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                              CHAPTER FOUR

                  WAR, DEATH & GOODWINS IN S.C.

   In June, 1773, a circuit rider, mounted on a bay mare, rode into the yard. He reached
into his saddle bag and handed me a letter from John. The letter was dated April 16, 1773. 
John, Theo Jr., Mark, George, and their families had a safe journey. It took them three full
weeks to reach the area in South Carolina where they planned to settle. They were lookin’
for land in the Fairforest Creek area, havin’ heard about this beautiful valley through
letters from Elizabeth's father.
   John was able to purchase from James Findlay, two hundred acres of rich uncleared
bottom land at the mouth of Buffalo Creek where it emptied into Fairforest Creek. This
particular land had been a grant to Findlay from then acting Royal Governor of the
district, William Bull, in 1769.
   They mentioned some of the families livin’ in the area. Of course, there are the
Ambrose Jacksons; the Jonas Littles, up north on the headwaters of Buffalo Creek; the
Woodson brothers, Robert, James, and Benjamin, who moved in at about the same time as
John and Elizabeth. They live north of John, on Buffalo Creek. Movin’ down from
Virginia with the Woodson brothers was their sister, Sarah, and her husband, Turner
Roundtree.
   There is also the Hays family, planters who operate a general merchandise store on the
main road between the Laurens District and the Union District. John’s land is conveniently
located only about three miles from Hays’ store, and about three miles from the shoals and
the combination grist and sawmill down Fairforest Creek. They’re also only eight miles
from the town of Unionsville. In the letter, we were informed that Elizabeth has given
birth to another daughter in March of this year. Her name is Cassandra--Cassie, for short.
They now have six girls and one boy.
   Theo, Jr. and Temperance purchased three hundred acres of land in the Laurens
District borderin’ Durbin Creek, a beautiful tributary of the Enoree River, which is the
boundary between the Laurens and Spartanburg Districts.
   George and Rebecca were able to get three hundred acres of good land in the
Spartanburg District, close to a village called Greenville. They now have a new daughter,
Elizabeth, named after her grandmother.
   The really good news is that Mark met a beautiful twenty-four-year old girl at a church
Christmas service soon after they arrived. Her name is Elizabeth Smith. She and Mark
were married February 20, 1773, at the home of her parents in the Laurens District.
Accordin’ to the letter, Elizabeth’s father, James Smith, is one of the largest land owners
in the district. He gave them three hundred acres about fifteen miles south of John,
between Duncan Creek and Little River. The land borders Little River, which empties into
the Saluda River to the east, southeast of them on the northern boundary of the Edgefield
District. Mark and Elizabeth's land is about ten miles east of Laurensville, in the Laurens
District and is a part of an original one thousand acre land grant to James Smith.
   In December,1773, we received a letter from Mark and Elizabeth. Their first child was
born in November 1773. They named him Thomas, after Mark's brother. I now have
fourteen grandchildren livin’ in South Carolina. Back home on Shocco Creek, we all feel
the void without that part of the family.
   Peter and Elizabeth also have two new members of their household. On November 12,
1771, the court of Bute County apprenticed Solomon Bibbu, the base born child of Mary
Bibbu to Peter and his wife, to be taught the planter's business. Then, on August 13, 1772,
the court appointed Peter the guardian to Solomon Harris, the orphan of Thomas Harris.
Solomon Harris is now sixteen and Solomon Bibbu is only nine. Needless to say, we don’t
get too lonely with all those folks around, and we enjoy the informative letters we receive
occasionally from South Carolina.
   The year is 1774, and we can’t even throw dishwater out the back door without hittin’
young John Myrick in the face. He and Amy, now twenty-two, are closer than two peas in
a pod. Honestly, every time I look out the front door, his horse is tied to the hitchin’ post. 
