1879 :: 03-08 from L.J. Syke

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1879 L. J. Syke letter
Saturday, March 8, 1879

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Comments on the next Vick Letter, #17, the sixth of ten letters I have copies of from Lou Vicy Jane [Vick] Sikes / Sykes, to her aunt Amanda Sarah Boyd or Nancy Younge [Boyd] Richey, in or near Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, written on 08 March 1879 at Lexington, Lee County, Texas.

Jack Landers
Notes - 23 November 2001 - CJL

[/U][/URL], b. 3 September 1854, and Mary Cornelia [Vick] Sikes / Sykes, b. 31 October 1856, both at Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi to Louisa Catherine [Boyd] and Hartwell D. Vick.

11) "Alph..." - Mary Cornelia [Nely]'s husband William Alfred Sikes / Sykes, b. 8 May 1848 in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi to Sarah [West] and Robert Lee Sikes / Sykes, Sr.

12) "...Billy..." - Lou Vicy Jane's husband William Holiver Sikes / Sykes, Jr., b. 4 January 1849 in Sumter County, Alabama to Julia A. [Hopper / Harper] and William Holiver Sikes / Sykes, Sr.

13) "...Jack..." - Jack Johnson Sikes / Sykes - [See 8) above].

14) "Alph, Billy, and Jack have bought land...unimproved..." - Apparently a lot of clearing land and grubbing out tree stumps, roots, etc. was in store for them before they could plow and plant their crops on this new land. I recall a visit to "The Valley" down near Harlingen, Texas in the 1950s when my uncle was clearing some new land for cultivation. He was using equipment (modern at that time), such as a chisel plow to go 36" or more deep to pull out roots, but a lot of work still needed to be done by hand with axes and grubbing hoes to dig out and haul the trees and roots out. Without this equipment, about all they had in 1879 was their teams, axes, grubbing hoes, and a lot of sweat.

15) "Billy..." - William Holiver Sikes / Sykes, Jr. [See 12) above].

16) "L. J. Syke" - Lou Vicy Jane [Vick] Sikes / Sykes [See 10) above].
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