My Dear Cousin Geraldine Barton.
     It was so nice for you to answer my letter so promptly,to say the  least I am overcome. And the photographs brought to mind many fond and  almost forgotten incidents  in my life, which were so very different from the environment of this age. Really, there is no compareson socially, morally, and  piritually.  I compromise more or less,  but yet an away from being a modernist.  This age has many things to offer humanity and we should appreciate them and use them as our creator would have us to use them. This is a wonderful age, I deem it the golden age of civilization and I am proud to have
been born it beginning.  Our great nation has advanced more in all phases of existance  since the beginning in the last century than it had 5000 years pre to this age. Which I am sure God intended should be such.  And our spiritual growth should match material growth.  Quote General McArthur a great soldier.  We pray this will eventually be so.
    I am yet up in the air over your wonderful letter.  My supposition
of your nature have not failed me.  Your writings show a wonderful open pure minded attitude  toward your race, and with your height
and weight, I don’t see how you support such a big heart, you make  me feel ashamed to laud my tallents.  You should be writeing a biography.
    The memories of your own family tree of your mother.  After all you would not be here if she had not met your dear dad and her husband who I am proud to know he lifted himself up by his own boot straps so to speak.   I wish I could have known more of him after he  grew into manhood.  I really believe he was especially blessed when he met your mother.
 She surely was the salt of the earth.
         You know the gospel states ,find a virtuous woman she is more precious than silver or gold.  I am not trying to render a sermon  you.
 I  never waste flattery on anyone but my wife Essie!  I only try to give flowers to those who are alive and drink in  their water. Beauty physically and visually I believe described my mother to you. As being much like your grandfather Uncle Will, she was a wonderful woman but the dominant type.  Probably some gene from the Reece clan.  Your great- grandfather Forbes was the kindest most generous person I have ever knew.  And I should know because I grew up under his tutelage.  And I regret I did not pay attention fully to what
he tried to pound into my head,  I remember my mother had freckles but did not give a  hoot as to what anyone thought about it. Never used cosmetics.  She could get angry and she and Uncle Will had many heated discussions.  her hair was a firey red.
After her brood all married off but myself, she wore her hair in long braids about 24 inches long.  Eventually it became burdensome and she cut it off and wore a short bob, which looked nice. I had kept the old plaited hair braids in the family archives but after her death I buried them on our place in Glenwood N. M.  I can yet say she was
a very special person. I yet remember the nursery rhyme she taught me. In those days that was a must, So many of the old countrys ways of living have been forgotten,  Those two youngsters of yours and your husband are real specimens of true Americans, also judging by their photos will make history in this age. And I do not want to leave out your husband by his  appearance I would trust him with my life.
I have known many  men of his nature.  You should be very happy.  God blessed family.  Something to be very proud of in this age,  I can recall young men who worked sometimes fourteen hours a day and never heard of such a law of labor as overtime.  Bank tellers and business clerks who drew about eight dollars a week and menial or common labor was as little as twenty two cents a day.  Farm labor thirty five cents a day even in the depression days.  How about that!  Today I have friends which are paid one hundred and fifty dollars a day eight hours with coffee and smoke  breaks.
     Fantastic my dear cousin.  Since we are digging up the family skeletons I will agree with you that my Uncle Will was a hard task
master toward his family.  And if he ever gave God credit for his blessings I do not know.  But I pray he did before he passed away.
I remember Aunt Kate as a very fine old fashioned woman. She as I forestated never crossed Uncle Will’s authorieties and neither did any of his progeny.
My knowledge  of he and his family is not very clear from about nineteen twenty nine on.  The  last time I saw Uncle Will and Aunt Kate was when he visited Glenwood, N.M. and I just briefly talked to him.  You stated in your first letter you might have been with him.  I
do not  know about this as he did not stay with my family but put up in the hotel here. As I stated I always managed to get along with him and let him talke about his holdings, farm, horses , ____, _____.  I remember his home being destroyed by fire in Terry County. That hurt him pretty bad.  Everything they had was lost and money then was short.  When I dwell on family troubles and tragedys  I can find
to many in my own.  In my estimation no family is immune from the traumatic things.
Uncle Will’s family turned out better than most.  People thought his children were commendable.  And I am sure you believe your dad was tops in your own opinion or you would not write to me as you
do about him. I will grant that what I know or knew of him he was a good husband to your mother and fine person to you. Like my father was to me. Children can and do sometimes have cause to build halos around their parents.  Some deserve this others do  not.   Our blue blood ancestors also had their problems. From the revolutionary war throughout the civil war which broke up the aristocratic trend in families. Some hit it very hard others weathered the class storm. I can very well recall in our hometown , the old checker players, the veteran’s of the civil war yet getting angry with each other and  fighting the Civil War over agan.  Now they are all gone these many years.  All this period of my young life seems much like a fantastic dream, unbelievable, incredible, where brother fought brother.  As my grandmother Nettie Reece Forbes use to narrate many incidents of the civil war. I am glad you are able to visit some of these old bloody  historical battle grounds and relive a part of it mentally.  After all some of your great grandfather’s genes have been passed down to you. You never now how your genetic trends will end up from Adam to this day.  It’s difficult to conceive that one drop of (male sperm)
can be the substance of thousands of genetic family traits and trends.  You may inhearet  the best things of the family or otherwise.  Isn’t life a wonderful thing. And only God can give it to you.