A Brotherly Hand in Hard Times

You had better go as soon as you git this

Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve found something special in the stacks today. It’s a small piece of paper, dated August 16, 1866, and it feels like holding a piece of a conversation that happened over a century and a half ago. This letter was written by Breckenridge Guinn to his brother, Laban. It’s a humble thing, really—aged to a warm yellow with some staining from years of handling, and you can still see the deep fold lines where it was tucked away for safekeeping. At the very top, someone, perhaps Laban himself, scribbled some pencil calculations, maybe trying to figure out the very debt mentioned in the letter.

The ink is still dark and clear, carrying a message that’s as urgent today as it was then. Breckenridge was writing at their father’s request to warn Laban about a legal judgment called the ‘Bowyer Execution.’ It seems the debt hadn’t gone away; in fact, it was growing. Their father wanted Laban to know he needed to move fast and talk to a man named Casady. There’s a real sense of a family looking out for one another here. A fellow named William Flanagan had the paperwork, but he was only going to hold onto it for a few more days before passing it back to the authorities.

In 1866, the world was a complicated place. The country was still healing from the wounds of the Civil War, and for folks in small communities, keeping your head above water financially was a constant struggle. Legal papers and executions—which were basically orders to pay up or lose property—were a heavy burden. But even in the middle of those tough times, you see the local network at work. Flanagan gave a heads-up to Breckenridge, who told their father, who made sure the word got to Laban. It’s a reminder that back then, news traveled by hand and heart.

Looking at this today, it reminds us that while the tools we use to communicate have changed, the spirit of family doesn’t. We still look out for our siblings, and we still worry when the bills pile up. This letter isn’t just about a debt; it’s about a brother reaching out through the mail to say, ‘I’m looking out for you.’ It’s a little slice of human kindness and family loyalty that’s managed to survive the passage of time, still legible on a piece of brittle, yellowed paper.

Original Transcription

611
444
254
1814
1614

16th
August The – 1866
Brother Laban Guinn
Father Requested of me to let you
know that the Bowyer Execution
has bin Renewed against you he
Says it is as Large now as it was
when It first Came out if not
larger and Says you had better
go and see Casady forthwith
It was in the hands of Wm
Flanagan last Saturday he to
Flanagan told me that he wou
Return It to Casady on the 15
Instant and would tell him
to hold on 3 or 4 days until
you Could go and See Him
You had better go as soon as
you git this Yours Respectifuly
Breckenridge Guinn