The Mystery of Lot Number One: A Glimpse into Our Shared Past

“would you please to let me know what has been done with the pattents and Copys of Patents that your Father used (Southgates and Heny Banks) while Lawing with Mann”

Pull up a chair, friends, because I’ve found something special in the archives today. It’s a humble letter from November 6, 1890, written by a man named Alex Anderson in Mt. Ida, Fayette County. He was reaching out to Laban Gwinn, looking for some missing pieces of a puzzle involving old land patents. This isn’t just a business note; it’s a window into the days when owning a piece of West Virginia soil often meant navigating a maze of paperwork and ‘lawing’ with the neighbors. The letter mentions a 1000-acre tract known as Lot No. 1, which has passed through many hands—from Henry Banks to John Anderson and Samuel Fleshman—leaving Alex searching for the original deeds to prove where the lines were drawn.

As you hold this letter—or look at it through the glass—you can see the toll of time. The paper has turned a deep, warm yellow, almost brittle-looking with those sharp creases from being tucked away in a pocket or a desk drawer for over a hundred years. There is a bit of staining here and there, and if you look closely at the first page, you will see where Alex realized he missed a detail and used a tiny caret symbol to tuck in the words ‘Tillers Creek road.’ It is those little human touches, written in dark, faded ink, that make the past feel so close you could almost reach out and touch it.

In the grand scheme of things, this letter captures a moment of transition in our region. In the late 19th century, land was everything, but the records were often messy, crossing paths between pioneers like Henry Banks and William Duvall. It reminds us that our ancestors were not just names on a census; they were people fighting for their homes and their legacies. Today, this scrap of paper tells us that history is not just about the big battles—it is about the quiet, persistent work of a man trying to find the truth of his own backyard. It teaches us to cherish our own stories, for one day, our letters might be the treasure someone else finds.

Original Transcription

Mt Ida Fayette Co W. Va
Nov 6 1890
Mr Laban Gwinn
Dear Sir
would you please to let me know
what has been done with the
pattents and Copys of Patents
that your Father used (Southgates
and Heny Banks) while Law
ing with Mann, and if he had
one of a 1000 acres Made for Henry
Banks and described in the
Survey as lot No 1 begining at
2 white oaks on the ^Tillers Creek road
and the begining lot of a plan of
Surveys Made for H. Banks
this lot No 1 John Anderson and
Samuel Fleshman bought of
Patrick Keenan and the Deed
from Keenan to John Anderson
Says it was Surveyed for Banks
but Patented to William Duvall
if you have them please let me know
yours respectfully Alex Anderson

[Page 2 Docketing]
J. C. Bright
Alderson
W. Va

J. C. Bright
Alderson
W. Va