| The following collection
of letters, the originals of which are
now in the protective care of the North
Carolina State Archives, were written
during the years that were perhaps the
darkest ones through which the United
States of America ever passed. The
collection consists of correspondence
between Francis Marion Poteet and his
wife, Martha A. E. (Henley) Poteet.
Francis and Martha were residents of
McDowell County, North Carolina during
the years of the war. The descendants of this
couple have a unique privilege, through
these letters, to be able to vicariously
enter into the minds, hearts and daily
struggles of these Poteet ancestors of
those long-ago years. One would have to
be truly callous of heart not to be
touched by the daily struggles faced by
Martha to provide and care for the family
while her husband was away, or to feel
the expressions of helplessness in the
words of Francis, knowing what his wife
and children were experiencing. His own
condition was bad, with little food,
inadequate clothing and equipment, and
often no pay. Yet, all of that was second
place to his concern for his family's
plight. It is so evident in his written
words.
Those who are
not directly related, but who have a
sense of history, will find these letters
revealing of everyday life in Western
North Carolina during the period in which
they were written. Francis' experiences
as a member of the 49th North Carolina
Infantry Regiment are probably typical of
many, many others who served in the
Confederate forces.
In Memory of
Carolyn Clark Owen
July
1940 - July 2003
Carolyn Clark
Owen, a great-great granddaugher of
Francis and Martha, spent many years in
transcribing the letters into a typed
form. Carolyn did a voluminous amount of
genealogical research on many different
family lines, but her work on these
letters is undoubably the work for which
she will be most remembered. Not only we,
but future generations as well, owe her a
great debt of graditude. She has made it
possible for us, through these letters,
to really "know" Francis Marion
and Martha A.E.Henley Poteet.
<Letter
Index>
|
