A Handshake from Hinton: A 137-Year-Old Promise

“Have it properly signed up and notify me and I will bring you down the money and take up the deed -“

Gather ’round, neighbors! I’ve stumbled upon a real treasure from our local past—a handwritten note from a cold January day back in 1887. In this little piece of history, Ro Maxwell is writing to William Prince Jr. about settling a business matter with Laban Gwinn. It’s a simple request to get a release of lien signed so that Maxwell can finally pay over the money and secure the deed. It’s the kind of everyday honesty that built our community, right down to the specific $1.25 fee for the notary and the paperwork.

Looking at the paper today, you can see the story of its journey. It’s written on the letterhead of Adams & Miller, Attorneys-at-Law, but the soul of it is in the dark, sweeping ink of Maxwell’s pen. The page is touched with foxing—those little brown age spots we archivists see as beauty marks—and has the gentle wear of being folded and unfolded by hands that are long gone. It’s held up remarkably well, a sturdy survivor from a time when Hinton, West Virginia, was just a young, growing town.

This letter is more than just a legal document; it’s a window into the late 19th century. In 1887, life moved at a different pace. You didn’t just click a button to transfer funds; you sent a letter, waited for a signature, and then personally ‘brought down the money.’ It tells us about a world where professional lawyers and local citizens worked together to keep the wheels of the town turning, one deed at a time.

Today, this scrap of paper serves as a warm reminder that our history isn’t just made of grand battles or famous speeches. It’s made of fair dealings, small fees, and the word of one neighbor to another. It’s a legacy of integrity that we still strive to carry forward in our own lives here in West Virginia.

Original Transcription

Hinton, W. Va., Jany 3rd 1887
Wm Prince Jr Esq
Dr Sir:-
Enclosed find
Release of the lien to be signed
and acknowledged by Laban Gwinn
Before a Justice or Notary Public,
Have it properly
signed up and notify me and I
will bring you down the money
and take up the deed – Please
attend to that and as I want to
pay over the money –
Gwinn must pay the costs of Jus-
tice or notary $0.25 – and cost of wri-
ting the release $1.00 $1.25 in all.
Yours Truly,
Ro Maxwell
Hinton
WVa