THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF A LETTER FROM IDA VINCENT (1864-1938) OF VINDALE, TALLADEGA COUNTY, ALABAMA TO HER 1ST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED, FRANCES MARIAN KELLY (1881-1955) OF BIRMINGHAM. THE ORIGINAL LETTER REMAINS WITH THE FILES OF SARAH BULLOCK OF EASTMAN, GA. SARAH HAD COPIES OF THE MAUD MCLURE KELLY RECORDS (MENTIONED BELOW) WHICH SHE ALLOWED THE LDS CHURCH TO MICROFILM. IN APR. 2013, I CREATED PHOTOS OF THE LETTER FROM THE MICROFILM. THIS TRANSCRIPT WAS MADE FROM THOSE DIGITIZED PHOTOS. THE MICROFILM IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LDS CHURCH ( FILM# 1421658 AT FAMILYSEARCH.ORG). – Ronald E. Vincent (1947- ) [PAGE] 1 Vindale, Aug. 22, 1905 Marian Today, I write you according to promise. I give you family history as I have gathered it from records and relatives. John Vincent married Nicie Haws somewhere in Ga. I have no dates and do not know anything about the Haws family. They came to Cham- bers Co. Ala. between 1835- 1840. John Vincent died May 13, 1871. His wife died in 1854 Children born to this un- ion are recorded as follows: Pennington born Apr. 26, 1812 John Jr. " Dec. 8, 1813 Isaac " Sept 28, 1815 P * bie " Mar. 27, 1817 * ton " June 5, 1820 [*ILLEGIBLE] [PAGE] 2 Nancy Caroline born Dec. 29, 1823 Charlotte " Apr 26, 1822 Mary Ann " June 25, 1825 Wilbourn " Feb. 5, 1827 Rhuey " ____ 19, 1829 Louisiana America" Jan 12, 1831 [actually June] Elizabeth " Feb 21, 1833 Aaron " " 13, 1835 Louiza " ____ 24, 18__ Euzebia " ____ 28, 18__ All of these are now dead except aunt Euzebia who is at Picton Texas with her daughter, Rosa Allen Pennington and Wilbourn married and died without issue. John Jr. married three times but raised only two fam- ilies. Bettie married Lanning and went to Texas but your [PAGE] 3 mother can tell you of Un- cle John's family. Isaac traveled among the Indians as interpreter for explorers. He found good land in Montgomery Co. and induced his father to exchange his land in Chambers Co for a home in Mont. Co. Isaac be- came quite wealthy in negroes land and money. He also bought his father's property. His wife was Miss Hellen Corbett who now survives. At present they have no liv- ing descendants. It seems to me that the Vincent prop- erty should remain on the Vincent side. The birth of one son to them is given as Isaac Marion born Oct. [PAGE] 4 12, 1845. They had others but all are dead. Phoebie married a Howard She went to Fla. and my fa- ther never heard of her a- gain. She had some boys. Payton married Miss Minerva Moberly of Talladega Co. The children of this un- ion were Elizabet [sic], married J.M. Patterson. She is now a widow living in Lincoln. Mattie married Emry Gam- brel of St. Clair. Leonard married a Miss Davis. She is now dead and Leonard is somewhere among the Indians. They have a daugh ter, Rosa, who is an intelli- gent young invalid girl [PAGE] 5 living with her relatives at Easonville. Elsa married in Texas Mollie [married] Thussman, went to Texas Sallie married John Hannah and went to Texas. Both are dead Leona married McKenzie and went to Miss. She is dead Minnie married R. Allison and lives in western Ala. perhaps Tuscaloosa. Co. / Charlotte married a Ham- mock and went to Miss. She had only one child, Cholistra when I saw her. Nancy Caroline, Mary Ann and Louisiana America all three married Reynolds men of Mont. Co. Some of them left a few children. Rhuey married Wm. Frayser of this Co. She left three chil- [PAGE] 6 dren. Leonidas is dead, Wil- lie is a rambler and Lu- cius married Ida Hare. They now live in Ark. Elizabeth V. married Allen of Montgomery Co. Euzebia married "The" [Theophilus] Wilson of Wetumpka, they had six or seven children- one set of twins. Walter and one or two others are dead. Hugh, Rosa, Dora and Tau- laulah are all married and living in Texas. Aaron married Miss Margarett [sic] Missouri Finch Dec. 12, 1861. He served four yeas [sic] in the Civil war and returned home without scratch but a poor man [PAGE] 7 indeed. Hard work and poverty embittered his life so that he was never a kind father. His un- kindness and unhappy state of mind was partly due to conjugal infelicity. Four girls and seven boys were born to this union Ida, Oct. 20, 186_ Oyer " 3, 1866 Inez Mar. 25, 1868 Oakly, Feb. 16, 1870 Elmer Mar. 10 1872 Alvin L. Aug. 16, 1873 Lutie " 12, 1875 John Wm. July 19, 1877 Ullman Llewellyn Sept. 22, 1880 Rhuey Elana Dec. 31, 188- [PAGE] 8 Grover Cleveland Jan. 31, 1885 Right here a little auto- biography will doubtless be excusable. You will notice that the ages of some have been purposely witheld. I can explain my own case to those who will accept it and I suppose the others have similar views. I do not wish to conceal my age that I may appear young enough to associate with the younger set but I do wish to keep in touch with them. Certainly, I do not like to have my age thrown interrupt- uously in my face nor stigmatized as "old maid." The pshychical effect is too strong. If I have cheated some man of a wife [PAGE] 9 it is not wholly my fault. I have been contrary with my parents more than any one else just to teach them a lesson to of misrepresentations and justify myself. I do not oppose marriage ex- cept when they are unsuited to each other, i.e. dispari- ties in education, moral training, temperament and race. I have never married, more because I was never in a position to form a suitable alliance. Old age is ossification, or in other words, the body fills with mineral mat- ter and refuse till we die of stagnation or putrifica- tion. Health and happi- [sic] [PAGE] 10 is a duty to ourselves regardless of others. John W. married miss Jessie Nunis, Dec. 22, 1904 Alvin merely enlisted for the Spanish war. and encamped at Miama Fla several months. He was not in a battle. He and Grover both are members of the Talladega Co. They were in the sham battle at Chicamauga last fall. I am glad of this op- portunity to express myself to you. I wish I could see you. I have heard so much [PAGE] 11 about the Sherrell girls and others around there that I am almost afraid to ask about them. You know a stain on an associate or relative causes public sen- timent to place us in the same class whether we deserve it or not. But of course, Oh world may wag as it pleases. We should know ourselves. Those who are left without protection at a tender age are not to be cen- sured if they fall a prey to kindly influences. When evil minded people wish to humble a family and possibly drive them from their possession, they first set the tide of public senti- [PAGE] 12 ment against the female members of the family and sometimes succeed in creating distrust among their nearest relatives. Then self-defense is the only alternative. She may be shielded even so well from contact with the world but once the lion enters the sheep fold, nothing but a well guarded independent spirit can save her. Give my love to Maud, Dick, and all the family. Write me when you feel like it. As ever your loving cousin Ida Vincent