   I think Jeane summed it up best when we were all sittin’ down for supper at the kitchen
table, and Jeane was standin’ and lookin’ out the kitchen window. I asked, “Where in the
world is Amy? She knows it’s time for supper.” Jeane replied “You otta not axed dat,
Missa Theo. She stannin’ out deah in da yard wid her ahms round dat no good Myrick
boy. I swear, dey’s so close, dat if I’ze to give her a dost’a oil, it’ud wuk ‘em bofe. She
ain’t too ole fa’ a whuppin’, Missa Theo, you otta wear her out.” She continued, “An’ dat
ain’t all, Missa Theo, you otta go on out an whup up on dat no good boy fa’ ca'ing on
such shananagins wid yo’ daughter, right out deah in da yard in broad daylight. Maybe den
he quit hangin’ ‘round heah so much.” 
   I'll never forget the day John sat in the parlor tryin to ask my permission to marry Amy.
He was all decked out in his Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes”, and I thought he was all but
goin’ to ruin his Sunday hat. At first, he kept turnin’ it ‘round and ‘round on his hands,
then he was pitchin’ it back and forth from hand to hand, and before I could stop him, he
was twistin’ it like ringin’ out a dishrag. Needless to say, our first wedding present to them
was a new hat for John.
   This was the first time that Anne was able to host a wedding, and I’ve never seen her
so excited. She spent the next month sewin’ and cookin’. She had the Negroes washin’
curtains, scrubbin’ floors, and cleanin’ up everything in sight. The smoothin’ irons were
kept hot, and Jeane was ironin’ everything she could find. I ate with my back to the wall,
fearful that she would iron the shirt still on my back.
   Many a time Anne didn’t even give Jeane time to cook supper, and Lord help you if
you tried to snitch any of the wedding “goodies”. Amy, Young, and I ate so much cold
cornbread and buttermilk that month, I thought we'd start mooin’. 
   Thomas and Unity killed and cleaned two pigs, left them whole, includin’ the head, and
brought them over in their wagon the day before the wedding. By nightfall the same day,
Prince, Jack, and Joe, Thomas’ Negro, had prepared two hot charcoal fires and set up
“spits” over them. They slowly turned and roasted the pigs all night. With the excitement
of the wedding and the overnight kinfolk, plus the smell of roastin’ pig driftin’ through the
open window, I didn't sleep a wink that night. The thought of losin’ my only daughter to
marriage didn’t help either. 
   I was up before daybreak the next mornin’, helpin’ with the pigs--after all somebody
had to sample the meat. By the time the sun came up, and noises started comin’ from the
house and quarters, Jack, Joe, Prince, and I had sampled a fine breakfast of roast pig. 
Family, neighbors, and friends from the whole area showed up for the festivities. Thomas
and his wife, Unity, came with their son, Matthew. Peter, his wife, Elizabeth, and son,
Solomon, were there. William and Amy Bledsoe came with all their children.
   Also present were Henry and James Jackson and their families. They were brothers
who moved down from Surry County, Virginia in the early 1760s. Of course, Young was
beside himself with all this excitement. After the marriage, John and Amy settled on their
land in the upper Sandy Creek area.  
   It is now 1773 and Theo H. has matured into a fine worker and is a big help to Lucy in
their plantin’ operation. He has also been a great influence on Young. Young feels that
when Theo H. is around he has to follow him every step that he takes. At times this
frustrates Theo H., but most of the time they are best friends.
   In the spring of 1775, Theo H. and Young were out ridin’. Theo H. was a very good
horseman by that time, and he decided to jump a four foot split rail fence out by the road.
He and his horse cleared it easily, but unfortunately, when he looked back he saw Young
chargin’ the fence behind him. Young’s horse cleared the fence but landed on a rock pile
and tumbled over head first on top of him. Young’s leg was broken in three places, and
the doctor was unable to set it perfectly. The horse had broken her two front legs and had
to be destroyed. After three months, Young was able to walk again but had a marked
limp. The doctor said there was no way to cure it.
   It’s now July, 1775, and we are at war with the British. All of our militia units are
being organized and armed for war. The revolution, a war that I’ve anticipated for years,
has begun . 
