A Lock of Hair and a Letter from Flat Fork

“when this you see remember me tho meny miles a part may be”

Imagine holding a piece of 1878 right in the palm of your hand. This precious letter, penned by Mary So Gandll to her Aunt Jane, is written on yellowed, lined paper that feels like a bridge across time. You can see the gentle wear of the years in its fold lines and a few stains that suggest it was read and re-read many times over. The ink, which might have been a deep black or blue once, has faded into a soft, earthy brown, yet Mary’s handwriting still reaches out to us with remarkable clarity.

Writing from the little community of Flat Fork in Roane County, West Virginia, Mary shares the kind of news that mattered most to folks back then. She talks about the health of the family and the promise of the land, noting that the corn looks well and wheat is fetching a dollar. There is a real sense of movement in her words; she mentions Henderson’s upcoming trip to Greenbrier in August and even her own thoughts about moving toward the mountain. Amidst the talk of crops and travel, there is a tender concern for her mother, whose eyes are failing her. It is a humble, honest look at life in the late 19th century, right down to the sweet poem she included to make sure she wasn’t forgotten.

In an age before social media or instant messaging, letters like this were the lifelines that held families together across the rugged West Virginia terrain. When Mary asks for her aunt’s ‘likeness’ or photograph, she is asking for a treasure that would help bridge the many miles between them. Today, this letter serves as a beautiful reminder that while our technology has changed, our heart’s desire to stay connected to our kin remains exactly the same. It is a testament to the enduring power of family and the simple beauty of a letter sent with love.

Original Transcription

direct your letters
to flat fork roan
county West Va

when this you see remember
me tho meny miles a
part may be

when days are dark and
friends are few o wont
you think and ho often
think of you

So fare well till
we meet again

ps i will send you some
of my hair in this letter

Flat Fork 1878
June the 13th
Roan Co . West Va
Dear aunt and unkle i
seat my self to drop you
a fiew lines to let you
know that we are all well
at this line and i hope when
this comes to hand that it
will find you all well
Dear aunt i would like to
see you all the best in the
world it has bin a long time
since i seen you i want
you to come down this
fall and see us and tell
John that i would like to
see him i would like to
see all of the children
the best in the world
times is very good out here

[Page 2]

crops are good
corn looks very well
this is a fine country come
down and see us Haty
and Chares and henderson
is coming up thare to
see you all and they are
a going to green brier
they are a going to start
in august the first
mother has got sore
eyes she cant hardly
see her way nor be
back up thare if mother
would go with him but
she says that she will
not go i want you to
wright to me and tell
me all the news and how
times is out thare i think
that me and henderson

will move to the mountain
this fall if he likes that
country aunt Jane i want
you to send your likeness
to me and i will send you
mine i would like to see
your likeness so well but
i would rather see you
tell me your childrens
names in the answer to this
wheat is worth 1 dollar
corn is worth from 50 to 60
sents a bushel down here
well i will haft to close
for this time wright soon
from mary So Gandll
your neice to Jane Guinn