Gibbons/Kemper/Yancey Family Letter Series |
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Information about this letter:
| Envelope: | Address:
|
| Sender: | Franklin Kisling Pence [See
Franklin Kisling
Pence in Guide to Individuals]
|
| Recipient: | Franklin's half-sister, Frances Virginia (Kemper) Gibbons [See Frances Virginia (Kemper) Gibbons) in Guide to Individuals] |
| Date Written: | September 5, 1885 |
| Location: | Rome, Ga. |
| Surnames mentioned: | None specifically |
| Locations mentioned: | Cobb County (Ga.), Marietta (Ga.), Atlanta (Ga.) |
Rome Ga. Sept 5th, 1885
Dear Sister,
I received yours of the 29th August. I suppose Robert got my letter informing him I had sold my store. From what he wrote me in one of his letters I thought it doubtful if he would come out, I determined to sell out and just the day before I got his last letter I made a sale. But as the men who have occupied my store house vacated it on the 1st inst. I thought I would not rent it, but do a little jobbing business of some kind to pay our expenses until we could determine what kind of a business to permanently engage in, but that idea was very suddenly knocked in the head by a very responsible firm offering to rent the house for three years at $50.00 a month the rent to be paid promptly monthly. It did not take five minutes to make the trade. I saw at once it was a good offer and acceped (sic) the offer. The three years rent is almost exactly half what the lot and building cost. It was just what I always toled (sic) Emily it would be, a good thing for her. and it yet greaves (sic) me nearly to death to think what a hard time she had, and just when she was fixed to live easy she had to die, but I try to console myself that it is all right
Tell Robert to come on. I will turn up something for him to do.
It will cost him nothing anyway to winter here, and I (sic) no doubt it will be better for his health.
I have been corresponding with a party in Atlanta for the purchaise (sic) of (dont get scared) a Cotton Factory located in Cobb County about 12 miles from Marietta and some little more for Atlanta.
I have not seen it am going down to see it tomorrow morning The following is answers to questions in regard to the factory.
The titles are perfect in every respect. Buildings all put up within the last four to five years.
Building a fine frame 50x100 feet on stone foundation.
Picker House 30x40 feet.
Cotton House 20x30 feet.
Store House 30x40 complete Counters, Shelving [H ??].
16 Opperative (sic) Houses 2 rooms each.
The factory contains 1300 spindles with all necessary Shafting, Pullys [H H ??, or He He ??, or &c &c ??] of fine quality, and now in good running order,
48 acres of land.
Thickly populated neighbourhood,
The power is a creek dam 16 feet high, head of water 24 feet.
The wheel is a fifty horse power turbine and a fifty horse power Steam Engine.
The stream unfailing and generally sufficient to run the machinery day and night. except in the fall after a very dry summer. when the steam power is used to supplement the water power.
The man who built the factory expended $32.000,00 , and had nothing left to opperate (sic) it with borrowed $2500.00 of a wealthy man in Atlanta who foreclosed the morgage (sic) for the same and had to take the property. The preasant (sic) owner has no use for the property and offers the whole thing to me for $2500.00.
Several of our best and shrewdest business men here say if it is as represented it is a great bargain and advised me to buy it on speculation. There is no loom, spins only. The Engine Shafting & Pullys are worth the money.
It wont cost me much to go and see it, as I have some business in Atlanta
If I should buy it my idea and some sharp men here say the idea is a good one is to clean up and put everything in nice order and whitewash the whole shebang and get up a stock company to opperate (sic) it putting it in to the company at $20,000.00 retaining a $5000.00 interest.
I was surprised to hear you were so dry we have yet one of the finest seasons I ever saw here, corn sweet & Irish Potatoes will be a drug, and the largest cotton crop by far ever raised here.
Love to all F. Pence [H. Pence ??]
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I have nothing farther from the monument. I cant think it takes all this time to make it Our Marble man says he knows they had a hard job.
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