Lewis Neal, brother of Obedience, is the Uncle of William Noyes (son of William Noyes). He wrote a letter from Wesson, Miss. on April 2, 1882.
"Dear Brother(William Noyes) and Sister(Lettis Cockcroft), I rite you a few lines to tell you we are all up and well as comon & hope this will reach & find you all enjoying the same blessing. We have no news to rite you. Times is hard & dull & cash is scarce & grub is high & ____
on is low. I will give you some of the leeding articles the press--flour is from 8 10 & 25, bacon 12 to 13, _____ 15 to 16, coffee we git 5 1/2 to 7 lbs to the dollar. Rice 10 to 11 lbs, sugar 5 to 11 lbs, corn meal 125 ea bushel and so on. Bill (William Noyes), I thought you was a coming out here this summer. I wish you wood come some time. I think I will move up to __________to a cotton mill there. That is a bout 200 miles north of this. I dont know whether I will or not, yet it is a long way, to move & I am a getting old & ______ to move & we can make a living here well. Letty, I will find you your ma & pa (William Cockcroft and Lucinda Culpepper). I had their pictures enlarged. Caroline(Cockcroft, his wife) went town last evening & had these struck off for you. I had 2 doz photographs taken about 10 years a go & they were all faded so can hardly tell them. I ricon we have the only one of them now we have a picture girly in Wesson &does very good work________________-for these pictures well. Willy denotes his to Edgar (Edgar Jerome Noyes) as a present &wishes his in return. The girls will send theirs some time not long. First, please I want you & Letty to send yours to us. Emma is a living in Natchez & Georgia was tho she has moved back to Wesson again & will live here I recon. Josephine is a living with us. They are a talking of going to keeping house again. They have been boarding with us for 8 months. We are a having of some fine weather. Know for the first time is 6 months gardens is a looking fine. Our garden is all young, but looks fine. I planted sweet potatos yesterday. Bill, I want you to tell me if you know if Henry Cockcroft if he is a living or dead. We never do get no letters from him & if you know what all of his postoffice is & tell me what Marys postoffice is. I haven't had no letter from her in over a year. Here is all of the children we have with us. Ida is the oldest & Lula is next. Mader? is next tho Will comes in between Morde? & Lula & Fanie is the baby. The purtiest of all. She a a gowing on 6 years since Feb the 9. She is small to her age. She has just come from Sunday School. She never misses a Sermon. You will see the childrens ages in figures under their names. Bill, I want you to tell me what you a dooing of for a living. Doo you work at your trade on farm or merchandis or speculate on how. Well Billey Noys I am as I am & I cant bee other wise it look like I cant do any better than I can. I work hard & live hard & all the rest dose the same & yet there is no prosper it looks like there is no better times for us. Bill, I haven't drunk a quart of spirit in 11 year & work all day and sleep at home of a nite & rest on Sunday well. That's all I can tell you a bout . Caree Owin is the last letter I had about 7 months ago. She lived at Selma, Ala. She had 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls. I cant recolect the names & they were a trying to sell out to go to the coast where Sam Elder lives at Bay of Biloxy. Jim Owin is boss carpenter of the Selma RR & has been for 7 years. Be sure to give me Eck & Cades postoffice if you know & Marys all so. I can't rite till I hear. Well, Edgar, Will has roat you a note of nonsence. Erencis, I want you & Nora to send me your likness. It has been a long time since I saw your faces. I cant have no ____how you look. I want to see you & all so all the rest of the family. Edgar, Will send you one of his cards also. Well, I can't think of any thing else at present. Don't do like I have done. Not Rite in a month. I was a waiting to have those pictures taken for you is the cause of my not writing sooner so done delay. Well, I will close soon. H. W. Hamby & Emma has got 3 children. Henry is the oldest 5 years. Eva is the girl. She is a gowing on 4 years. Ernest is the yongest. He is about 2 year old & a very perky little boy. Hamby is Boss Weaver in the Rosalee Cotten Mill at Natches, Miss & is a doing very well & Expict Billy Doowin Georgis Husband is there also at work in the mill. Well, Bill, the overflow of the Mississippi River is distressing. There is over 1500 people in distress & no where to go & nothing to go with. The government is a giving out rations to the destitute people. If the government had not a hope them, there is no telling what would have become of them. The Wesson fever is ailing a lot now. There has been over 100 deaths here since last summer, say 8 months ago. With the typhoid fevor all young women mostly. Every few older folks & few children. Mostly young ladies & a most all weavers in the mill. Well I will close. Write soon & often. Our children all send their love and best respects to you all. I reamin your truly till death." Signed L. L. Neel