Mountain Greenery and a Hopeful Heart: A Letter from 1887

“Now Laban please dont fail to send them as directed & if there proves to be money in the business you shall be a sharer in the Business as before stated”

Come on in and pull up a chair, friends. I have found something truly special in the archives today that feels like a warm handshake from the past. It is a letter written way back on a chilly March day in 1887 by a man named J. N. Fulwider. He was writing from Burlington, Indiana, to his dear brother Laban Gwinn, who lived out among the mountains. You can just feel the affection in his words as he asks after the family, even though he mentions his own health has been a bit poor lately. It is a humble, honest peek into a life lived long ago.

Holding this letter today, you cannot help but notice the beautiful, looping cursive script that was so common in the late 19th century. The paper has turned a soft, buttery yellow over the last hundred-plus years, yet the ink remains remarkably clear. You can see the deep creases where it was folded small to fit into an envelope and carried across state lines. There are even little marks where Mr. Fulwider went back to carefully tuck in a missed word with a caret, showing us just how much he wanted his message to be understood by his kin.

The heart of this letter is a clever little business plan. Fulwider wanted to bring a piece of the mountains to the flatlands of Indiana. He asked Laban to trek up to a neighbor’s place—old Mr. Bennett’s land—to gather some wild Laurel Honeysuckle and White Holly from near the mill race. He gave specific instructions on how to pack them in moss or old sacks to keep the roots damp during the journey to Kokomo. It is a wonderful glimpse into a time when the natural beauty of one region was a rare treasure in another, and people were always looking for a way to build a better life through hard work and nature.

Looking back at this correspondence, we see more than just a request for plants; we see the enduring spirit of American enterprise and the unbreakable bonds of family. Even when separated by miles and rugged terrain, these two were looking for ways to grow something new together. It reminds us that no matter how much our tools and technology change, the desire to share something beautiful and build a future with those we love remains the same.

Original Transcription

Burlington Carroll, Co, Ind
March 30th 1887
Dear Brother
Laban Gwinn after my best
^respects
to you and kind family I
would inform you that my
health is bad at this time and
has been since I returned home
your kins folks are all well exc-
ept John, T. Viney & Green Woodrums
wife They are on the recover now
My reason for not stoping at your
Place was that you were at Court
and was necesitated get home as
soon as possibly I expect to return
your Country ^to again if I can be
remunerated in business that I
purpose transacting I will posibly
take an agency for selling improved
nursery fruits & shrubs &c

Now Laban I will tell you
just what I want you to do for
me at this time and ^I will make
it interesting ^to you and myself
and if there is money in it we
can engage in it I want you
to send by express to Kokomo
Howard County Ind to James
J. J. Stone Marked C. O. D
the following shrubs Laurel
Honeysuckle & white Holly so
Called you can get the White holly
at Bennets who lives on the Mt
on your side of the River He ^Bennet
told me that it grew along his Mill
Race get the Smallest you can
of each kind sent for not higher
than 16 inches he wants 6 of each kind
but I think a less number woud do
use your own discretion Put them
up with good roots well raped in
in moss or something that will
Retain Moisture they can be
placed in light Box or old Sack

Or in any manner your best
judgement suggests Now
Laban please dont fail to send
them as directed & if there proves
to be money in the business you
shall be a sharer in the Business
as before stated all expence of
Expressage will be Paid By
J. J. Stone and I will remunerate
you for your labor and trouble
I purpose selling nursery impro
ved fruits in your Country for
fall delivery also to get orders
here for Shrubs of the Mountains
If you send those asked for Please
Send a letter addressed to Burlington
Carroll in order to getting soon as they
Arrive My object to see if they will
grow here in order to a fall delivery
as I am hardly able to write I will
close for this time Yours with esteem
J. N. Fulwider Laban Gwinn & Kind
family Del Patterson is well.