A Bit of Old-Fashioned Worry: The $419 Question

“I am needing the money very much and Cant hold the note Much longer”

Well hello there, neighbors! You wouldn’t believe the little treasure I came across in the archives today. It’s a simple, single sheet of lined paper from 1884, but it tells a story as old as the hills. This letter, written on the pre-printed stationery of John Cooper’s General Merchandise store in Hinton, West Virginia, is showing its age with some gentle yellowing and those deep fold marks that suggest it was carried around in a pocket for a good while. You can just imagine Mr. Cooper, his brow furrowed, dipping his pen to write a letter about a debt that was surely weighing on his mind.

The letter is addressed to Mr. William Prince over in Quinnimont, and it’s all about a note for $419 that hadn’t been paid. Now, back in the 1880s, that was a whole lot of money—enough to make any shopkeeper a bit nervous! Mr. Cooper explains that he had been writing to Mr. Laban Gwinn about the matter but hadn’t heard a word back. You can feel his politeness battling with his urgency as he mentions he simply can’t hold onto the note much longer. It’s a little window into the daily pressures of running a business in our neck of the woods long before credit cards were even a thought.

But the real heart of the piece is on the back. Mr. Prince must have been just as worried as Mr. Cooper, because he took that very same letter and scribbled a hasty, bold note to Laban Gwinn. He asks, “how about this matter,” and insists they meet up on Monday to see what can be done. It’s such a vivid, human moment caught in ink—the scramble to settle up and make things right between neighbors.

Back in 1884, our corner of West Virginia was bustling with the railroad and the coal mines, but life really came down to these personal ties and the trust folks placed in one another. Looking at this discolored paper today, it’s a gentle reminder that history isn’t just about the big events we read about in school. It’s about the everyday honesty and the little struggles of folks just like us, trying to navigate their lives and keep their word. Even after 140 years, that feeling of wanting to do right by your neighbors is something that still rings true for all of us today.

Original Transcription

[Letterhead]
OFFICE OF
JOHN COOPER,
DEALER IN
GENERAL MERCHANDISE,

Hinton, W. Va. May 8 1884

Wm Prince
Quinnimont W Va

Dear Sir
I have been
writing to Mr Laban Gwinn
Concerning the 419$ note
which I hold against you
and Mr Gwinn
He has not favoured
me with a reply to
My last letter I am
needing the money very much
and Cant hold the note
Much longer
Hoping to have an early and
favourable reply I am yours
Very Truly John Cooper

[Page 2 – Note written on reverse]
Mr Laban Gwinn
how about this
Matter it Must be
be Settled Come
up Monday & we can
See what can be
don yours W Prince