A Hand-Delivered Promise from Kanawha Falls

“I hope you will not get out of patience with me, do you still want any goods if so please let me know”

Pull up a chair and gather ’round, friends, because I’ve found something truly special tucked away in the archives. It’s a modest little scrap of history from November 4, 1876, sent from right over in Kanawha Falls. Just looking at it makes you feel the weight of the years; it’s a piece of paper with a faint blue tint, showing the clear marks of where it was folded and tucked into a pocket or a desk long ago. The handwriting is that elegant, flowing cursive we don’t see much of anymore, written in a brownish-black ink that has stood the test of time remarkably well. There is even a tiny, proud little seal embossed in the corner, a reminder that even a simple business note was handled with a bit of grace back then.

In this letter, Mr. S. C. Cavender is writing a quick note to Mr. Laban Gwinn. It isn’t a grand proclamation or a legal decree, but rather something much more human. Cavender is reaching out to settle an account, asking for just a little more time and making sure his neighbor doesn’t need any more goods before he makes the trip up. You can almost hear the sincerity in his voice as he asks Laban not to lose patience with him. It’s a glimpse into a world where business was done face-to-face, built on a foundation of handshakes and hard-earned trust.

When we hold a letter like this, we’re holding a connection to the daily lives of those who walked these same paths over a hundred years ago. In 1876, life moved at the speed of a horse or a riverboat, and a simple promise to “come up as soon as I can” meant everything. It reminds us that behind every ledger and every transaction, there were folks looking out for one another, trying to do right by their community.

Today, in our world of instant messages and digital receipts, there’s something deeply moving about Mr. Cavender’s carefully penned words. It tells us that even the smallest interactions—a debt owed, a favor offered—are part of the fabric that holds us together. It’s a gentle reminder to have a little patience with one another and to keep our promises, just as they did along the banks of the Kanawha all those years ago.

Original Transcription

Kanawha Falls Nov 4 / 76
Mr Laban Gwinn
Dr Sir
I will be up as soon as possible
and settle with you, I hope you
will not get out of patience with
me, do you still want any goods
if so please let me know
I will come up as soon as I can
Yours &
S C Cavender