Oh Children Let Us Think On Eternity!
This past weekend I was doing some research on various lines of my dad’s family. Monday we got a day off from school due to weather so I continued my search and focused on my SULLINS line. Specifically, I was looking at my paternal 6th great grandparents, Nathan and Winefred MAYS SULLINS. In order to give you some idea of how we fit into the SULLINS family, the line of ascent goes from my great grandpa Mark DRAKE to his dad Ervin to Ervin’s mom Hester MITCHELL to Hester’s dad Mordica to Mordica’s parents (John and Winnie SULLINS MITCHELL and Mordica’s grandparents Nathan and Winefred MAYS SULLINS.
During my search, I came across a website I want to share with you. The Cole Family website includes a page with a handwritten letter from Nathan and Rebecca MITCHELL SULLINS (Nathan was the son of Nathan and Winefred). I loved the letter and would like to share it with you here but I also encourage you to go look at the Cole Family website and see what you can find for yourself.
Here’s the transcription below. You can find more details about the letter and view the original handwritten letter at the link above.
| Athens Tenn Apr. 19 1848 Dear Son & Daughter I now send you a letter to let you know we are all alive. According to our age we enjoy as good health as could be expected. Morris got home yesterday about 12 o’clock. We was glad to hear you was all well, but sorry to hear you expected to go so far off. I once was young but now I am old, by the help of providence we have raised 12 children, there is 11 yet alive so far as we know, they are now scattered in 4 states. My children are near to me. When I was young and able to labor with and for my children I then had pleasure. I now am not able to labor much nor to travel and when I think of a child leaving me so far that I never expect to see its face again in the flesh its as much as I want to bear. Mary has always been a good obedient child. |
| [page 2] Oh children let us think on eternity that there is a God to serve and a heaven to obtain that is more sacred to us than all this world’s goods. We want you to write to us when you locate and tell us where you are and where to direct our letters. Annis lives in Green Co. Mo. direct your letters to Springfield to John Murray. |
| [page 3] Family Record (NOTE FROM LISA: On page 3 there is a list of names and dates, as if it were copied from a family Bible to pass on to the receiver of the letter. I won’t transcribe that here. You can find that information at the link above.) No more at present but remain your affectionate parents Nathan and Rebecca Sullins |
I love this letter so much. I can feel every pain of this momma’s heart as she worries about her children moving far away and never being able to see them again. I can imagine that she’s thinking about grandbabies she will never meet as well. If she’s anything like me, she’s thinking about all the bad that could happen and how much she would like to spare her children from experiencing the bad things. More than that, she’s worrying about their spiritual well-being. Oh how I can relate to this momma as she pours out her heart in a letter to her daughter!
I Once Was Young But Now I Am Old
Like Rebecca, I can remember being young once, too. I can remember when Bart and I decided to move to Idaho and I remember receiving a letter from my mom. A letter where she poured out her heart to me and wished me not to move so far away. Things sure do cycle back around, don’t they? And when we saw my son off to his eternal home, nothing was more important in that moment than his spiritual well-being and whether I would see him again in eternity or be separated from him forever.
Yes, I sure can relate to my 6th great aunt Rebecca as she poured out her heart to her daughter in a farewell letter.
So Fades the Summer Cloud Away
So fades the Summer cloud away;
So sinks the gale when storms are o’er;
So gently shuts the eye of day;
So dies the wave along the shore.
I want to leave you with one last thing about Rebecca – her obituary.
Sweet Rebecca. I hope you are spending eternity with your children whom you loved so much and so well.
Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog