Veal Family
Letters

 

                                                                                                      Madison Springs, Ga.
                                                                                                      January the 13^th. , 1862

Dear son,

I received your letter the 7^th. of this month and was glad to hear from you one time more and to see your likeness too. It is a great satisfaction to us but not so much as you would be to us to see.

We are all well as common at present except bad colds. I hope when these lines comes to hand they may find you well and doing well, as you are in the army. You are in a tight place. I want you to do the best you can and obey your officers for I know something about it myself. The better you do the better it will be for you.

You stated that you wanted to know who of the boys was gone to the army. Jack Bond, James Bond, Jesse Page, Henry Deen, Ben Owens, Bill Bryant, James Bryan, Jef Scott, George Daniel, John N. Montgomery is captain, Woodson Daniel, 1^st. Lieutenant and Briton Saunders, 2^nd. Lieutenant. All gone to Virginia. James Gholston made a company and is gone too. Both in Cobb’s regiment.

I want you to write to me as soon as you get this letter and write oftener and write and write how long you have to serve, and if you live to be discharged I want you to come and see us. Your uncle James and Edward Veal is gone from hall [Hall county]. I heard Wat Owens is at his mother’s wounded. He was wounded at the Leesberg fight. He was at the Manasses fight, too. Fayet Bond and John Owens was in it too. Come clear, not hurt. John King come home with one hand shot off, and Bill King come home sick. I must close the war news, so turn over.

You stated in a letter writ last July that you wanted to know where I was living. We are living at the ferry yet and will stay this year. I think I wrote you a letter the first of last August and I never heard one word from him, Lott, nor you since till this the 7^th. Of January, near six months. I want you to write oftner than that and let me hear how you are making out.

The times is the hardest here that I ever saw in life. No money, and everything is high. Salt nine dollars per bushel, and pork from 15 to 20 cts. pound. Everything high in proportion. Write how it is there.

You will be surprised when I tell you that Caroline is married to Joseph Crider and they was married the 10^th of last November, and he has built near his father and moved to himself.

The children all wants to see you and we all want to see you. We all send howdy to you. Our baby’s name is Nancy Adeline, 8 months old. You must pardon my bad writing for it was done in a hurry and in the night and on my knee at that. So I must close so no more, only we remain your loving father and mother.

                                                                                                Alexander Veal
                                                                                                Sarah I. Veal

N B When you write state the post office and county and everything so I can send my letters so you can get them.
                                                  A. V.

                                          

                                                                                               Georgia, Madison County
                                                                                               June the 1^st. 1868

Dear Son,

I seat my self to drop you a few lines to inform you that we are all well as common at present. Hopeing these few lines may find you all well and doing well. I received your kind letter a few days since and was glad to hear that you was well. I had begun to think that I never would hear of you alive again. I recived a letter from you last February, was one year ago, and I answered it immediately and I never received no answer so I thought that you was dead but I am glad to hear that you are living. I would of wrote more but I thought it useless. Usely I have but little news to wright of any interest that is good. Caroline and Jo are getting along as well as could be expected in this county. Jo’s health has been very bad for three years but is improving some. Caroline has a fine boy. He is 18 months old and is as large a child as I ever seen to his age. His name is John William. John O. Veal was married the fifth of December last. He married Jane Lively. Jack Bond is married. He got the daughter of preacher Powers of Elbert. The boys wants you to wright what your weight is. Bud ways 140 pounds. He is some larger than John or James and the all are very stout to there size and the think the are stout enough for any boddy for the will not take nothing from no boddy. There is no back out in them. We are living at our old place and I has cleard a large new ground in the big bottom down the river and has got it planted. We have corn waist high. The people are very backward aplanting on the account of the wet weather. We had the most rain I ever seen, I think, at the time of the year. There has been ten days now and only one shower in the time and I fear that we will want rain before we get it. We need rain now. Wheat crops looked as well as I ever seen them but the rust has struck the wheat and a great deal is very bad hurt all redy. I think the wheat crop will be very short. We have had bad wheat crops for nine year in succession. Last year there was very fare crops of wheat made. We had nine bad crop years for corn and wheat one after the other and we have had hard times by it. The people had to hall there corn from Athens and pay two dollars per bushel and glad to get it at that and bacon from 18 to 25 and 30 cts. per pound. Corn is worth one dollar now. Flower 8 and 10 cts. Everything is high and money scarce. Poor people scarcely can pay there taxes. I think I said a plenty about hard times.

