Dear friend

Yours of August 1^st to hand yesterday morning and as I am still laying around home here, haven't got out to work yet thought I would answer at once, I don't type a duplicate copy any except business letters I am liable to repeat some things which I wrote in my other letter, if possible try to think up something of the Johnson man you saw. If you can call to memory where he was from, the State, County or Town if I ever get there to talk with you with the excellent memory I used to have and have yet on the old times away back from the time I was 18 to 30, I will come near locating him and he was from Union Henderson or Daviess Co. very possible, that's all the pleasure I get out of life now. Is in meeting with old friends of near my age and talking out of when we were younger, that's nothing more than what nature does for all men as they grow to be old, the old mind reverts back to the past we live over again as it were the past, we think ten times as much of the past of this life as we do of the future of this life, and the older we get the more true it is. And I have 3 sons living, no daughters living, have been married twice, my second wife has been dead 14 years in April past, and I have been rooming alone and living at hotels nearly ever since my wifes death, till last Aug I come here to make my home with my youngest son and only child living by my last wife, I have been on the road as traveling man for 17 years. My first wife was Lucinda Watkins. We married in June 1865, she died in August 1871, left me with 3 children, oldest and youngest boys, the youngest less than 6 mo. old, the oldest not quite 5 years, the girl near 3, the boys are both living, their sister is dead. The Watkins family kept my children for me till I married again in Nov 1875 a widower four years. Mr. Tom Watkins died with consumption in 1874 seemed to take it in 1873 while in Fort Worth, Texas. Peter his only boy and Nannie the youngest child is all that's living of that family. Bill Dition and Ben Liggett one of them I think not positive is dead, one if not both, are living. Lum Wise is living but the train run over him at or near Sebree and cut one ear. How was that for a close shave? John Powell is living and Geo King and John McMullin, but John Edwards, Algernon Edwards, Sam Majors, Bill Wise, Bill Watson all dead. Jim Polk Thomas is living, Paul Couch has died recently I see. I take a Henderson paper, here old Mrs. Kate Wise, Darty Quinn, Sams Grass widow and Dutch Bill Griffith all 3 living, Griffith is dead. I believe Rube Walker is dead and Bob is blind, I eat dinner with him at Robards last July, Robards is a little town 5 mi north of Sebree on the Rail Road, Sebree is formerly Sulpher Springs and is about the best town in Webster County, that railroad was completed through to Nashville in 1869, Robards sprung up just north of what you knew as the Old Walk Eakins place.

Bill Thompkins married Walk Eakins widow. Big Jo Quinn gouged one of Tompkins eyes entirely out in a fight at Petersburg just before or in the first of the war, Robards is a public road crossing of the Rail Road three fourths of a mile north of the Eakin-Tompkins place, Big Jo Quinn has been dead several years, but old Uncle Jack his father is living 97 or 98 past I think.

I don't know whether Sam Quinn (Dortys husband) is living or not, I know how to spell Dorthy but I get in the habit of spelling some words wrong.

Nearly all of John Edwards and Algernon familys are dead, Algernon lived to be near if not 90 himself. Decoliah his oldest died young. Jack Wise died young, Bud Wise if living, larger than his father old man Bill ever was and a very different man and a fine citizen don't drink and is doing well has been married twice, but live but a short time with his second wife.

Bud has 2 girls both grown and possibly married by now he has been in the sewing machine business for 30 years or near it, the last time I met him he was getting $45.00 per week and all expenses paid and thats been 4 or 5 years ago and he lived in Lexington Ky, now this I tell you here is all I get out of life now thats any pleasure to me, this is just as if I was talking to you. My last wife was Jim Ligon's daughter was raised there near Robards, Rich Ligon an old uncle used to live up around the Burg was no account except to kill booze, he got to rearing around there once at an election, drunk of course and your uncle Dr. Jim just reached out at the window and pulled Ligon on the inside of the room and gave him a genteel threshing, Dr. Jim was an Officer of the Election.

Well Thee if I live I am going to make it a point during the coming fall to swing around up through there by you, and if I can know far enough ahead I will write you in advance of my coming. But I can find you now mighty easy if you don't move and I surely would love to meet you, old time friends are sure getting scarce it makes me lonesome when I get back to Robards where I was 30 yrs ago.

I'm aiming to get out on the road about next Monday and possibly will not be back in Dallas again before middle of Dec. if nothing occurs to call me or force me back, but I have all mail come here and I have my daughter-in-law to forward it to me as I notify here where to, excuse my repeating if I did, and errors and leaving out words and letters some times jamming together.

From your old Friend (So called Cap Spencer)

S. W. Spencer
Direct to
4704 Sycamore St.
Dallas Texas