Wellborn Family Letters

              [page 1]
[written at top of page 1]
To his son-in-law M B Wellborn
from John Horry Dent 

May 19th 1860
On farm near Eufaula Ala

Dear Mack,

Your favour of 5th is at
hand. In my letter to you of
21st April, I mentioned to you
that Cochran paid me $1600. The 
transaction was as follows. On ac-
count of his wifes health, (who has
died since) he commissioned L F John-
ston to pay me the $1600 and it was
put off until after return day, by
promises that the payment would be
made without fail. When Johnston 
paid me or was about paying it. I 
told him the understanding was that
the Chochran & Bullock note was to be set-
tled and a balance on the other note
was to be paid, and the remaining
amount was to be credited on the
Peterson note, Johnston remarked, he 
knew nothing about those notes, and 


[page 2]
he was authorised to pay the $1600
on the Peterson note, which he did
and was Credited accordingly. I 
was aware that such a settlement
was not in accordance with your
instructions, how to settle it. But on
reflection, I considered it best 
not to refuse the offer of the $1600
as he was a tough case to get moneys 
out, and return day had passed, so 
it was credited on the Peterson note,
and the moneys applied to taking up
your note of $1600 which I had, and
has been forwarded you marked paid

Your letter to Mr Reuben Raigler I 
read, and enveloped and place it
in the hands of Branon to hand it 
to him. I have sent several messa-
ges to Mr Glover, about his note. and
no answers have been received.

Should you loose $10,000 on your Prarie-
lands you deserve no sympathy. for you
say you had an offer for them, which 


[page 3]
would have made you "a profit of 
over $6000" Such speculations as you 
have risked on those lands, are but the
results of accident, if any thing are 
made on them, as such, your refu-
sing a profit of over $6000 I consider 
but an avaricious caprice, which 
you will apt to think over and
after regret, as an extreme act of 
folly. So in future, should you lose
on them you have no one to blame
but yourself. Pneumonia in its most
agravated form has made its appear-
ance among my negroes for the last
month, which has put me very 
much behind hand in my crop, lack 
100 acres of being over my cotton for
the first time and have had on an
average of 14 hands out the field
daily since we began chopping out
cottons, Pope has immortalized him- 
self as a physician. I have seen him
raise cases that seemed hopeless and 


[page 4]
you know I have had much ex-
perience in sickness. he has but 
one talent, and that is, a doctor of
medicine - I am more pleased
with my Morgan Horses the more I 
use them, in comparison with 
them, I never saw a Southern
broke horse yet. they are like a
locomotive you can travel [them ?] 
as slow or as fast as you please,
they look as if they would tare
every thing to pieces and still
as gentle and tractable as lam-
bs. it shows how well broke and
well managed they have been
under their Yankee education 
and training. they can make their
ten miles an hour, as easy as [Prince ?] 
can three. they are roadsters I tell 
you and show blood every inch of 
them. Mrs. Dents brother says, they are
the best blooded Morgans in Vermont
and were selected for us with great
care and trouble

[rest of letter is missing]