Following is a letter written by John Hervey to his niece (a daughter of his brother Redding Hervey) which was typed from the original by Helen Hervey and sent to the editors:Hillsbore (Hillsboro), Texas Oct. 9, 1906My dear Niece:I received your most interesting letter some time since, and I will now try and answer it. I assure you that I more then appreciate your most interesting missive. I hardly knew that I had a relative of your name, but hope now since you have made your self known, that we may become more intimately acquainted. I suppose that I am the only uncle that you have living of the Hervey & Kimbell name. They have all long since died & I too must soon follow. I have just entered my seventy-seven year & still blessed with good health. I sprained my knee about month ago which I am afraid will make me a criple for life, I trust it won't get worse. I can still get around, it gives my very little pain only in trying to walk. My children are scattered, have two boys in Oklahoma, one daughter in Fannin County, Texas, and the four others in Hill. I have been with them all this year, except my daughter in Fannin, and I hope to visit her soon. I spent two months in Oklahoma this summer; both boys are married. Brooks my youngest son, married last Feb., he was twenty-one in January. They all have good homes, but the two youngest boys, they have saved up some money and I hope will soon get homes, land is so high here. It almost impossible for one to pay out land here farming. Land selling here from $50 to $100 per acre. I am renting my farm to my son, Peyton, he has a good crop, will make 3/4 of bail cotton & 40 bu. corn per acre. The boys are good workers and strictly temperate. I make my home with Ora, my youngest daughter, she has nice little home a mile & half from Hillsboro, has married two year have no children. Eulah is living in Hillsboro, been married 11 years, has no children, Marion Clyett, her husband is cashier in The Farmers National Bank. They own several houses and lots in town. I spend a good deal of my time with them, but don't like the noise and excitment of a city.I am sorry I can give you little information about our ancesters, My grandfather, Thomas Hervey, died several years before I was born. He was raised in Paris, France, was in the Revolutionary War - don't know what position he held in the Army. He had three sons, Olney, Gideon and Peyton. Olney, the oldest, imigrated from North Carolina to Tenn. about 1826. Gideon died in North Carolina about 1858. My father, Peyton, the youngest, died in March 1865. The Kimbell & Avent family - I knew very little of their origin, John Kimbell, your uncle, died when I was quite young. Pricillia Avent, his wife, was living in Halifax Co., NC, when I left there in 1865. Die a few years afterward. I can refer you to no one I knew in NC that can give you any information in acquaintance and relatives have died since I left there. There is quite a number of the Hervey family living in Texas. I have met two of my cousins, a Olny, a son of Old Olney, visited me when I lived in Fannin Co., in 1878, he lived in Norris (Ed.: should be Morris) Co., Tx. He left two sons and a daughter. Jas. lived in Navana (should be Navarro) Co., he left large family. I met one of his sons, Harry, who is a merchant in Corsicanna. Calvin left 2 sons in Hope, Ark. one a farmer and the other a lawyer. The two I have met seemed to know as little about the family as myself. I have received two letters from the Herveys asking for the same information as you desire. This is all I know of the history of The Herveys. Nothing would aford me more pleasure then to accept your kind invitation to visit you and all my dear relatives in Mississippi. I trust that I may be spared yet to do so.I saw Ed Woodall often - he always inquires and speaks kindly of you and your ma. He is nice man, he has given me many pressing invertations to visit his family. Think I will do so soon. My warmest affection for your ma, tell her I would like for her to visit us, why can't you pay us visit. My kindest wishes for all my relatives. Tell them I would like to hear from them.(Signed) John Hervey
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