Louise Bethune Cobb Letter to Patricia Sheranian 7-7-1979

Saturday afternoon

Dear Trish -

Well you all have been gone for two days now and Katie and I are still lonesome. I haven't decided to clean house yet, in fact it isn't too ____ to me. I did wash the towels Thursday, and yesterday we all spent the day with Bessie. Faye & Rebecca spent the night too & tonight also. They will be back here tomorrow.

The flowers took my breath, I was so shocked and their beauty in unspeakable. You shouldn't have done that, but I do love them and they are beautiful. You let your good thoughts run away from you - eh?

I am charmed with your adorable family and their Mother. You sure have reasons to be proud of them. They are all real cute. Faye Funder___ & Boopie(?) said to tell you they were sorry to have missed you but enjoyed the children.

Charles R. called Thursday afternoon for you and was real upset he missed you. He said maybe in ten years you could meet again.

I hope the Washington trip was more interesting to the boys than Hartsville. Ha.

I'm sure nothing went as you wanted it to but I do hope it was worthwhile for you. It was so good to know your grown(?) family.

We have had rain all day today & still no sunshine. I'm glad this didn't happen last Saturday.

Let me hear from you-

Love to all-

Louise

Note: I've included this letter not so much for its historical content as for its representation of the graciousness of a Southern woman. We were visiting Louise and other relatives while back East to attend the Bethune Family Reunion in Bethune, South Carolina. I seem to recall that I spent the night at Louise's (in Hartsville) for at least a night or two. (We also stayed in Myrtle Beach for at least a night.) Her reference to the previous Saturday seems to indicate that is when the reunion was held and we must have left Hartsville on Thursday for Washington DC. (What a poor memory I have!) -KV

Emma Thomas Bethune Pepper Relish Recipe

Pepper Relish

12 red peppers
12 green peppers
12 onions

Chop all and mix, then cover with boiling water and let stand 5 minutes. Drain. Add 1 pint of vinegar, 2 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons salt. Boil 5 minutes. Pack in jar and seal.

Inscription from McCaskill Family Bible

"Printed 1804 in Edinburgh. This book was brought from Minganish in the Highlands of Scotland by my grandnephew Allen McCaskill -1811. Signed Dm.Bethune (grandfather)"

Notes:
1) This inscription information comes from an undated photocopy I found in my grandmother's (Mary Bethune Hucks) files. It is likely that she handcopied the inscription as this appears to be her handwriting and the Dm, Bethune mentioned would be Daniel Murdock Bethune, her grandfather.
2) "Minganish" is Minginish on the Isle of Skye.
3) The "grandnephew" reference is puzzling as that person would most likely have to be younger by 2 generations than Daniel Murdock Bethune, who was born in 1845. My guess is that whomever made the copy had a hard time reading the original inscription as there seems to my eye to be an indication that the "nephew" was added (as in not in the same penstroke flow) after the "grand." Daniel Murdock Bethune's maternal grandfather was Allen McCaskill, born in Minginish, Scotland. Daniel's mother Christian McCaskill was born April 1810 in Minginish, and Allen's next child (Catherine) was born in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 1815.