A Dusty Debt and a Neighborly Note: A Treasure from 1873

“We Do not wish to put cost on any one But we are orderd to collect By the shortest way”

Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve come across a real gem in our local archives. It is a humble piece of cream-colored paper, lined and gently yellowed by the passage of time. When you hold it, you can feel the distinct creases where it was folded carefully into thirds so many years ago. The ink, a warm shade of brown, is still remarkably clear, telling a story that began in Summers County on a summer day in 1873.

This letter was penned by Mr. George Keller, an executor looking to tidy up the estate of Joseph Gwinn. He was writing to Laban Gwinn with a delicate request. It seems Laban’s father had signed a bond—a promise to pay—for one hundred and thirty-five dollars way back in 1856. By 1873, the elder Gwinn had passed away, leaving the debt unsettled. George wasn’t looking to cause a fuss or pile on legal fees, but he had a responsibility to fulfill. He reached out with a mix of firm resolve and neighborly respect, asking if any arrangements had been made to honor that old promise.

When we look at this date, August 7, 1873, we are looking at a community still finding its footing after the hardships of the Civil War. That seventeen-year-old debt survived a decade of national conflict and local change. In those days, a person’s bond was their word, and those words carried weight long after the ink had dried. George’s mention of his post office in Lowell reminds us how small and connected these mountain communities were, where everyone knew your name and your family’s history.

To us, this letter is a beautiful reminder that history isn’t just about big battles or famous leaders; it’s about the quiet, everyday honesty of people trying to do right by one another. It shows us that even in the middle of financial business, there was a sense of decorum and shared humanity. Holding this letter today, we aren’t just looking at an old bill—we’re touching a hand extended across the generations, reminding us of the importance of honor and the stories that bind us together.

Original Transcription

Summers Co Aug 7th 73
Dear Sir
I venture to adress you this note
to see If you can give me any
information a bout your Fathers
Bisness I have a Bond against him
Which was Executed To Joseph Gwinn
In the year 1856 of $ 135 00 Dollars
priciple he fairly promet to pay the
money a bout this time I Learn he
is Deceased and of corse can not comply
him self I wish to no if he made any
arraing ment with your self or any
other person to pay the a bove mentione
-d Bond please let me no soon We
Do not wish to put cost on any one
But [crossed out] we are orderd to collect
By the shortest way When this comes
to hand please Give me the best
Information you can a bout the mater
Yours Resptfly Geo Keller
One of the Exet of
Joseph Gwinn Decd
To Mr Laban Gwinn

Lowell is my po office Summers Co