June 21, 1869 Letter to brother Robert Higginbotham in Albany, KY
Marion, Kentucky
June the 21, 1869
Mr. Robert Higginbotham
Dear brother,
I again take the opportunity of writing to you as I have got tired awaiting on you. I think that I have wrote to you every other week for the last 12 months but fail to received any answers from you. I received one letter from you some time ago and answered the same immediately. The last one I received from you there was a note for Charles in it. He has never received the letter with the Cowen wrote yet. There is something wrong with the mail route of your letters is taken out at Albany. You have them directed in care of someone and see if you don't get more of them.
This is the 3rd letter since I received yours. I am satisfied that the letters always starts from my town for I think our Post Master is a honest man, but there is some dirt [?] somewhere on the route. My letters go and come [?] all right. Well I will tell you again what I want you to do for me. I want you to ship my trunk to me for I need it and I don't want to buy another besides there are some clothing that I can wear that will save me of buying. I want you to get a small cord or rope and tie around it to keep it from getting bursted and have it sent to Cave City or ever where they get their goods from. Have the wagoner to bring you a receipt from the Express Company and you forward to me by mail. You settle with the wagoner for hauling to railroad and I will settle the express charges here when it comes. Also send word what it cost you to send by wagon and I will forward you the money by first mail. Sure you will have it marked or you do that before you start it. Write the directions on paper and put it on with some kind of paste so it will stick. Direct in this way.
Allen Higginbotham
Marion, Ky
in care of S. R. Nunn
Weston, KY
VIA of Louisville, KY.
Robert I will depend on you to answer my request as soon as convenient and send your charges in first letter and I will send you the money or start it by first mail and if you don't get it I will keep on sending til you do get it.
This leaves all well at present. I have taken up all my paper in telling you about letters and trunk so I have no room to gave you the news though there is but little [?] here. People is backward about crops on the account of a cold and wet spring. Wheat is ready to cut. Stock is high especially mules and horses and cattle. You can't buy any sort of a milch cow for less than $35 to $60 dollars. I received a letter from Anderson yesterday stating that all was well. Charles is well and making some money. I expect he will start west soon with alot of stalions to sell. We have a overstock of them here. Hoping you will comply with my request. I will bring my remarks [?] to a close by saying that I will come to see you all this fall. Please write soon.
I remain as ever yours, Brother
A. Higginbotham
To Robert Higginbotham
August 13, 1869 Letter to brother Robert Higginbotham in Albany, KY
Marion Kentucky
August 13, 1869
Dear brother,
I this morning received yours which was rather surprising to me, but a very happy one I had.
I had written so often to you without any answers that I could not understand what it meant nor can't yet. Well in the first place I will explain the note I that you wrote about the last letter that Charles wrote to you. I sent a P.S. in it to you. I thought as I could not hear from you I would write in his letter and I wrote one to you since that time was what I meant by the note. You examine my letter and see if ain't this way. The Cowen note has never came to hand to my certain knowledge and well as for news I have none. We will not make more than a 1/2 crop corn. Wheat is excellent. Plenty of grass and clover and I am in the grocery business in Marion. Charles is raising a crop of tobacco that I sold him after it was set out. Also he is trading some in horses and mules and he has a span of matcles [?] black mules that he paid $310.00 dollars for. I make a few trades once and a while. I commensed on 65 dollars last thursday. Made 2 swaps. I quit with a mule worth $125.00 and a double barrel shotgun worth $25.00 dollars. I don't have time to trade much. If I did I could make it pay me big.
Uncle John Wilborn is going to start to Kansas & Nebraska about the 15 of Sept. for the purpose of hunting a location to move to. I expect that Charles will go with him. I either want him to go or fill my place and I will go and see if I can't purchase some land for hard times now is the time to go. Well I will now explain why I had my trunk marked in the way I did. You see it is 10 miles from Marion to Weston. TThat is our shipping point. S. R. Nunn is express agt. at that place and as soon as the trunk comes to Weston he will forward it to me at Marion, KY with charges. I want you to make out your expense and trouble and I will send it by first mail and you had better have it sent in care of someone at Albany for I know there is something wrong or you would certainly got my letter and give my respects to your wife and family and write soon and excuse this for I am in a hurry. I have a bill of goods to make out this morning so I will close for the present. Hoping to here from you soon and often.
I am yours, Brother
Allen Higginbotham
To R. Higginbotham
Charles is well and hardy.
September 17, 1869 Letter to brother Robert Higginbotham in Albany, KY
Marion Kentucky
Sept. the 17, 1869
Mr. Robert Higginbotham
Dear brother,
I embrace the opportunity of dropping you a few more lines. Is the only way that I can hear from you is to start one letter after another? I have written you one since I received my trunk and I concluded it is about time to write another one. As I stated in my last one I received my trunk, but the very things I thought the most of did not come. That was my albums. There is neither one of them come. There is my commission as post master. One scarf I paid $6.00 dollars for, besides all of my trophies I got whilst in the army. I care nothing for as much as I do my albums. I would not take $50.00 dollars for them if a man was to offer it to me as there is some photographs in them I highly appreciate.
Among the rest yours. If you forgot them I wish you would put them up in a small box and forward them at my expenses. I am just waiting to hear from you and your trouble and expenses and I will forward you the money by return mail. If you did start those articles to me I will find out how they have been misplaced as I am a particular friend to the agent here. He will do anything for me in reason. I will drop the subject for the present and tell you of something else if I can.
I am still [?] selling whisky in Marion, KY for one Mr. Thomas Nunn. Yesterday the 16, Charles, Uncle John Wilborn, Doctor Truitt, one Squire Jones, and 4 or 5 others left for the far west.
Charles drove out of this town one of the best span of mules in the county with a splendid wagon behind them. I think he is gone with the intention of staying as he left nothing unsettled but what was betwen him and me. If he likes I expect to go to him just as soon as I hear from him, therefore you will send them things as soon as you can? I expect to know of his satisfaction in the course of 2 or 3 months. I told him to be sure of it before he wrote back. I received a letter from Granville yesterday. All was well. He was grumbling at you for not writing to him. He says he has wrote to you several times, but fails to get any answers from you. Those men that has all gone west has gone with the intention of buying. Our whole county is getting the west fever on them. There was 2 young lawyers after me last evening to go with them to Texas. 2 as fine young men as ever lived. Please answer this as soon as you can.
I will adjourn for the present.
I remain yours, Brother
Allen Higginbotham
To R. Higginbotham
