Letter from
George Washinton Dudley
to John Franklin Dudley
July 6, 1901
George Washington Dudley was the youngest child of Ignatius Dudley and Sarah Holland. Charles Hudson Dudley, born in 1821 in Madison County, Ga., was their second child. John F. Dudley married Emily Catherine Gammill in1873, in Choctaw County, Mississippi.The son mentioned in the letter is J. F. Dudley’s oldest child, Charles Hudson Dudley, born August 16, 1875, in Choctaw Co., Mississippi. He died in 1901. He married Ada Redding. They had one child, Homer Lee Dudley who married Frankie Northern of Lebanon, Tennessee. They had one daughter and three sons.
Col. William Dudley would have been J. F. Dudley’s g. great-grandfather. J.F. Dudley’s father was son of Ignatius, who was the son of John T. Dudley of Elbert County, Ga. When Ignatius was born in 1799. John T.’s last will was signed April 7 1840.
The above information was written on the sides of several pages of my copy of the letter. A note was attached that reads:
"Note that Col. William Dudley according to this letter would be the father of John T. Dudley and the grandfather of Ignatius, James L., Wiley and Mary Ann."
Copy of the letter obtained from Arnold Horton Wilson and Bonnie Imogene Rains Wilson of Albertville, Alabama.
Iuka, Miss. July 6, 1901
Dear Nephew,
Your letter to hand you were a little slow about writing, but I am glad you wrote. No doubt you had a lawful excuse for the delay.
What you tell me about Sister Harriet’s death only confirms me on the impression I already had, that she died as much for want of necessary attention as anything else. In other words, that her last moments were doomed and made miserable by the inhumanity and natural neglect of Pat’s own daughter. Of course, nothing better was to be expected of her husband, but that Mary whose sin and shame had been condoned and forgiven, should have remembered at least the dictates of common humanity toward the being who had brought her into existence and she had borne with her daughter’s frailties as Pat would have done. No doubt Mack sized it up about right when he said she was as mean as her husband.
You ask me about our genealogical tree. I am sorry that I cannot give more particulars, but will do the best I can.
COL. WILLIAM DUDLEY, who was your great grandfather, came from England at the close of the Revolutionary War. He was until middle age, the Captain of an English merchant vessel and visited many parts of the world. He was a full blooded Englishman. His wife was an American of British descent.
Your great grandfather, on you grandmothers side of the house was named Charles Holland. He was American born, but I think his ancestors came from Germany, or Holland. He was a brave soldier of the revolutionary War and drew a pension until 1846 when he died and now lies buried at New Hope Church, in Webster county, not over 20 miles from where you live. I visited his grave several times when I lived in Webster. He is one ancestor of whom I feel proud. He carried to the grave the scars of three wounds which he received fighting for our liberties. It is ever convenient , go out [and] look at his modest grave. It is an inspiration to stand by the grave of an honest patriot and brave man, especially when you can claim descent from him. As I stood there, I could imagine that I saw the thin line of American soldiers at Cowpens and Tarleton‘s dragoons dashing down upon them at headlong speed------could see a powerful dragoon raise his heavy sword------saw it descend upon my grandfather’s head-------saw him in the nick of time ward it off with his upraised arm with his powder horn on top. Then I could see him give a thrust into my grandfathers side with his sword, the point breaking against his bone. I saw also a faithful comrade of my grandfathers fire, saw the dragoon fall dead. Of all these things I had been told by my Sainted Mother, your grandmother. My grandfather never entirely recovered from the effects of that sword thrust, although he lived to the age of 90.
We have been having some nice showers recently and the crop prospect in this section is greatly improved. Farmers from Bear Creek, Tennessee River and Yellow Creek all tell me they have never had a more promising crop.
With best wishes for all and especially for your son’s recovery.
I am yours truly,
G. W. Dudley
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Contributed by Charlotte Collins Bond