   In 1773, the British passed the “Tea Act”. Its purpose was to save the East India
Company from bankruptcy. It permitted them to sell large tea surpluses directly to
America without payin’ the British re-export duties. The act not only punished the colonial
smugglers but the lawful merchants as well. A number of “tea parties” destroyed the East
India Company’s product before it could be distributed.
   The one most talked about resulted in the dumpin’ of ninety thousand pounds of tea in
the Boston Harbor on the night of December 16, 1773. Parliament responded in 1774 by
passin’ a series of acts called by some, “The Intolerable Acts”. The results suspended the
province’s charter of government and closed Boston Harbor. Relief supplies were sent to
Boston from all over the colonies.
   A congress of the colonies was convened in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. This
convention did more to unite the colonies than any other previous action. The issue
debated in Philadelphia was not the tea party, the East India Company, or the closin’ of
Boston Harbor, but the larger issue of the colonies and our constitutional relationship with
Great Britain.
   The Declaration of Colonial Rights and Grievances reaffirmed our right to a free and
exclusive right to legislate ourselves. By the second meetin’ of the Continental Congress
on May 10, 1775, blood had already been shed at Lexington and Concord on April 19th
this year. Last month, George Washington was appointed to command the American
Army.
   The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. This ended all
possibilities of restorin’ the past and reinstatin’ our former relationship with Britain. 
   I had mixed emotions when a letter from John informed us that he and Sampson, now
twenty-three, along with many of their neighbors from the Fairforest Creek area, had
joined Colonel Brandon’s Regiment. John is forty-seven years old and is leavin’ a wife and
children at home. I am proud of his patriotism but very concerned about Elizabeth and his
children. John was given the rank of sergeant and feels that his many years in the North
Carolina Militia under Captain Sugar Jones will be helpful in trainin’ the younger
volunteers.
   Mark, now with three young sons at home, was a strong believer in the revolutionary
cause, but felt that his place was at home with his family. He and Elizabeth now have
Thomas, Mark Jr., born in 1774, and James, named after his grandfather, born in 1776.
Unlike John, it seems that Mark and Elizabeth are destined to have all boys.
   John Myrick, Amy’s husband, enlisted in the Seventh North Carolina Regiment as an
ensign on November 10, 1776. Amy moved back in with us and plans to stay here until
John finishes his tour of duty. I suppose it’s the best thing that they have no children now.
   In September of 1778, Theo H. rode up to the house seekin’ my advice on a few
matters. I was happy to see him because every minute of his free time for the past six
months has been spent down at the Bledsoe plantation. He is a friend of all the Bledsoe
boys, but I'm convinced that their little sister, Becky, is really the reason for the visits.
   As we sat down on the porch, Theo H. said, “Pappy, I’m thinkin’ about joinin’ the
Army. I plan to join the North Ca’lina Regiment. I’ve got very strong feelin’s about a free
independent America and think I should contribute my part to the cause.”
   Theo H. continued, “You know, me and Becky been doing a lot ‘a court’n lately,
what’ta you think about me and her gettin’ married up ‘fore I leave?” He really didn’t
seem to need my advice on either of these matters, ‘cause his mind was made up. I said to
him, “Well, Theo, you can rest assured, we’ll take care of your mama and the farm for ya,
but you should do some more serious thinkin’ about gettin’ married. You ought not marry
that pretty little gal, then turn around and leave her to go off to war. Wouldn't be quite fair
to her, would it? Just look at Amy. She’s worried to death every day that John won’t
make it home. I haven’t seen her happy since he left. Everytime a horse and rider starts up
here from the main road, she runs out on the front porch, hopin’ it’s John. Now, you
wouldn’t wanta put Becky through that would you?” He scratched his head, thought for a
while, and finally said, “Pappy, you’re right, but I’m sho’ gonna miss that gal.”  
   Theo H. is only seventeen, but a grown man in every way. Since the death of his father,
Henry, in 1765, he has taken on responsibilities beyond his years and matured rapidly. He
is now in charge of all the farmin’ operations on the hundred seventy-five acres where he
and his mother, Lucy, live. 
