The following letter is from a distant cousin that traveled from Mobile, Alabama to Houston County, Texas in the year 1871. About five months later he writes to his daughter and son-in-law, that reside in Pass Christian, MS, about the new life he has found in Texas.

My Dear Son & Daughter,

This beautiful Sabbath evening offers me & opportunity to writing to you. This leaves me with all the coninction in veary good health. That is my general health has greatly improved since I have been in Texas. I have written home & can get no word from thare and I want you to be shore and write them for me and send me word how they are getting along for I am veary anxious to hear from home. I hope this will reach you soon and find you with all my family well. Well I know that you would like to know how I like Texas. Well I am well pleased with the country. Thare is any kind of land hear from poor to as rich as a man could wish for. I am at Sister Fanny’s at this time. They have very rich land. This is a fine farming country and a good stock country. I hope kill the fattest meat out of the wood this year that I ever saw in my life & beef gets too fat to eat in the summer hear. I think that it is a grate poor mans country or any man can do better hear than any place I ever saw. Well Lizabeth it would do you good to he heare and see how many kinsfolk that you have hear. You have some 35 to 40 cousins in this country. I have 2 sisters in this portion of Texas Fannie Mooney & Nancy Suliven. I have not seen Martha yet. She lives some distance from here. My people are all getting along well. When you write to my folks tell Wesley (his youngest son) that I want him to come out hear this Spring if he can and if he cant come that soon to come next Summer any how. This is a good country and I want all my boys to come. Tell Wesley not to marrie any of them Alabama galls to come out hear and get him a fine looking Texas gall at once & tell him that he can step out almost any time and kill a deer & turkey and wages are good hear. At all times if any of you take a notion to come I will give you a way bill from Mobile to New Orleans from there to Galveston to Navasota from Navasota to Crockett by land. Then you will be in 17 miles of me . I live 4 miles of Augusta in Houston County. It will cost 20.00 Twenty Dollars to Navasota Texas then is 100 miles from here to Navasota. Be sure and write to me as soon as you get this for you have no idea how bad I want to here from you all. I have been hear 4 or 5 months and I cant get any letters from home so you must answer as soon as you get it and let me know how you are getting along. My health has improved greatly though some pains in my legs and hips yet. When you write direct you Letters to Augusta to Houston County Texas. So nothing more at this time only I still remain your affectionate father until death Lemuel Thompson Go & tell James Flemmins that he must excep my best wishes and that I could not write him any sooner though he must excuse me. Tell him that this is a fine country for all kinds of vegetables. They grow the finest hear that I ever saw in my life. We had some of the coldest weather that I ever saw in my life and the last longest. We had a turable hail storm. The hail storm fell as large as hen eggs. I will want my Permit from the Lodge if I remain hear. Masonary is progressing finley hear we have a good Lodge in 4 miles of me. Nothing only I still remain as ever yours, Lemuel Thompson

You can tell he is lonely for his family and I understand that feeling. So family nothing has changed hear in Texas and I still have some pains in my legs and hips yet. Remain your affectionate father until death Clifton Daniels