The following is the text of a handwritten letter dated December 9, 1901 from Franklin Dobbs Scott Knowles (1842-1905) to his cousin, Bettie Irene Knowles (1874 - 1932).  Bettie is the daughter of John Thomas Knowles (1845 - 1916) and Sarah Patience Hood (1851-1931).  The letter is postmarked by the Sparta, Georgia Post Office on December 13, 1901 on the back of the envelope used to send this letter.  The postmark on the front of the envelope is unreadable other than for a partial date of December 10.  Therefore, based on the postmarks, this letter appears to have been mailed on December 10, 1901 in Fort Branch, Gibson Co., Indiana, the day after it was written and it took three days to deliver the letter to Sparta, Hancock Co., Georgia. 

This letter is addressed to Mr. John T. Knowles, Sparta, Georgia (the Post Office written on the envelope, Hancock County).  The return address says: After 30 days, return to F.D.S. Knowles, Fort Branch, Gibson Co., Ind., Rural Free Delivery Route No. 1.  The original of this letter is in the possession of Grace (Knowles) Lee, the widow of Eldred Brinson Lee, who lives in Bickley, Ware County, Georgia.  Grace is the daughter of George Thomas Knowles, Sr. (1882 - 1966) who was a brother of Bettie Irene Knowles, the recipient of the referenced letter.  The John Thomas Knowles family migrated from the Sparta, Hancock County Georgia area to Broxton, Coffee County Georgia in 1910.  Grace provided R. B. Noles with a copy of this letter.

Franklin Dobbs Scott Knowles was a great grandson of Richard Knowles, Sr. (1715-1791), the oldest son of Edmund "Old Silverhead" Knowles (1685-1762). John Thomas Knowles was the great grandson of Edmund Knowles, Sr. (1747 - 1835), also a son of Richard Knowles, Sr.

Grace (Knowles) Lee is a member of the Bickley Methodist Church in Ware Co., Georgia (not far from Broxton in Coffee County).  Willie Hersey, the father of Dyann (Hersey) Noles (wife of R. B. Noles) grew up in Bickley, Georgia and was also a member of the Bickley Church prior to 1946.  R. B. Noles received a copy of this letter as a result of correspondence with Grace Lee during 1999 concerning the Hersey members of the Bickley Church and as a result of a visit to Grace Lee on September 11, 1999.  After discussing the various Hersey families from the Bickley area, we were both quite surprised to discover that we were both Knowles/Noles descendants and perhaps cousins (later proven by DNA testing to not be true).

The contents of the letter is as follows.  The R. B. Noles comments relative to the contents of the letter are surrounded by {brackets}, otherwise the wording, spelling and punctuation of the letter is as written by Franklin Dobbs Scott Knowles.  (Parentheses) as shown were used in the letter by Franklin Knowles:

(page 1)

Monday night Dec. 9, 1901

Cousin Bettie

Your most welcome letter to hand in due time. We are all well and general health is also good. It rained yesterday at times all day; cooler today after raining all night last night.  And snowed all the forenoon. A good part of the snow melted as it fell, but there is a good lot of it still left.

I wrote your father some time last summer concerning a Knowles living in Texas.  Did he write to him and where does he place him in the list of our relations. He wanted me to tell him where he belonged. I think from what he said that he is a

(page 2)

descendant of one of your great-great grandfather Edmund's {Edmund Knowles, Sr. (1747 - 18350} boys, but not certain which one.  If your father knows tell me all about in your next letter. I think I told you of cousin Joe A's death {don't know who this is} which occurred March 19th, 1900. He was the man met me at your house and took me home with him. He was a most excellent man and it was painful to hear of his death. Is Mr. Johnson still alive? He must be getting feeble by this time. How far from Sparta do you live and in what direction?

I have been thinking for sometime I would write to your Uncle Joe {Joseph Birdsong Knowles (1849 - 1931)}. I do not write as many letters as I used to.

(page 3)

There are some 5 or six persons I write to occasionly, but not often.  Tell your papa I and he ought to do better.  We ought to write at least once every three months. You have been teaching a long ways from home.  I suppose you got home-sick at times.  In what county did you teach down in south Georgia?  How far from the Florida line?  And near what town? {RBN assumes this was probably Broxton, Coffee Co., GA}.  Do you get better wages down there or do you like the climate better?  I was at your house twelve years ago last September and I think you was fourteen years old.  How long have you been teaching and how many months in the year are you usually engaged?

(page 4)

My oldest boy, Forman {1873 - 1956} generally teaches about 6 months each year.  He is now teaching about 15 miles northeast from here.  He will have a weeks vacation during Holidays.  Lawrence {1875 - 1968} is married and living on the farm 1/4 mile west of here.

We have a young lady living with us, Hallie McDaniel.  She came here before she was quite 6 years old; She is now past twenty. She is industrious and intelligent.  Her mother has been dead a good many years and her father is said to be a drunken worthless sort of fellow.  I was down south seven years ago, but from Atlanta, I went out into Eastern Alabama and thence into southwest Georgia and didn't reach your part of the state.

(page 5)

Enos Forman {Bettie Irene Knowles' brother; spelled Enos Farnum in other sources} was two years old when I saw him.  Of course he remembers nothing of me.  You spoke of your grandfather's {Benager Birdsong Knowles (1819 - aft 1901)} mind becoming impaired.  Is he getting feeble and does he walk with difficulty and how does he occupy his time?  By reading or sitting around?  Has your mother's {Sarah Patience Hood (1851 - 1931)} health become good?  I don't remember the names of your children. Please give them in your letter commencing with the oldest.  I saw cousin Enos last Saturday {RBN assumes this is Enos Knowles (c 1866 - aft 1901); son of Asa Knowles (1802 - 1898) from Gibson, Co., IN}.  He still works as hard as ever, and is breaking faster of late years.  His wife is failing faster than he is.  My Dear Cousin, I am pleased to hear from you.  Be sure to write occasionally when you

(page 6)

get away off down in southern Georgia.  I wish I could make some of you a Christmas present, but we are hard pressed this year on account of the corn crop failure.  It is worth 60 cents; getting higher and very scarce.  I hardly know what people will do.

I would like to visit you all and be with you for a time. I know we would have a most enjoyable time, but great distance separates us and I am getting up somewhat in years (59) and if I ever go again to your place I ought not to put it off many years.  Next time I would like to go in winter time.  Love to all.  Be sure to write without delay.

Your Cousin {signed} F.D.S. Knowles