   In November of 1778, Theo H., along with John Bledsoe, enlisted in the Infantry of the
North Carolina Regiment under Captain Robert Temple. This regiment was under the
command of Colonel Archibald Lytle. The only battle that Theo H. was involved in was
the battle at Stono’s Ferry. Thank goodness, he came through it without any injuries and
received his discharge from Captain Robert Temple in July of 1779. 
   Ironically, the month after Theo H. left for the war, John Myrick was discharged. When
he rode into the yard before daylight, on December 19, 1778, Amy was out in the yard to
meet him with nothin’ on but her nightgown . It didn’t matter to her at all that the ground
was covered with snow. By the time I finished lightin’ the lamps, they had made it to the
parlor. The logs from the fireplace were still smolderin’, so I threw on three more big oak
logs and quickly had a roarin’ fire. I sent Young out to the cabins to wake up Jeane. I
knew we were gonna to have a big breakfast this mornin’. It did my old heart good to see
Amy so happy after those two years of loneliness.
   In the early years of the war, the British won most of the battles in the southern areas.
The primary objectives in the south were to maintain control of the seaport cities of
Charlestown and Savannah. Those cities fell to the British durin’ the summer of 1779.
General Benjamin Lincoln, charged with the defense of Charleston, felt that if he could
protect the outlyin’ areas of the city and defeat the British on these battlefields more
familiar to his colonial troops, the town would be safe. 
   One of his primary points of defense was at Stono’s Ferry. On June 20, 1779, after a
full day of intensive fightin’ in the swamps around Stono’s Ferry, the British finally won
and opened up a path for the invasion of Charleston by land from the north side. The war
lasted for eight years, and in the latter part of the war, these cities were finally recaptured
and secured by the Colonists. Only then did the British begin to withdraw to the north and
finally surrender.
   While Theo H. and John were gone, Berryman and Bartlett Bledsoe moved to
Edgefield District, South Carolina. As soon as John was discharged, he too, left for the
Edgefield District. He did his best to get Theo H. to go with him and as much as he
wanted to go, Theo H. realized the responsibilities he had at home with the farm and his
mother, Lucy. Theo H. was also very much in love with John's younger sister, Rebecca,
and they had definite plans for marriage when Becky was a little older.
   One of our saddest chores after Theo H. returned was tellin’ him about his Uncle
Thomas’ tragic death in 1778. While clearin’ new land, Thomas and his son Matthew,
were makin’ the final cuts in fellin’ a huge pine tree, when a strong gust of wind tilted the
tree in the wrong direction. Thomas saw the tree fallin’ in his direction and started to run
but tripped on some roots and was crushed by the tree. Matthew worked frantically to free
him, but to no avail; Thomas died instantly. That same year, Unity and Matthew sold their
land, and the two of them moved in with her parents.
  Upon returnin’ home Theo H. was saddened to hear of the death of his uncle, but was
happy to find that Peter, Young, and I, along with Coot’s help, had a nice crop of tobacco
and corn growin’ on his and Lucy’s land. We also helped them get their crops in that fall.
Theo H. was also surprised to find that his home was now in Franklin County instead of
Bute County. Bute County had been abolished in 1779, with the north part becomin’
Warren County and the south part becomin’ Franklin.
   It was early November 1779, just after the birth of John Goodwin Myrick, my latest
grandson, when Anne informed me that we were expectin’ another baby. I told her, “I’m
very concerned about your health. After all, you're pushin’ forty-five. That’s a little old to
be having another baby.” She simply replied, “After all, you’re pushin’ seventy. That’s a
little too old to be puttin’ in orders for babies.” Without mincin’ any words, she bluntly
said, “If you hadn’t been rambunctious as a jack-rabbit all summer, I wouldn't be in this
condition anyway.”
   We were sittin’ at the kitchen table when we told Jeane about us expectin’ a new baby.