I want you to wright something about Lott_______-where he is and what he is doing. I want you to wright me a full history of Texas. The boys want to hear all about the country. They may come out there if I never do. The say the will not stay here if the can find a better country and its depend upon what you say about Texas whether you ever see them or not. You said that you was in hopes that we had not forgot you. Oh no, there is but few days passes over our heads but there is something said about Asa______Oh no, there is but few days passes over our heads but there is something said about Asa___I want to see Asa, I wish he would come so I could see him one time more so I would no whether he looks like ???[he wants?] us to look.

Our baby is five years old. Your grandma was well about two months ago. The connection is well as common when I heard from them last except your grandpa Godfrey he is dead. Your grand pah Veal is dead too. I wrote to you about his death but do not no whether you got the letter of not. You said something about your wife having a baby. Wright something about it and be sure to wright as soon as you get this letter and direct your letter to the Madison Springs. So I must close by saying we remain you affectionate father and mother till death separate us.

                                                                                      Alexander Veal
                                                                                      Sarah J. Veal to
                                                                                      A. L. W. Veal

             

                                                                                                 Madison County, Ga.
                                                                                                 Oct. the 3, 1875

Dear brother and family,

It is with pleasure I seat my self to write you a few lines to let you now that we ar all well at this time and doing the best we can. I hav but little nuse to write to you. The times is very hard hear and money is very schearse. The people has turnd nearly all thear attintion to cotton in this country and that makes provition schearse and hye. Times has changed very mutch since you left this country. If I could see you I could tell you a great many things that I can’t write. We all want to see you and your famley very bad and would like for you to come and see us all. I will sa to you that we have four children……one girl and three boys. The oldest is a girl and is going to school. Her mane is Sarah Molita. The oldest boy is named Binjamon Asa. The 2 is Arthur Lee. The 3 has no name yet. He is 3 months old and is a fine big boy. Par and Mar is both living and is tolerable stout. Tha have but 4 children with them….3 girls and 1 boy. He is about groan and manages business very well. He sees a fine time riding about among the girls. When one mule gets tiard, he will leave that at home and ketch up another one and start out again. James is not maried yet. He is practicing mederson [medicine] and is giting a good practis now and is making money very fast and knows how to keep it. Bud is married and is doing very well. He has but one child and it is a boy. Emmer is married and has two children… one boy and one girl. Martha is married. None of the rest, I don’t think, has any notion of marring. Par received your letter that you rote May the 2. I don’t think tha hav ancerd your letter yet. Par is getting old and is very cerless, tho I think tha ar going to write soon for I heard Minda sa that she was going to write soon. I hav nothing more to write to you at this time more than I want you to write as soon as you can and I want you to write often for we want to hear from you as often as we can. So good bye, Asa. I remain your brother until Death.

                                                                                                      John O. Veal
                                                                                                     To A.L.W. Veal

 

                                                                                                             Royston, Ga.
                                                                                                             Dec. 1st, [18]99

Mr. W. A. Veal
Decatur, Tex.

Dear Sir:

Your letter rec'd. and will send you the addresses of the parties you are looking for.  I am a brother of A. L. W. Veal and the other Veals you will get the address are your father's brothers and sisters.

John O. Veal, Clinton, S.C.
James D. Veal, Royston, Ga.
Alec. F. Veal was heard of last in Fla.
Caroline Crider, my oldest sister, has not been heard of in several years
Matie McGarity died 1892
Emma Carter, Ayersville, Ga.
Armendy Compton, Toccoa, Georgia
Addie Davis, Toccoa, Georgia
Maggie Ficqwitt, Elberton, Georgia

These are all the brothers and sisters of your father's.  The names come down on this list, commencing with the older first and on down, the last mentioned being the youngest of us.

