A Trunk of Tales and a Date at the Greenbrier Court

“I wont that trunk of paper that is there if you can send them to me I wold be mutch obliged”

Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve got something special to show you today. Nestled in our archives is a letter from May 15, 1874, sent from the beautiful Blue Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County. It was written by a man named Ballard Lemway to his neighbor, Lobin Gwinn. You can almost feel the weight of history when you hold it. The paper is an off-white, lined sheet, creased from being folded up tight for over a century, and the ink has aged to a soft, earthy brown. Ballard’s handwriting is a charming cursive, and while his spelling is a bit unique, his voice comes through loud and clear across the years.

In the letter, Ballard is asking Lobin for a trunk of paper and urging him to make the trip to the Greenbrier court on the 25th of the month. It seems there was a big compromise being worked out between the Mann and Gwinn families, involving a settlement made by Lobin’s father. Ballard mentions seeing folks like Alexander Anderson and Caleb Lively, who were all planning to meet in town to get matters settled. You can sense the urgency in Ballard’s request; he really wanted Lobin to be there to look after his own interests rather than just letting the world move on without him.

Back in those days, West Virginia was still a young state, and family land or legal agreements were the bedrock of the community. A trunk of papers wasn’t just old clutter—it was a person’s history, their claims, and their legacy. This letter gives us a peek into how our ancestors handled their business, through face-to-face meetings at the courthouse and handwritten notes carried across the hills. It reminds us that behind every legal case or family name we see on a map today, there were real people trying to do right by their kin and their neighbors.

Looking at this letter now, it’s a beautiful reminder of the threads that connect us. It’s about more than just a court date; it’s about the responsibility we have to our family’s story. Ballard’s nudge to Lobin to attend to the matter himself is a timeless piece of advice. It tells us that our history is worth showing up for, worth preserving in a trunk, and certainly worth sharing with one another today.

Original Transcription

May the 15 th 1874
Blue Sulpher Springs
Greenbrier Comty
W Va
Mr Lobin Gwinn Esqr
I wont that trunk of
paper that is there if you
can send them to me I wold
be mutch obliged if you
are coming oup to the greenbrier
cort bring them with you if
not you had better let them
Remain at your hous tell I
come down but if you have
any notion of coming in to
the Mann an Gwinn comprms
you had better come up as
I saw Alexander Anderson
and he is to meet me in town
at our cort an Caleb Lively oll
so an I wold be glad if you
wold come up tow as

you claim to be interested
in that compromise the cort
is on the 25 day of this month
if you cant come pleas let
me no wheather you inted
to abide by what your
father and Mann done but
I wold much Rather you
wold come up to cort
an attend to the matter
your self
yours Respectfully
Ballard Lemway

Lobin Gwinn
Mckindree
fayett county
W Va