May 30th  1862

Dear master

I received yours written
the first of may but as I had
just written to you I did not answer
it.  I was very glad to hear from
you,and to hear that you were well.
This leaves us in the injoyment of
our usual health.  we have had
very little wickness this Spring–
The weather has been very good
since I wrote to you last we had
a good rain last night which
was needed for the crops.
I am geting along clothing the people
very well.  I hope I will be able to
keep them from suffering.
Etter is geting along very well
with the garden–we are going to
have a plenty of Tomatoes, peppers,
cabbage, and different kind of vegetables

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We have not heard from Mr Powell
very lately, but we expect him down
next week.  he told me when he was
down here that he had written to
you to hire Maria to take the
place of sister Mary.  I am willing
to part with maria for the sake of
my mother as she is old and
has no child of her own to help her.
but when Betsey is sold, it will be
hard for me to give them both up.
Mr. Powell wrote us that master
Charles would be out here very
soon but we have seen nothing of
him as yet.  I would be very glad to see
him.  Miss Fanny Avery is married
to the Rev. Mr Cobb, pastor of the
Episcopal Church in Greensboro
he is a son of the old Bishop.
There is twenty one Fig trees in the
garden that are bareing and nine
out in the fence corners  I will
now bring my letter to a close.  L Skipwith

Lucy Skipwith, a slave of General John Hartwell Cock, and trusted by  him to manage the big house and her fellow slaves on his Hopewell, Ala., plantation.  Her letter of October 28 mentions Betsy having given birth to a white baby, but is unclear as to the exact reason Cocke decides to sell her. Lucy did intercede on behalf of fellow slaves on the plantation.

Richard Hooker Cobbs, son of Nicholas Hamner Cobbs married Fanny Avery

MSS 640