Ross Family Letters, RG
149
Haynesville
La
April
2nd 1860
DAG
Ross
Dear
Sir After my respects to all I will say
to you that I have just landed in this place & was proud to find a letter
from you I have Been to Texas, I looked
at the land in Titus Cty, Cass, Hopkins and Bowie Ctys. There is a Small portion of Bowie Cty that
is the best waterd country I believe that I ever saw anywhere I found me a fine place with a most
beautiful Spring near the House & the horse lot Just below it twelve miles
from the Red River twelve miles from the Sulpher fork & twelve miles from
the Rail Road. The Boats Run around the
[Raft] this country I speak of is about
one hundred miles above the [Raft] & I think the healthiest most
healthly country I have seen west. It
is about one hundred & thirty miles from this place & forty five miles
from SJ Holstun Green tell Father I do not like Holstuns Country from the fact
they have neither water nor timber & then I think they are in a high dry
country & there is [ei]ther two much sand I cannot think it will [paper
torn] well The country I like best
has not so much sand in it & the soil is fine as split silk Just the coller of wet ashes well in some
places it is almost yellow & then there is Just about enough timber of the
best kind Land is rating there from two
to ten dollars per acre I did not buy from the fact I did not like to go out by
my self But if I live I expect to
settle in Bowie Cty Well now Green let me tell you about James Hutchisons &
A Rowes country I did not see their places But I was in the same settlement and
I would not honestly have land there in the woods for this reasin the very
worst spot in Father Bottom is not more than half as hard to plow as the fresh
sand flats are there they have the Black Jack Runners the Blue Jack Runners the
white oak Runners & the post oak Runners
They plow their new ground with cutting colters & it takes two of
the best kind of yokes of oxen to pull it well then they pile these roots &
plow the other way & pile again & burn & it takes a good mule then
to pull a plow well it takes about five years they tell me to get rid of these
roots well now such land I will not have in the woods nowhere you must not say much about this [it] might
hurt feelings & then I may be deceived [about] the country As to the news generally of the country I
hear nothing fresh I believe land is
going up provisions are very high the health of the country is good
Ana
Sends her respects She will write to
Jane in a few days My Respects to all.
D Hicks
DAG
Ross
Camphill
Ala
nb. I find some true universalist friends here
occationally, DH