but I can’t help saying a little of what I think a great deel of sorry sorry am I to my verry hart and soul that you ever suffered yourself taken in by suc carrectors you have once been as much respected as any man but now what.. your name is a complete song threwout the neighbourhod
your Mother told me on sonday that you accused me of writeing you a letter and not singing my name to it but that is not so for this is the first that I ever wrote to you I call God to witness
I must again request you would not get angry nor fly in a pet if i have spoken too freely but seriously [illegible, stained] [struck through: what you are going to do] the conten[ts ?] of [illegible] for I have not spoken one word with a view to hurt your [fe]elings
Nothing more at pesant but remain your friend and welwisher until death
About the original
No signature, address, or endorsement appears on these two pages.
Source: Unsigned letter about a land sale, 1845. 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.