She mumbled a few indistinguishable words while shakin’ her head back and forth and
then said, “Well, dey say dem ole pistols ain’t up to shootin’ erry time, but Missa Theo,
yo’s sho don’t seem to fire no blanks!” I thought Anne and I would die laughin’ on the
spot. Later that night Anne woke me up laughin’ and sayin’, “How true! How true!”
   Anne had always wanted a daughter, and we were exuberant when she gave birth to a
healthy baby girl on May 7, 1780. We named her Mary Ann. Young and David seemed
equally as excited with their new baby sister.
   On June 20, 1781, we were all invited down to the Bledsoe’s place for the wedding of
their daughter, Rebecca and Theo H. Becky has matured into a beautiful young lady. She
stands about five feet six inches tall with dark blue-green eyes and long, silky brunette
hair. She cut quite a figure in that brand new white wedding dress her mama made for her.
During the ceremony, I whispered to Anne, “She sho’ does fill out the top of that dress
mighty purty, don’t she?”  Anne gave me a hard pinch on the thigh and whispered back,
“Hush your dirty minded ole mouth, Theo.” After they were married, Theo H. and Becky
moved in with Lucy.
   Becky’s brothers, John, Bartlett, and Berryman made a special trip from South
Carolina to be at their only sister’s wedding. They had also come to pick up some farm
tools and slaves from their father. William’s health was not too good, and he was no
longer able to maintain his land. He and his wife were plannin’ to move in with their
youngest son, William Jr., in Wake County. 
   While the Bledsoe boys were here for the wedding, all they could talk about was the
beautiful unsettled land along the Little Saluda River in the Edgefield District of South
Carolina and how they planned to obtain as much of it as they could through either land
grants or purchase. This was their promised land where they would settle and raise their
families. With the marriage of their only sister to their best friend, the Bledsoe brothers
automatically assumed that Theo H. and Becky would share their dreams and go back
with them.
   Berryman and Bartlett, knowin’ it would greatly enhance their chances of obtainin’
future land grants in South Carolina, both joined Captain Butler's Company from the
Edgefield District. They joined on September 1, 1781 and Berryman was killed in
November 1781, only about seventy days after his enlistment. As Bartlett explained in his
letter, it was close to Leesville at Turner’s Tavern. Captain Sterling Turner’s party of
Whigs were celebratin’ their successful engagement against Captain Hezekiah William’s
Tory band at Tarrar’s Spring in November 1781. 
   They took no precautions that night and at dawn the next day found themselves
surrounded by William (Bloody Bill) Cunningham’s force of three hundred men. There
were only thirty-one in the Whig band. Negotiations failed, and Cunningham killed or took
the group prisoners. Of the thirty-one Whigs involved, twenty-eight were killed during the
engagement or massacred afterwards. Bartlett was spared through intercession by friends
in Cunningham’s band. Bartlett said he was mistaken for Berryman, who they thought was
a Tory sympathizer, and didn't realize that Berryman had been killed in the skirmish. Of
course, Becky and the rest of the Bledsoes mourned the death of Berryman for weeks
after receiving the letter.
   It’s now 1782 and our daughter, Amy, now has four children, John Goodwin, born
October 23, 1779, Elizabeth, born in 1880, Mary Anne, born in January, 1781, and John
Fletcher, who was born in December, 1781. After the birth of John Fletcher, Anne and I
were sittin’ in front of the fire and I remarked, “It took ‘em a little over four years to get
the first one, ‘cause a’ John’s absence, but the way they’re spittin’ out younguns now I
guess they’re makin’ up for lost time.” Anne snickered and said, “Theo, sometimes you
have a crude way of expressin’ yourself.”
   John Myrick has all of their land under cultivation and is anxious to buy more land. He
met with Lucy, Theo H. and Becky to discuss the possibility of buyin’ the hundred
seventy-five acres they were now livin’ on. This was the same land on Sandy Creek I had
given Henry and Lucy when they married. John offered them an attractive price for the
land, and assured them that he would sell them a hundred fifty acres over on Lick Branch
for almost nothin’. This offer was too good to pass up, so the transactions took place in
December of 1781 and March of 1782.                                                                                                                  
The time was late October, 1782 and all the crops were in. As Theo H., had often done,
he rode over to get my advice on a few matters. We had just taken chairs on the front
porch, when Theo H. started the conservation. “Pappy, me and Becky would like to move
to South Ca’lina, to be near John and Bartlett. The trouble is William is only two months
old, and we feel a responsibility to Mama, and we feel it’s just impossible to move right
now.”                       
