LAUREL MAGAZINE - CASHIERS HISTORY ARTICLE - JANUARY 1, 2007
In the spring of 1877 in Cashiers Valley, Alexander Zachary, age 70, took pen in hand and wrote to his youngest son, Thompson Roberts Zachary, who had established a homestead in far away Kansas. There was news from Cashiers Valley as well as questions about the welfare of T. R. and several of his siblings also living in the west.
Cashiers Valley
April 12th, 1877
Dear son:
I received your card dated March 19th which found us all in common health and doing very well. We have plenty here to live upon as yet and I think will. I am glad to think you are doing so well in your country. Hope you may continue doing so. I have not got entirely well of the erysipelas yet. I have it in my blood and it is hard to get out. It hurts me in my feet worst, still there is no sign outwardly, they have a burning sensation which pesters me a little at times.
The rest are all well. Of course you want to know how the people in this country is doing. I have just been out to James [Alexander’s son, James Madison Zachary] at Grassey Camp [Norton], he has just got one of the best saw mills to running I ever saw. I suppose it will cut 2000 feet ever day, he will soon have the road done to it. The mill is east of D. Norton’s on Grassey Camp Creek. A. W. [Alexander’s son, Alexander Washington Zachary, called “Wash.”] is getting on all right, a man from Charleston, S. C. is building near him – just across the Blue Ridge towards the Jenney cabin fronting Whiteside.
I have not had a letter for sometime from C. C. [Alexander’s eldest son, Christopher Columbus Zachary.] therefore I cannot say how he is doing, but I suppose very well. It seems he has not time to write or don’t care. I want to hear from all my children often that has left me and gone west. Is C. C. making money fast herding cattle or not? I would like to know how he came out with his cattle last fall, how many did he sell and how many did he keep through the winter, and what kind of winter you have had.
We had here the prettiest March you ever saw with the exception of the last day or two. Your mother and I was then in Walhalla. At that time we was badly pestered to get home. We came up through the Cove for the best way, was 7 days on the road. Coming down the mountain we run up upon a sheet of ice about 30 yards wide and [it appears a sentence is missing here] … very sidelong, brought it over by hand, run off the lower side, of course, luckily got help at once, got back, came on then all right to the shed. Going up from the river got help and came on to the next and so on until we got home.
We are at this time having big frosts every night. This month has been colder than last. We are having cold nights and warm days. I think most of our fruit has gone up, still there are some peaches yet. We have two stores in the Valley. Your Uncle Jonathan and a man by the name of Cline has them.
You wish to know all about our ancestors – I am not prepared at this time to tell you much about them. Your Great-Grandfather was named William, had four sons, John, David William, James. The old man came from England, was a brick mason by trade; built a large brick building on a good farm and lived there until his death, never moving. He had two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Mary married a man by the name of Todd and Elizabeth Jack Garges. Both went west, you know some of them. Uncle Joshuary Roberts moved west about 65 years since – there are a great many of them somewhere. John was drowned in the Ohio River, never married. Wm. Lived in Virginia, also Stone Boyd and Douglas, marrying my mother’s sisters. Some of the rest of them lived and died in Surry, N. C. on Stewart’s Creek, the wealthiest part of the county. I don’t suppose Uncle Jonathan’s land could be bought today for 50,000, lying on Stewart’s Creek.
I only mentioned A. W. and J. M. The rest of them are doing very well. George Cole and Manda [Alexander’s daughter Amanda.] is living with us. Between us we have 23 head of cattle, plenty to make our milk and beef.
Your affectionate father,
Alex. Zachary
Note: Some of the spelling was corrected by the contributor.
