The following letter was written by Austin Train Wing Blair (1820-1847), the son of William Blair, Sr. (1765-1842) and Sally Train (1772-1864) of Williamstown, Berkshire county, Massachusetts. He wrote the letter to his older brother, Edwin Hugh Blair (1806-1878) who took over the family farm, became melancholic in his old age and committed suicide in 1878.

A notice placed in the Mobile Register & Journal in 1844 informs us that “Blair & Co.” purchased the well known drug establishment of Mr. George F. Marlow located at the southeast corner of Dauphin and Water Streets in Mobile. According to Austin’s headstone, he died of yellow fever in Mobile on 20 October 1847 when he was 28 years old.

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Mobile, [Alabama]
October 22, 1844

Dear Brother,

You may deem it somewhat strange that I have not written to you before this, but the fact is I have been “upside down” ever since I arrived here, which was on the 19th of November. I had a pleasant trip, meeting with only one accident which occurred in the stage in Georgia. There were only three passengers on board but we had about 25 mail bags all well filled. These were stowed on the two front seats of the coach, leaving just enough for us to get through the window onto the back seat. The roads were very slippery from the effects of the rain. While going down a hill, the coach began to sli, the driver stopped the horses, so that we went over very easy. We would have got out before the coach struck so slowly did it go over, but we were penned in by the mail bags so tightly that we could not help ourselves. No one was hurt. We called some negroes from a cotton field near, unloaded, turned up the coach, and went on our way rejoicing.

We staid one day in Philadelphia, passed through Washington in the night but could see the Capitol very distinctly as the moon shone brightly upon t. Did not have time to see much of the cities through which we passed so rapid was our flight on the rail roads &c. Fredericksburg in Virginia, Wilmington in North Carolina, Charleston, S. Carolina, Augusta in Georgia are very pretty places for the South but they do not compare at all with the northern cities. The section of Virginia through which the rail road runs is very barren in appearance. The land lies very handsomely but appears on the surface just like your fields when the snow goes off—black and dead.

In North Carolina the rail road runs in a straight line nearly 150 miles. On both sides of the road are forests of Pine trees nearly all of which have places about as large as your two hands cut on the from which the gum runs out and is gathered in dishes, put into barrels, and sent to Wilmington to be distilled. Nearly all of the turpentine, resin and pitch comes from North Carolina. This was a long and dreary road. The houses many miles apart and built mostly lof logs. A poor and desolate country. I would rather live on the top of old “Saddle Back” with a privilege to come down but once a year.

From Wilmington to Charleston by sea is pleasant in a smooth time, which was the case when we came over. But it is more dangerous generally than any other route on the salt water. From Charleston to Augusta we had a fine time; the weather was very pleasant and a fine rail road running at the rate of 25 miles an hour on an average. The cars are in the shape of a barrel. When we arrived in Hamburg, South Carolina, we got into an omnibus which looks much like a “Seventy four.” It holds 60 persons inside drawn by six horses. In this we crossed the Savannah river. The way the old bridge cracked was a caution.

We staid 3 days in Augusta and had a very pleasant time. I then found a young man who used to live in Troy with a Weed & Sons. While here, I wrote to Savannah to Martin Yesterday I received a letter from him stating that he is non-commissioned officer, is very happy, situated in a pleasant place, and likes the life he leads very well, but what will surprise you is that he was to be married on the 8th of December. In his letter he says, “Before this reaches you I shall be a married man. You will be surprised but it is no sudden thing. I have been considering on a long time and I hope I shall have your best wishes for my happiness. I shall write to him before long and congratulate him on the occasion to his household, and find out what he intends to do in future—that is, after his term expires. I feel some interest in the boy and hope he may do well.

I found my affairs in very good shape here, though business has been very dull during the summer. It rained just four weeks after our arrival which threw me back some time with making repairs but I worked night and days and have got things in good shape now. The store is the handsomest on the outside of any store in the city and attracts a great deal of attention. Tis two stories high with iron doors and shutters, all opening on the outside. These are painted a bright green on the panels and trimmed with black. The building is pained the color of peach blossom except the caps and sills of the doors & windows which are white. Then the letters of the sign are 3 feet long. One can read it 6 squares off. The [ ] made of tin is 6 feet high and 3 feet in diameter painted blue, with gold bands around. On the whole, it is the handsomest building I ever saw.

But we shall have a hard season for business. There is a heap of competition & cotton is very low. The very highest price paid this season was 7 cents but nearly all of the crop so far has brought but 5 cents on an average. Some has been sold as low as 3 cents—a fair article too. We have had but little business yet and shall not do much before February & March. But enough to pay all expenses which is better than many have done.

The gardeners are now putting in a fresh lot of seed. We received yesterday upwards of 11,000 paper of garden seeds which we sell at $8 per hundred or 10 cents a single paper. I wish you were here to spend the winter with me. Write to me soon and let me know how you get on with your matters. Remember me to all the folks and give my love to our family & believe me your affectionate brother, — A. T. W. Blair

The weather is very pleasant now though we have two or three days cold enough to make a fire quite comfortable. Indeed, it has been colder than any weather we had last winter but notwithstanding this, there has been green corn, snap beans, radishes, and in fact, all kinds of vegetables in market grown this season.