(Letter address to Mr. James Moore, Mail Fort Gibson Tallapoosa County April 12 Alabama Arkansas Creek Nation Apil 5 1837
Dear Father Sir
I have embrace the opportunity of inform you all that am restored To my health again and all my family in good state of health & I hope that these few unworthy lines may fined your family in good state of health, that Elizabeth Grierson is living with me.
We are going to move from the Creek (Nation) in a few weeks from now when the wild tribes of Indians make pece, for they are at war with the Americans because they are helping the texans. We are expecting to have war in the Creek Nation before the year is out, for our chiefs say when all the Creek Indians guit all there guns from the U. States they intend to declare war, for the U. States do not do Justice to them in no respect whatever. The Indians are pershing to death for sum meat & corn, for corn is worth two or three dollars per bushel, meat worth ten and fifteen dollars a hundred and beef worth six or seven dollars a hundred and poor at that, flower worth fifteen dollars per Barrel, sower at that.
You want to know about our country. We have a large country, the prary are very large, up and down the arkansaw River have timber and very large swamp. Sum good water in places and then bad water in places and bad timber in places. Sum part of the country are fust trate land, sum part of it so poore the trees are not more then twenty five or thiry feet high, hilly places, no winter range only good in spots of land, but swamps good, Better then the place you living at, for one acre of land make more corn then two acres in the old Creek Nation, for I have made betwine ten fifteen hundred bushel of corn. Contractors are offering one dol and fifty cents a bushel but cant buy at that, for corn is worth Two dollars at present Agents keep the Indians on the road so long till they has spent all ther money so the are able to pay nothing. At this time one part of the nation selling corn at three dollars per bushel got all the money from them that ware able to pay. Our country are as good as the Cherokee Indians, but the Choctaws have the best country in Arkansaw better water range and timber then the Creeks.
Dear father I have received a letter dated the first of December 1836 that you have not received nothing from Hunter or nobody else. I ask Sandy about it, he give no satisfaction about it for he wont pay me it to no man for he say that (he) pay it to Col. Hunter to pay it over to you. You must sue Hunter for the money.
You request to know about our country. Our country is perfect grave yard, for this country is destruction to we red people. cattle horses dog and everything in Arkansaw. Good stout rivers freese until the last of April. Everythings high in this country but I am doing tolerable well. At this time we are making preption to plant, but soon as we plant corn we are going and look for better place then we are living at.
I wish my brother Jackson would come and see me, if he can make it convinet to come and look at the countray. The Spaniards are in war with old Gen. ??ston. Sevel persons have been murded by the Spaniards, so we all think that Huston will be conkered. We intend to make one crop whare we are living, for we all can not stand in hand with the lower town Indians. When we finds a countray to suite us, I write to you again. If you and my brother can make it, come, if not to come send me money that (is) owing to me by hand or inclose it in a letter to me. Do not fail of doing it, oblige me very much, in need of it.
So I has nothing more at present to tell you all, but have one girl child name Millaso. I remain your humble son
John P. Moore
To James Moore in tallapoosa County Ala. April 5th 1837
Dear father sir
I have bin sick one day and night sence I wrote this letter to you.
Transcribed by Ronnie Moore for Jill Florence Lackey Oct 2 2002Originally transcribed by Bettye Tate BrittonNOTE: &o, &c; were editors marks and omited & was replaced by and