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Correspondence from Rome, GA following the family’s departure from Black Mingo.

Rome Ga Wednesday morn Decem 6th 1871

Dear Aunty

I recd your letter a few days ago and it gave us all a great deal of pleasure to hear from you. Aunt Tady was here yesterday and spent the day with us, she and her little boys are well. We do our own cooking. I cook dinner and breakfast and Aunt Ria cooks supper, we cook in one of the rooms to the house and it is therefore very convenient and is not much troble.

You told me to send you my Photograph but I have never had one taken but I will ask Father to let me have one taken and I will send to you, but I have changed so much that I know you would not know me. Aunt Lizzy & Blakely are in Charleston and Uncle Quill is living near Georgetown, he has two children the oldest is a boy and the youngest a girl. Mother raised several pigs this year, the cars killed two and she sold all of the others except two which he fattened to kill this winter and Father had one killed day before yesterday.

It is very doubtful about our going back home this year as Father cannot rent a place in the neighborhood and he leased his own place to Col. S.T. Cooper for five years, and I think that if we had a place here we would like the place better. Aunt Tady told him that he had better sell the place down there and buy one here, but I dont think that he could be persuaded to sell it unless he was obliged to do it Mother says that she would not like to go back there now as we have become accustomed to this climate she think that it would be very unhealthy in that neighborhood.

I will try and let you know of some of the changes that have taken place since you left there. Miss Pattie Graham has married Mr. John McCollough. Mr. John Graham married one of Mr. Franklin Brockingtons daughters, cousin Sarah Jane Miller married Dr. Tom Steele, they are both dead and leaves a little boy not two years old. Mr. and Mrs. Finklea are dead, and Miss Julia Sturgis married a Mr. Tisdale from Black River, cousin Sallie Miller married a Mr. Greyson. Miss Janie Belin married Dr. Byrd and Miss Annie a Mr. Graham and she died a few weeks ago. Old Mr. Belin is also dead. Miss Maggie Walaron married a Mr. Altman Joe married Old Mr. McCaughlin’s daughter. Mr. Silas Nesmith and Miss Maggie Nesmith are married and living at Plantersville. Miss Ellen Hemmingway married a cousin of hers by the same name. Old Mrs. Altman is dead. Mr. Tom Altman married Miss Mary Brockington, these are most of the changes that I can think of just now.

As it is getting late I must close. All join in love with me to you. Write soon and a long letter to your affectionate neice
Annie McConnell

Do Aunty send me your Photograph as a Christmas present. I will try and have all of our likenesses taken in a group & will send one of them to you, you will hardly recognise the two eldest they have grown so much and have changed considerably in their looks in fact we have all changed. Thomas looks like a man of 45 or 50, his hair is quite grey. I think it probable we will move in the country next year. The Girls will take schools if they can get them, if not I expect they will remain with us, they are very anxious to get into employment of some kind.