May 23rd, 1942 

Mr. Owen Waters, 
Dear Folk All 

Well I have decided to answer that long letter that we were glad to heare from you, but 
I can account for it. The ground was wet and you had nothing to do but since it has quit 
raining I guess you have plenty to do and dont sleap so late. The farms are late and 
what they have planted is getting grassy. The cabbages and strawberries are bringing 
the farmers lots of money. Most of them are clearing more than $1000 an acre on berries. 
I think the GPA has got the ceiling price too high on some things. $8.00 for berries and 
ten cents a pound for sweet potatoes is too much. It dont harmonise with other things 
and ___ hams at 80 cts lb and lard at 20 cts dont work together. After all there is nothing 
that we can do about it. You spoke about your potatoes they are $8.00 bu[shel] here. 
Pearl if I was over there we would bake a big pan full and I'd eat all the potstoes and butter 
I wanted. Pearl thank you for the points [?] if any of you have any to yearse [?] we will 
appreciate them. There is a little meat comes to the grocier about once a week but it is 
gone before you turn around we have to put our orders in and then dont get it every time. 
They dont get enough to fill their orders. The midlin Lloyd sent us was a blessing to us. 
Beulah is thinking about sending Lloyd a check as he goes around a right smart he might 
pick up a midlin [?] or two for her. I suspect it will be worse in a year. 

Well I guess that is enough of our hard luck. We are all well as comon. The children were 
all rite the last time we heard from them. Owen you said something about Frank's birth 
place. He was born Apr 24, 1857 in Green Counry, NC near Snow Hill. I was born Aug 7, 
1860. He and Ella and Jim were born in the same house that Pappy was Grandfathers Old 
Home. Wil, Smithy and Nannie were born in Wain Co. Neare Grandfather Brits. The other 
children were born in Tennessee. Grandfather Waters was an Englishman, Grandfather Brit 
was Scots Irish. Pappa and mother were sisters children. Mothers mother was English so 
we are Scots Irish. The red hair comes from the Irish side. The English are generally very 
affectionate the Irish are smart witty and generaly high tempered but after all it is a rite 
good mixture. Well I don't know what else to tell you. I hope that all of you are well and 
enjoying the richest of Gods Blessings. Write us when you have time. 

Lots of Love for all, 
Uncle Ed 
___________________________ 
Return address on envelope says: 
638 W. Royal St. 
Jackson, Tenn 


  

Addressed to: 
Mr. & Mrs. Owen Waters 
R 1, Wattensaw, Arkansas 

[NOTE: This letter was written to my grandfather, Owen Waters, by his uncle Ed Waters. 
Ed Waters lived in Jackson, TN. In 1870, my grandfather's grandgrandparents 
(my great-great-grandparents) Simon Peter Waters and Nancy Jane Britt Waters, moved 
from the Greene-Lenoir County area of NC to Gibson County, TN. They later moved to 
Prairie County, AR where they lived out the rest of their lives. S.P. and Nancy Waters 
had a family of ten known children. Like many of his generation, Uncle Ed Waters didn't 
use any punctuation when he wrote the letter, so I added it in order to clarify it for readers. 
The original letter is in my possession. Kay Waters Sakaris] 





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