   Though he’s not aware of it, I'm relieved that he has decided to stay. Theo H. has
matured into a very dependable young man.. With Young only sixteen and David only
twelve, Peter and I have been very fortunate to have his assistance, especially during
plantin’ and harvestin’ time. Young, with his bad leg, has never been able to do much hard
physical work, but Solomon, now seventeen, made up the difference. Peter legally adopted
Solomon Bibbu in 1772. Solomon took the name Goodwin, and he and Young have
become close friends. Young and Solomon spend every minute of their free time either
huntin’ or fishin’. In fact, they are so successful that they keep all the Goodwins, Myricks,
and Bledsoes well supplied with fresh game and fish.
   Young married Martha Andrews in February of 1787. She is the daughter of Gray
Andrews, the pastor at Ransom Bridge Baptist Church. When the Lord said multiply,
Grey Andrews, took him at his word. He and his wife have 10 younguns rangin’ from
Martha, fifteen, to a new one born last month. I tried to tell Young, that Martha wadn’t
old enough to be marryin’, but his retort was, “Papa, we been sparkin’ a long time now,
we know what marryin’s all about. Besides, Preacher Andrews said it was fine with him.”
He laughed as he finished with, “You know a Young Goodwin needs a young wife.”
   The wedding was very nice, and we thoroughly enjoyed seein’ all the old friends and
relatives. We were very happy to see him marry such a fine girl. After the marriage,
Young and Martha moved into a new house we built for them about five miles east of our
home. 
   After the crops were in in 1787, I was out on the balcony in my favorite rocker with
David and Young discussin’ the huntin’ trip they were plannin’. Suddenly I felt a sharp
pain in my chest. The pain continued and moved into my shoulders and arms. The boys
immediately got me into bed, and David took off to Louisburg for the doctor. By the time
the doctor arrived, which was only about an hour later, the pain had completely
disappeared. 
   I was just startin’ to get out of bed, when the doctor came in and stopped me. After
checkin’ me over and listenin’ to my heart, he informed us that I had suffered a mild heart
attack. He didn’t think it was serious, but insisted that I stay in bed for a few days. It was
dark outside, so the doctor stayed overnight. After checkin’ on me the next mornin’, he
informed Anne that I was to remain in bed, and he would be back the next day.
   Durin’ the next few days, I had a lot of time to think back over my lifetime. I now
realize how fortunate I have been to live in a period in which a man’s achievements were
only limited by his ambitions and his willingness to work. Now, with our complete
independence from England, we are, in every sense of the word, livin’ in the land of
opportunity. I only hope that each of my children and grandchildren realize this and are
willin’ to put forth the effort to reach their goals and realize their ambitions.
   I know that my years are numbered, since I am now seventy-eight, so I'll do my best to
summarize our present family situation. Anne and I have David, age seventeen, and Mary
Ann, who is seven, still livin’ at home with us. Jeane, as old as she is, is still the best cook
in the area. I gave her to Young by deed of gift back in the seventies, but she will stay
with me until my death. I have also instructed Anne that as long as Young and David
continue to maintain the farm operation after my death, they are to be given all the
Negroes.
   Amy and John Myrick, and our grandchildren, Goodwin, Betsy, Fletcher, Polly, Lucy,
Martha, Jordan, and Amy, live just to the northwest of us on Sandy Creek. My daughter
Amy, followin’ her habit of trying to have a baby every year, is pregnant again. Peter was
named Clerk of the Court for Franklin County earlier this year. He, his wife Elizabeth, and
Solomon still live just to the south of us and continue to help with our farmin’. Unity,
widow of Thomas, and her son Matthew, still live with Ansil Parrish and maintain the farm
for him. Most of the plantin’ and work is carried out by Matthew.
