A Handshake in Ink: A 150-Year-Old Greeting from Laurel Creek

“they have Paid me all rents Due & delivered the House to me in good order.”

Pull up a chair, friends, and take a look at this fragile little window into the past. It is a simple note dated way back to November 24, 1872, written by a man named Morris Kaler. He was writing to Mr. John Gwinn about a rental house over at Laurel Creek in Fayette County. It seems some fellas named Page and Parks had been living there, and Morris wanted to make sure they got their contract back because they had settled up their bills and left the place neat as a pin.\n\nWhen you hold this piece of paper today—very carefully, mind you—you can see the history right on its surface. It is written in a lovely purple ink on yellowed, lined paper that shows its age with a few stains and a bit of a tattered corner. There is even some faint pencil writing at the top, like a whisper from someone who handled it over a century ago. It is amazing how something so delicate has survived the long years.\n\nBack in those days, West Virginia was still a young state, and life along the creeks of Fayette County was built on these kinds of personal dealings. There were no digital bank transfers or long legal forms; just a letter between friends to confirm that a debt was paid and a home was respected. It is a reminder of a time when a person’s word and a short note were enough to close a deal.\n\nLooking at this letter now, it reminds us that history isn’t just about big battles or famous leaders. It is about ordinary people like Morris and John doing right by each other. It tells us that being a good neighbor and leaving things in good order is a virtue that never really goes out of style, no matter how many years pass by.

Original Transcription

[Faint pencil writing:] Mr John H Gwinn

Mr John Gwinn. please deliver
Messrs Page & Parks their Contract
with us for the House rented
them by us at Laurel Creek
in Fayette Co, W.Va they have
Paid me all rents Due & delivered
the House to me in good
order.
Novr 24th 1872 Your friend
Morris Kaler

Witness
W. I. Keblinger