There are a lot of Veals in Georgia, though they are distant relatives of ours.   If you know the address of Alec Veal you will oblige me by letting me know where he is.

Write and let me know what sort of a place Texas is in the part you live in and tell me about stock raising and stock farms and ranches, and tell me all about your brothers and sister and how many are married, and what you all do in Texas, and do you think it would be a good place for a fellow to move to with a family, and what a good farm could be bought for, something like two or three hundred acres.

Write soon and all the news.

                                                                                       Respt. yours,

                                                                                       M. L. Veal

Royston, Ga. 12/1/99

 

Genealogical Information
on some of the people mentioned in the letters

Asa Lott Warren Veal was the son of Alexander Veal and Sarah Jane Godfrey of Madison County.  The family tradition on Asa is that he carried some corn to Crowders Mill over in Franklin County, GA across the Broad River from the home place in Madison County to have it ground.  The man ground the corn and tried to charge Asa for twice the weight that was ground.  They apparently got into an arguement and a fight broke out.  Asa hit the man and thought he had killed him and fled out west.  The man recovered.  This tale has been passed down and Pa Veal (James Mote Veal) told me this several times.

Jan 13, 1862, Alexander and Sarah Jane Veal write a letter to Asa in Texas, telling him about the conditions there in Madison County, GA and advising him to be careful since he is in the war.   The letter asks why they have gotten only the one letter dated Jan 7, 1862 within a 6 month period from "Lot nor you."  Asa's mother, Sarah Jane Godfrey, apparently had a brother that lived in Texas.  Lot Legwin Godrey was born in Clarke County, GA on May 7, 1823 and moved out to Limestone County, TX in 1846 because of some trouble he got into.  This is probably the reason Asa ended up in Limestone County.   Alexander and Sarah were trying to hear from either their son or Sarah's brother.

See obituary for Sarah Jane Veal, wife of Alexander Veal.  She died 17 Mar 1882.

James Veal, brother of Asa, practiced medicine in Royston, Ga. He received his training at the Atlanta Medical college, now Emory.

Jack Bond was actually John H. Bond b. 6-14-1840 & d. 4-11-1918. He was the son of John Rowsey Bond and Milly Smith. His first wife was Margaret Power. She died in childbirth. He married second, Cynthia McEwen. He was in the Danielsville, Guards, Co. D, 16^th. Regiment.

James [Gilmore] Bond b. 1841 was the son of James B. Bond and Elizabeth Powell. He was the Grandson of John Rowsey Bond. He was also with the Danielsville, Guards.

Henry Deen [Dean] was the son of James M. Deen & Prudence Beard. He joined the Danielsville Guards on August 5, 1861. He was killed at Spotsylvania, VA on May 12, 1864.

George C. Daniel. He was a well known and greatly loved doctor in Danielsville after the war. For more information on him click here.

John N. [Newton] Montgomery, Capt.  Joined the Danilesville Guards 8-5-1861. He was captured at Gettysburg, PA on 7-02-1863 and released at Cox’s Wharf, James River, Va. 3-22-1865.

James W. [Woodson] Daniel, Jr., 2^nd. Lieutenant, August 5, 1861. Danielsville Guards. Resigned with a disability, July 23, 1861. He was b. 8-11-1827. He married Harriett E. Hurley July 27, 1850. He was the son of Capt. James W. Daniel, Sr. and Elizabeth Jones. The 1870 Madison County census shows this family living next door to Alexander Veal, the author of two of the letters.

Britton Sanders was the son of Hardy T. and Mary Ware Sanders. He was a Methodist Clergyman. He married Sarah E. Daniel on 11-6-1862. She was the daughter of the James Daniel, Jr. and Narcissa A. Borum.

James Gholston, Capt. Born 1811. He married Polly Daniel 12-13-1833. He was the Capt. Of the Madison Co. Greys, Co. A. 16^th Regiment. On 7-11-1861. He was elected Major 02-06-1862 and Lt. Colonel on 08-16-1864. He retired to an invalid core. on 08-24-1864. He was captured and paroled in Athens, Ga. March 8, 1865.