Jeffries Creek Nov 9^th 1862

 

My dear cousin It has fallen to my lot again to record the death of another beloved child my darling [paper hole] she died the 2 of the month with consumption and disease of the heart she had been sick several months and suffered a great deal and wishd her heavenly father would hasten the time of her departure she wanted go home she said where there was no suffering nor sorrow It is great consolation yet my dear cousin I cant help grieving for my darling child she was a dear kind daughter She was ten years and two months old her father is almost heart broken he came to see her several times but was not at home when she died he has been to our desolate home once since she died and I hope he is doing the best he can for his souls salvation you have heard of sister Arte Mullins death she was a good woman and I believe she has gone home to heaven she left those little boys the youngest ten months when she died Dr Mullins is at home here at this time my dear cousin I do [paper hole] to spend a while with you if I only had a way to come I could leave my things and negroes with the old man he is a kind old father but not a christian I sincerely hope and pray he is trying to do right when [paper hole] preached my childs funeral his remarks went home to the old mans heart I have good kind friends here they done every thing they could for me some that / never visited me before how true is that passage from scripture and how applicable to myself when the father and mother forsake thee then the lord will lift thee up cousin I can trust him he is so good to poor desolate me and if my darling husband was only a christian I could feel happy pray for us my dear good cousin that the lord may set my dear husband at liberty I get a little from him every week he wrote me last saturday he said he was sorly grieved but hoped her death would make him a christian is my dear brother Fletcher still at M's If he is tell him If he will come in a buggy I will take my two little children and go to marlborough and to robeson and stay three or four weeks I will be obliged to come back in that time to take care of my meat If you can fix any way for me to visit you all let me know when you receive this and I will arrange things so I can go tell fletcher to come but write to me first as it would be some three weeks before I can go give my love to all my relations I heard Moses had lost two of his children tell him I sympathize with him and I hope they are in glory to day with my angel children write soon my dear cousin a letter from you would rejoice my heart direct to Jeffries Creek Marion good bye until we meet

 

Your affectionate cousin

Bettie DeBerry

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