Personal Correspondence  - To or From Fayette County Residents

Lilla Bridges To Mollie Bridges McLean 1921

Transcribed from a letter in my (Linda Blum-Barton) possession on 3/23/01. I believe it is from
Lilla Bridges, wife of Benjamin Hill Bridges to Mary J. “Mollie” Bridges
McLean, my great-grandmother. If you have a connection to Benjamin Hill
Bridges, please contact me. The death of Matthew Fletcher Jones spoken of in
this letter (Oliver's wife's father) occurred on 09 Jul 1921.
 

Monday Pine Level, N.C.

Dear Mollie,

Your letter just received. Ben says tell Clinton to leave home Saturday morning and buy his ticket through over the Southern to Pine Level by the way
of Raleigh. I don’t know whether he will get here to Pine Level at 7 a.m. or 2 afternoon. I will find out the first time I go over to Pine Level this week.
We will meet him Sunday at Pine Level. I am glad he is coming and I hope he will be satisfied. The young man with us seems to be well pleased. I have two men boarding with me and I am expecting more next week. We are out 8 or 9 miles and no place to stay so I had to take them. I just wish you was out here with us too. I was so sorry to hear of Olivers wife’s fathers death. Extend to her my deepest sympathy. I know just what it means to go through such trials. We had a big rain up here Saturday. Crops is suffering bad up here. Every body busy now curing tobacco. I don’t know whether you ever saw a tobacco barn they are made air tight with a cement furnace run across the house and pipes running all around the room the tobacco is hung from roof to floor and the furnace heated for 3 or 4 days and nights. They have to sit up every night to keep the fire regulated. Every body up here goes barefooted even the best people goes barefooted at home. There is several churches here Methodist Missionary Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Hard Shells & Holy Rollers. The Holy Rolers are having a revival this week and they stay til 1 & 2 oclock at night. The police had to stop the noise last year. I drove over to Pine Level this morning to get something to cook. Things sure is high up here. Tell Clinton if he can buy me a ham to bring it to me and I will pay him. I cant find a ham any where. I have been all over this country trying to find one. I sure wish I had some of your peaches I have not seen any thing that looks like fruit since I’ve been here. The place we are at now is thickly settled it looks like a little town. A country church out near here has over 100 scholars on roll in Sunday school they also has a Baraca & Philathia class now that is something for a little country church. They call Singings up here vocal unions. Give my love to Lizzie, Marion & Olivers family. I just wish I could put my arms around Olivers wife and tell her how much I sympathize with her. I send bushels of love to you & Lewis. Write and tell me all the news.

Love to all
Lilla

Additional Comments:
Lilla Bridges, 2nd wife of Benjamin Hill Bridges was first married to Edgar Winston Bridges of Coweta Co., GA and her maiden name was Lilla Harriett Gay. This letter is written to Benjamin H. Bridges' sister, Mary J. "Mollie" Bridges, wife of Lewis Clinton McLean of Fayette Co., GA.

Return to Correspondence Index

Home Page

This page was last updated on -04/07/2025