Settling Scores and Shifting Soil in Union

“pleas meet me then on the 12 day of Feb and we will fix it up right”

Come on in and sit a spell. I was rummaging through the archives today and found something that feels like a whisper from our own backyard. It is a letter dated January 23, 1884, written by a fellow named S. H. Peters to Mr. Sober Guinn. The paper itself is a beautiful shade of aged yellow, lined with those classic blue rules we do not see much anymore. You can see where it was folded up tight, perhaps tucked into a coat pocket, and the brown cursive ink is just starting to fade like a summer memory.

Now, Mr. Peters was a bit ruffled. It seems there was a disagreement over a piece of land in Union, West Virginia. Peters had paid for the place back in May, but Mr. Guinn was still claiming a stake in it. Peters writes with a firm hand, telling Guinn that if he wants to claim half the land until August, then he is surely responsible for half the taxes. He even mentions that the Sheriff is already looking for that payment! It is a classic tale of property lines and paperwork headaches that many of us can still relate to today.

There is also a bit of drama involving a man named Maxwell, who Peters says has not treated him right regarding the deed. There is a vendor’s lien for $700 mentioned, which was quite a sum of money in the 1880s. Peters is asking Guinn to meet him at the Hinton Court on February 12th to hash it all out. It really brings to life how our ancestors handled their business—not with emails or phone calls, but with ink, paper, and a face-to-face meeting at the courthouse.

Looking at this worn piece of history, I am reminded that while our technology changes, the human experience stays much the same. We still worry about fairness, we still deal with tricky contracts, and we still hope to settle things honorably in the end. It is a little window into the grit and determination of the folks who walked these hills long before we did.

Original Transcription

Union W V Jan 23/84
Mr Sober Guinn
Dear Sir
I receved your note in regard
to pasturn ing the little meedow
forme I paid for the plase in may
but if you claim you owned
one half of it untill the 1st of aug
you will have to pay 1/2 half of
the taxes which are due and the
Shiriff is wanting them now meet
me at the Hinton Court and we
see maxwell and fix it some way
Maxwell has not treated me right
about the deed to that land I
paid for that land I and see in
the deed that you have retained
a venders lien for about $ 700 & this
must be fix ed at the court all so
pleas meet me then on the 12 day
of Feb and we will fix it up right
yours Respectfully S H Peters