   We still get letters about twice a year from John; Theo, Jr.; George; and Mark. The
most recent one came a few weeks ago. John and Elizabeth now have three married
children and several grand-children. In 1775, Anna, their oldest, married James Woodson,
Jr. They have the followin’ children: Nancy, Cassandra, Goodwin, and James. Elizabeth
(Betsy), married Robert Woodson in 1775, and their children are James, Elizabeth, and
Delilah. Sampson married Nancy Palmer a couple of years ago, and their first son was
born last year. They named him John Palmer Goodwin, after John and his mother's family.
All of these Goodwins and Woodsons are still livin’ and prosperin’ in the
Buffalo-Fairforest Creek area in Union County, South Carolina. 
   Mark and his wife, Elizabeth, through purchases and the help of her father, have
acquired over one thousand acres of good farm land between Little River and Duncan
Creek in Laurens County, South Carolina. Their boys, Thomas, Mark, Jr., and James are
ages fourteen, thirteen, and eleven. They now have two daughters, Sarah (Sally), born in
1780, and Elizabeth (Betsy), born in 1782. 
   According to Mark's last letter, they were all excited about a recent purchase they had
been able to make from William Plummer, a neighbor and close friend of John’s. The
whole family was up at John and Elizabeth’s place for a weekend visit. John and Mark
were out ridin’ Saturday mornin’ and stopped by the Plummers. Mark and Elizabeth had
been plannin’ to buy a new carriage. John told them that William and Christiana Plummer
had bought one a couple of years earlier, but now wanted to sell it because William was in
bad health and had not been able to use it very often.
   Mark explained in his letter that when he walked into the barn and saw the four
passenger carriage with all the fancy trimmin’s, he had the same feelin’ that he did when
he met his wife, Elizabeth--love at first sight. Havin’ no cash with him at the time, Mark
signed a note to William for the agreed price of sixteen pounds and six shillings.  
   Theo, Jr. and Temperance now have three daughters, Rebecca, Sarah, and Amy, ages
seventeen, fifteen, and, thirteen, respectively. Theo, Jr., along with his sons Theo T., age
twenty-three, Solomon, age twenty-one, and Thomas, age nineteen, are now farmin’ over
one thousand acres of land in the Durbin Creek area of Laurens County, South Carolina.
The four of them are farmin’ most of the land between the headwaters of the creek and the
Enoree River which separates Laurens County from Spartanburg County, where George
and Rebecca live.                                                                                               
   George and Rebecca now have nine children. They are Robinson, Elizabeth, Patsy,
Amy, Henry, William, Rebecca, Catherine, and Amelia. George and his boys are farmin’
‘bout five hundred acres of land now. They live in the southern part of the county, just
across the Enoree river from Theo, Jr. In George’s last letter, he said he and his boys are
considerin’ movin’ west to Wilkes County, Georgia, just across the Savannah River. I’ve
given up all hope of ever seein’ all these grandchildren in South Carolina.	               
   It was the on the fifth day I had been confined to my bed that Theo H. paid me a
surprise visit. It had been about six months since we had been able to sit down and have
one of our long conversations. Theo H., his wife, Rebecca, and his mother, Lucy, had sold
their land on Lick Creek and moved south of Louisburg to Wake County, along with
Becky's parents, William and Amy. They are now about twenty-five miles from us. Becky
and Theo H. have three boys, William, Julius, and Wiley, and Becky is expecting a fourth
child in a few months. 
   I was happy to see Theo H., because I’m plannin’ to ask a big favor of him and felt that
this was the time to do it. His writin’ is very legible, and he has always been interested in
the Goodwin family affairs and history. I explained to him that I didn’t expect to be
around forever, and I needed someone to stay in touch with all the family members
through letters and to continue my writin’ for me. He laughed, and said I’d probably
outlive him but that he would be happy to do so.

CHAPTER FIVE                                                                                                                     BACK