(This is the other Isaac Gore letter received from the Wilson Library, NC, transcribed by James L. Gore) Joyce Gore Locke ---------------------------------------------------------- Following is a transcription of the second letter dated 3 January 1832 to Mr. Samuel Coffman, merchant, New Market, Shenandoah County, VA: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page 1 Tenn, Overton County, January 3rd, 1832 Dear Sons, Daughters, &c, Received your letter dated October 22, 1831 which gave so great satisfaction to hear from you with our friends and relatives and that you are well and in good spirits. Give my best respects to Mrs. Clair Haas and Mrs. Maria Samuels and tell them that I shall not enjoin anything on them for their disobedience in not notifying their father and grandfather of their matrimonial design only to be obedient and loving wives and affectionate mothers. If so, shall congratulate with them. Can inform you that our children and their families are all enjoying reasonable good health. A few days since, your mother and myself also as much so as could well be expected for people of our age. If it should please God that I live until the 2nd of March next, it will make 67 years of age and your mother will be the same in July next. I have been afflicted since last August was a year with sore feet and legs. After they got sore the bowel complaint left me and have enjoyed reasonable good health ever since in body. I attended a mineral spring about 14 miles distant from home for 5 months last spring & summer of which I received great benefit. The season was uncommonly wet with us and disagreeable had it of been more dry. I tthought and think yet that it would of cured me. They have not been broke out as to run for several months and if I'm spared till spring I intend trying them again. I have thought if they should get sound and I should keep as swell in body as I have been for some months, I could most Page 2 venture to take one more trip to New Market as I have a great desire to see you all once more before I leave this troublesome world. I have been joking the old woman and telling her if we had a small carriage she could come also. She appears to have a great desire but thinks she could not stand the route. I've thought if we don't go to see you that we never shall see each other in this life. Our crops of wheat was of little account. I did not cut one bushel, it being the first harvest that I ever failed since I kept house. The rye was good. I never saw greater prospect of a good crop than was before the cold weather came on. The people plowed their wheat up and planted it or sowed it in oats. Our corn crops better than common or else it would be hard times with some people. We have had so far the hardest winter I've saw since I came to the state and the most snow and lays the longest which will be of service to our small grain. There has been a number of our neighbors removed to the Illinois the last 2 or 3 years and a number of them returning and many more would come if they could and a number of them froze to death. I'm told two thirds of their corn is frosted so bad it can't be used. It stinks in the field. There was an instance of 4 men had been at the lead works with an ox team and on their return home stopped at a house just at the edge of the timbered land at a house it being near night. The man of the house advised them to not go any further as it was 17 miles through the _errasa but they being stout and dram with them pushed on and after some distance one of their ox gave out. They then turned the other 3 out and began to get alarmed and thought they would make for the timber, but soon one of the men gave out. They then lap'd him up with some clothes & covered him with snow and went a small distance and the 2nd gave out and they covered in like manner and went on further and then the 3rd the same and the 4th fpind at the stable of the man's house from where they started. The man had occasion to get up he saw a man standing. He called to him without an answer. He slipped on his clothes and went to him stiff & speechless. He got him into the house and worked with him awhile. He came to and related Page 3 the circumstance. It appeared that snow fell that night and they could not find the track. But after some time they were found all dead and part of them eat up by the varmints as also 3 of the oxen was dead. I would not live in such a country for the whole state. There was also stated that 2 men froze in McMinnville Jail in this state. Also a lad that had been to mill in Jackson County joining our county. His nag took him home with his hands fast to the mane & bridle ___ing the nag. I'm happy to hear that Jacob Strayer is settled to their satisfaction and doing well. He gave a great price tho I ever understood that it was thought to be one of the valuablest tracts of land in Rockingham County. I think I recollect Mr. Samuels when he was a white headed little boy. His father & mother I thought high of. Mr. Haas I don't know that I had any knowledge of tho recollect that name. Think perhaps they had not been living in the place. Can you please to give my respects to Mr. Haas & Mr. Samuels. Should I never see them I wish them well and hope to enjoy a correspondence with them at all events to let me know if either my daughter and granddaughter makes good housekeepers and affectionate wives and mothers. My Acquaintances and neighbors in Shenandoah appear still to be ____. Wish you to say something about the following names if living: John & ____ Savage, Doctor Hinkle, Polly Gore and her son, John & Sally Moore, William Bird &c, H. Bird, George Kyes &c, Benjamin & Clair Miller, my worthy old friend Phillip Williams, Mr. Shugart, A. Pollock &c, John Neff &c, John & William Pennybacker &c, John Morgan, Pense, William Will, John Coffman, Solomon Kingree, Phillip & Jonathan H., and George Henslee, a poor boy, a blacksmith that recommended to Jacob for insight in his trade. I wish to know where he is living as I would write to know about his sisters &c. Give my sincere love to all your children individually, Particularly Erasmus who in your absence wrote me the most intelligible affe -ctionate letters that I ever saw come from so young a youth. I showed his letters to a number of my neighbors which I was much admired at, for spelling, diction & scribe. Dear Sons and Daughter, the more I write the more anxious I'm to see you all and think if we are spared and think we can stand the journey we will try to make the attempt next fall. Remain your sincere affectionate father & mother until death us do part. s/Ingober & Isaac Gore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comments by James L. Gore: 1. On page 1, line 4, Mrs Clair Haas is Clara, daughter of Isaac and Ingabo. 2. On page 1, line 4, Mrs. Maria Samuels is the daughter of Samuel Coffman and Margaret Gore and the granddaughter of Isaac and Ingabo. 3. On page 3, line 8, Jacob Strayer is the husband of Adelaide Coffman who is the granddaughter of Isaac and Ingabo. 4. On page 3, line 11, Mr. Samuels is Green Berry Samuels, the husband of Maria Coffman who is the granddaughter of Isaac and Ingabo. 5. On page 3, line 12, Mr. Haas is John Haas, the husband of Clarissa who is the daughter of Isaac and Ingabo. 6. On page 3, line 21, the identity of Polly Gore and her son is still a mystery. The 1820 Shenandoah County, VA census shows a Mary Gore living at New Market. Her age is listed as 26-45 (born between 1775 and 1794). Her son may have been Washington Gore who was listed as head of household in the 1830 and 1840 Shenandoah County, VA censuses as age 20-30 and 30-40, respectively, indicating that his year of birth was between 1800 and 1810. Living in his household in both of these censuses was an elderly woman aged 40-50 and 50-60, respectively, indicating that her year of birth was between 1780 and 1790. Washington Gore was also listed in the 1850 Shenandoah County, VA census with his son Eugene aged 14 (born late 1835/early 1836). Eugene is probably the son aged 5-10 (born between 1830 and 1835) in the 1840 census. Mary "Polly" Gore (mother of Washington and grandmother of Eugene) apparently died sometime between 1840 and 1850. At this point, I am unable to determine whether she was born a Gore and had Washington out of wedlock or whether she was the divorcee/widow of a Gore. She was not a daughter of Isaac and Ingabo since she was not listed in the Isaac Gore family Bible. Further, she was not married to any of Isaac and Ingabo's sons. She was neither a daughter nor a daughter-in-law of John Gore and Elizabeth Grigsby. For the time being, she is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mystery. 7. Isaac was apparently a little upset to hear that his daughter Clara and granddaughter Maria had married a few months earlier and apparently did not send him a wedding invitation. 8. There were a few words that I was unable to read and I just placed a ______ for the unreadable word. Perhaps I will be able to fill in some of them at a later date.