Letters From Mississippians, 1916-1918
Granville, Miss., May 16 1917.
Dear Sir: This letter is a letter of information of which you will find stamp envelop for reply. I want to come North some time soon but I do not want to leve here looking for a job wher I would be in dorse all winter. Now the work I am doing here is running a gauge edger in a saw mill. I know all about the grading of lumber. I have abeen working lumber about 25 or 27 years My wedges here is $3.00 a day 11 hours a day. I want to come North where I can educate my 3 little children also my wife. Now if you cannot fit me up at what I am doing down here I can learn anything any one els can. also there is a great deal of good women cooks here would leave any time all they want is to know where to go and some way to go. please write me at once just how I can get my people where they can get something for their work. there are women cookeing for $1.50 and $2.00 a week. I would like to live in Chicago or Ohio or Philadelphia. Tell Mr. Abbott that our pepel are tole that they can not get anthing to do up there and they are being snatched off the trains here in Greenville and a rested but in spite of all this, they are leaving every day and every night 100 or more is expecting to leave this week. Let me here from you at once.
Pelahatchee, Miss., April 27, 1917
Dear Sirs: I see through the Chicago Defender that you have a reputation of furnishing employment to men. Kindly give me the particulars. What class of work do you get men? I am writing you to know that I may obtain an ; employment through you. I want a good paying job that I may be able educate my children. Kindly let me hear from you.
Starkville, Miss., May 28, 1917
Sir: Your name have bin given me as a Relibal furm putting people in toutch with good locations for education there children Now I am a man of 40 years old by traid I am a barber of 20 years experience I am now in the business for white but I can barber for either white of colord I have a wife and seven children 5 girls and 2 boys allso I am a preacher I don't care for the large city life I rather live in a town of 15 or 20 thousand I want to raise by family nice and I would like for my children to have the advantage of good schools and churches Now if you are in a persison to help me a long this line I would be glad to here from you.
(Collected under the direction of Emmett J. Scott, and excerpted with permission from The Journal of Negro History, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia.)
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