A Summer Note from Prince: Taxes and Trust in 1897 M Gwinn, December 27, 2025December 27, 2025 Share on Social Media x facebook linkedin emailwhatsapp “Kindly send me receipts & oblige” Pull up a chair and let me show you something special I found tucked away in the archives. It is a single sheet of cream-colored paper, worn soft at the edges with fold lines that suggest it was once a prized piece of correspondence kept in a sturdy pocket. At the top left, you can just make out a faint, circular stamp from The Bell Warfield Drug Co in Oakland, but the heart of the page is the steady, handwritten ink of a man named Laban Gwinn. Dated July 17, 1897, this little letter has traveled through time from the town of Prince, West Virginia, right into our hands today.In this brief note, Laban is settling his accounts with Mr. E. G. Hinman over in Fayetteville. He was sending along $18.63—a modest sum by our standards today, but quite a significant amount of change back in the late nineteenth century. This money wasn’t just for one thing; it covered his land in the Fayetteville District, his personal property, and even his holdings in Quinnimont. It is a beautiful snapshot of a man taking care of his business with a sense of quiet duty and neighborly respect.What I love most about this piece is the little postscript at the bottom. Just four days after Laban sent his letter, O. H. Hinman added a note on July 21st, acknowledging that the tax tickets were safely enclosed and the transaction was complete. It shows us the slow but sure pace of life in the hills back then, where letters moved by rail and horse between mountain towns, and a simple handwritten receipt was the bond of trust between neighbors.Looking at this paper today, it feels like more than just an old tax record. It is a reminder that the history of our home isn’t just made of grand speeches or big battles, but of everyday folks like Laban Gwinn doing the right thing and keeping their word. It connects us to the people who walked the streets of Prince and Fayetteville long before us, reminding us that we are all part of the same long, heartfelt story of community and responsibility. Original Transcription THEBELL WARFIELD DRUG COOAKLAND… Prince WVa July 17-97 Mr E. G. HinmanFayetteville WVa D Sir –Enclosed find [crossed out] $18.63 for Tax as followTax on Land in Fyville Dis 15 21” ” Personal Prop 1.42” ” Land in Quinnimont 2 00$ 18.63 Kindly send me receipts& obligeTruly YoursLaban Gwinn This came to my hands todaytax tickets enclosedYours trulyO. H. HinmanJuly 21/97 1897-006.pdfDownload Share on Social Media x facebook linkedin emailwhatsapp History Letter 1897E. G. HinmanHistorical Significance: lowLaban GwinnPrinceWVa; FayettevilleWVa; Quinnimont; Oakland