A Neighborly Hand in Old Fayette County

“Labin Gwinn has Settled that debt with me & has no right to be pushed on that debt Given under my hand”

Hey there, neighbors! Pull up a chair, because I’ve found a real treasure in the archives today that’s as warm as a woodstove on a November morning. Back in 1866, right here in Fayette County, a man named John Gwinn picked up his pen to do right by his fellow man. He wrote a firm but fair letter to Sheriff Casseday because the law had gone and seized Labin Gwinn’s horses and wagon for a debt. John wasn’t having any of it! He told the Sheriff to stop immediately, clarifying that the debt was already settled and he never asked for such a harsh measure to be taken.

Looking at this letter today, you can see the history etched into the very fibers of the paper. It’s aged to a beautiful golden yellow, with frayed edges and deep creases that tell a story of being folded and unfolded many times. The handwriting is done in a dark, confident ink on paper with faint blue lines, showing us that even in a time before computers and printers, a man’s word held a lot of weight. It’s a bit delicate now, but the strength of the message hasn’t faded one bit.

This was written just a short time after the country had been through so much turmoil, and it reminds us that during those rebuilding years, folks had to rely on each other. A person’s horses and wagon were their lifeblood back then—it’s how you plowed your fields and got your goods to town. John Gwinn knew that ‘pushing’ someone over a debt that was already handled just wasn’t the neighborly way to live. It’s a beautiful reminder for us today that kindness, clarity, and standing up for the truth are values that never go out of style, no matter how many years pass us by.

Original Transcription

November the 2 day 1866
Mr Casseday Sherriff of Fayette County West. Va
Labin Gwinn informes me you have Levied on
his Horses & wagon for a debt in favor of me as
plantiff a gainst him these are therefore to direct you
not to prosecute that mater aney further as I forbid
It & never did Direct aney such an Execution a gainst
him Given under my hand John Gwinn

Labin Gwinn has Settled that debt
with me & has no right to be pushed
on that debt Given under my hand
2 of November 1866 John Gwinn