“Dublin Depot Va & Tenn RR
July 7th 1866
Capt. Crispin Dickenson
Pittsylvania CH VA
Dear Capt.
For my life I do not know whether I owe you a letter or not, at all events I have determined to write you. Not that I am vain enough to imagine that I can take up a subject and interest you about the present, past, or future; No motive more pointed than to renew the friendly relations which OUR CONTACT AND ASSOCIATION DURING TWO OR THREE YEARS OF HARDSHIPS AND COMMON SUFFERING begot impress me now to write. I think of you very often and would have written before if I had known your address.

Dick Miller [Richard T. Miller, Quartermaster Sergeant in Captain Dickinson’s Ringgold Battery. He had earlier served in the 18th VA Infantry. He was captured at Petersburg and sent to Point Lookout as a POW.] came here a few days since & told me a letter would reach you at Pittsylvania C.H. Poor Dick, like most of us, has seen his troubles. He in connection with a brother of his attempted to put out a tobacco crop & GOT INTO DIFFICULTIES WITH THE FREEDMEN & THEIR AGENTS and they were compelled to abandon their crop; they came here to get labor. I have employed them for a time until they can do better. I am engaged in running a steam saw mill near this place.

I have been compelled to do the best I could since the surrender. I WAS LEFT WITHOUT A SINGLE PENNY AT THE SURRENDER. My property in West Va. is all tied up so that I cannot now, and God knows whether I ever will be able to get it.

Dick Wishes to be remembered kindly to you.
Truly your friend & obedient servant,
I. A. Welch

For further details of Welch’s later life & the founding of Welch, WV, one Internet site reports:
“In 1885 (or 1888), Captain Isaiah Welch surveyed the area as a potential site for a logging or mining operation. He, along with J. G. Bramwell and J. H. Duhring, purchased about 165 acres of land from John Henry Hunt, comprising most of present day Welch. The deal was reportedly for $40 and Captain Welch's sorrel mare, Cellum (other accounts report that the "$40 and a horse" was a deposit to bind the deal, a deed was later recorded suggesting that the real price was $2,155.75). Captain Welch's investment paid off when the railroad reached the town in the fall of 1891. Now that the town had access to the "outside" world, it became more attractive as a place to live and work. As the town began to grow, Captain Welch and his partners’ platted the town into lots for sale in 1893. The town was incorporated and named in honor of Captain Welch in 1894.”

--Also included with this letter is a 1-page receipt of items bought by Dr. Crispin Dickenson from the store of M. Pannill. The purchases were made in 1866, but the receipt is paid & dated 11 July 1867. A tax revenue stamp is affixed in the lower left corner manuscript-cancelled with date & initials. The list of Dickinson’s purchases includes: 3 SETS BOYS’ BOOTS & HATS, SHOE KNIFE, SEWING SUPPLIES, ETC.) This document is written in ink on lined paper 6 ½ x 10 ¼”.

Both old documents are in generally good condition as shown in scan. This letter is a rather rare & interesting document that follows the fortunes of Confederate officers in Virginia after the war.

http://www.historybroker.com/items/606a1c.htm

Thanks Mike, This very interesting. I have an orginal architects drawing of Welch done in 1889. It is stained with coal dust, but you can see that the train tracks had not been planned by then. It can been seen on my site, in the album "Almost Heaven".
picturetrail.com/welchfabulousfifties57
Thanks, barbara

John Henry Hunt was my great grandfather. Yep! The city of Welch could have been known as the city of Hunt. He was born on March 4, 1852 and died in 1903. He was married to Elizabeth Isabelle Belcher. Her father was William Floyd "Billy" Belcher, who was a pretty important person for his day. Whether the land, which become the site of Welch, was originally acquired by my my great grandfather or through the Belcher Family is not known. I do know that John and Elizabeth Belcher Hunt had twelve children.

Welch was settled in the early 1820's by William Fletcher but the town did not grow until the late 1880's. In 1880 there were only two or three houses and one store owned by Squire W. G. Hunt in the town.

If one measures the cost of property by today's standards the sale of land to Captain Welch was a bad deal. The entire Pocahontas Coal Field was sold for about $3.00 per acre. Alaska was sold for pennys per acre. The site of Welch was sold for approximately $13.00 per acre for timber. It was the advent of the railroad that increased the value of the land some seven years later.

My great grandfather placed great value on beautiful horses. Some family members indicted that great grandpappy owned some Arabian horses but this is not verifiable. I understand he did look good sitting in a saddle. Great grandpappy was probably a little vain, so even if the $40.00 and the horse, Cellum, was the entire purchase price for the site of Welch, he was probably satisfied.

I only know I had the privilege of growing up in wonderful City of Welch, the beautiful County of McDowell,and the great State of West Virginia.

Thank you Mr. Zuchick for the article of Captain I A. Welch. Thank you Barbara for your picture site. Both are delightful.