Joseph G. Rhea was born about 1838 and was a teenager when
Vardy and Peggy Collins died. This letter was written to his niece,
Martha Collins of Hancock County. It was not written to be published or
to record as history but simply a letter to his niece telling what he
knew of Vardy Collins.
From:
J. G. Rhea
Griffin, Georgia
April 14, 1918
To:
Miss Martha B.
Collins
Bristol Tenn
Dear Niece
Since receiving
your letter of march 27th I have received one from Commodore (daddy)
dated April 9th, says all well at Frost Ford and from the way he writes
about crops and labor, I think he can give a job with "the hoe" if you
want to play in the dirt, a while this summer. I know Mary is an
expert, for I saw her at it last summer. It is a patriotic
exercise and brings roses to the cheeks of pretty girls much
quicker than teaching---
I have a fine War garden" and work
some in it, but I have a good old African to do the sweating for me---We
have Irish Potatoes knee high, English peas in bloom, onions, radish,
lettuce, all for the table now and 'turnips, mustard and r--- for
greens, then that dear old sister of mine (your granny) sent me last
week, a big ham a bushel of good corn meal and a big can of good old
country lard to make fatty bread So I am not worrying if Hoover did put
me on a spoonful of wheat flour a day, I will eat cornbread and send
King George my biscuit just to be patriotic and help the allies---
Now about the
Collins boys, I knew when I was a boy Navarrh, or as he was called,
"Vardy" Collins was a fine old patriarch, said to be of Portuguese
Nationality coming to this country with De Soto-he settled on Black
water Creek and owned Vardy Mineral Spring-I was at his home
often with other boys, his grandsons, He was highly respected in his
time and founded a church at his home-He has sons and daughters, Alfred
Collins, Morgan Collins and Allen Collins were his sons-Etha Goins,
Clarkia Biggs, and Lettitia Williams were his daughters-All had
families and they are one Tribe.
Another highly
esteemed and venerable patriarch named Solomon Collins, about the same
time settled on top of Newmans Ridge and was a thrifty farmer and had a
fine set of boys-Their names were Silas, Frank, Dick, Bailey and
Enoch-Frank and Bailey were my chums and I used to go home with and
stay all night, they always had find apples and plenty to eat and Aunt
"Gincy" their mother, baked delicious ginger cakes-In the course of
events my sister Melissa married Bailey Collins and they had sons an
daughter and one of their sons is named Commodore Maury Collins one of
the best men ever raised in Hancock County-Now if "Daddy" won't tell
you much about them; ask "Granny" to sit down some time and tell you
all about them.
Persevere -raise
the standard so high, that "Mary and Martha" of old will not excel or
out live it Then write beautiful letters to
Your Devoted
Uncle
J. G. Rhea