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Davidson Coledge N.C. Jan. 22/60
Dear Pa,
I received your leter last week and should have answered it at once but being very busy I have out it off till now
I was very glad to hear from you as I had not heard in so long a time. I was very glad to hear that Cristmas had not past without affording its accustomed enjoyment to you all. I should have liked to have been at home Cristmas & to have went wit you to the wedding. I took a hearty laugh at John’s horse swop. I too however have not been without enjoyment although the first few days of vacation were very dry on account of having nothing to do after being busily employed so long, I began to feel a little homesick at first. but another such fiddling & dancing & serenading you neve did hear the like, we had a
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grand masquerade one night, a party of abut twenty of us with paper masks & pillow slips on our heads & blankets & sheets over our shoulders, and banjos tambourins fluid cans & tin pans in our hands salied forth to serenade the Faculty and ladies we had several fellows along who could sing “Jim crack corn” & “Old bob Ridly” more nigerish than any niger, you may know we cat a swell but I have not been here all vacation Jim Young sent a little Negro all the way down here with a horse requesting me to come & spend Cristmas with him, and didn’t I go, yes I did and had a fine time of it too. Morison was there when I arrived, and I found myself Just in town
Squire Young is a model of an old farmer kind hospitable & talkative. we”flew around” petty entensively, had aparty & got acquainted with some very fine ladys. Jim sent me back to Coledge & I have been studying ever
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since, I was very much disappointed whin I came back at not finding a letter from home I seems a long time looking forward to Comencement when I shal see you all, but looking the session has passed very rapidly & it seems a very short time since I left home. I suppose you want to know how I am getting along in my studies &c. I have received my marks & they are even better than I expected I was first in my class in Mathematicks, and take a very respectable stand in the Languages. I do not intend to study for any honor but only to try to take a good stand. Well Pa I received the ten dollars you sent me, 7 was very glad to get it too. altho it was not as much as I needed as I was just out of money. I could not pass one of the ten dollar gold pieces which you gave me, I do not think it is counterfeit however, the objection to it was that it was not United States coin my expences here so far have been much more than
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I expected, my Society feese were pretty heavy although it is a secret I suppose I may tell you my initiation fee & badge cost $15 that you may see for yourself what I have done with my monny I will give you a list of expences as I keep an account of what I buy
Coledge dues & Scholarhip $15.00 & 12.00
Furnishing my room $15.00
Society Dues & badge $15.00
Clothes & shoes $8.00
Wood & lights $6.00
Books
This as you see will take all the money you left me at first & the ten Dollars which being paid for my bord will leave me still in debt (at the end of the session) $45, besides I shal need at the beginning of next session about $25 Dollars to pay my Schollarship Coledge dues &c. This session will cost me about $125. I know you think this is very extravigant. yet I do not think I have been more extravigant than I could help you know I told you that I thought it would take $125 the first Session & I don not think it will take more than that. I have written this that you might see how my account stands. It is but three weeks til the beginning of the next session when I shal have to have money enough to pay for my Coledge dues scholarship & room rent. please send me enough for that if you can immediately for I shal ned it before I get it. It grieves me to have to ask you for money again in my very next letter but I can not help it. I must close this letter, give my love to all my friends at home tell Johon & Becca to write to me Tell Mother also that she must write to me. tell Tiddy howdy & kiss her for Jim, you must not let her forget me I often think (when at night my books are closed and I sitting by the fire thinking) how I used to sit by the fire at home & sing “Old Ned” to Tid. please write to me immediately I shall be anxious to hear from you I wish I could hear from home every week. If you can read this letter pleas excuse the bad writing. Your affectionate Son
J.L. Greenlee.
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Original
From: DC0115s, Greenlee, James Logan, 1840-1862 (1863) Letters, 1859-1862 (Finding Aid)
Cite as:
Greenlee, James Logan, Letter to Pa. 22 January 1859. DC0115s, Greenlee, James Logan, 1840-1862 (1863) Letters, 1859-1862. Available: https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/digital-collections/james-l-greenlee-letter-january-transcript/.
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