Letter, 10 March 1861, to Mrs. E.E. Boyd, living at Haunted Castle [presumed to be located in Edgefield District, S.C.], is signed by “Bro. Andrew,” who wrote from Columbia and notes that he had instructed brother Patrick to forward Godey’s [Lady’s Book] as soon as it arrived at Glass’s and explains that he had not subscribed for the entire year because he “thought it very uncertain how long the mail facilities would last....”

The letter reports the express business was keeping him busy but mercantile sales in Columbia were dull. It further advises that she plant plenty of corn for fear of food shortages and thanks her for the bottle of an unidentified alcoholic beverage she had sent, noting that he did not plan to share with brother Patrick “for fear his appetite for drink will overcome his determination not to drink.”

The letter was written on letterhead of the Adams’ Southern Express. Included with the letter is the stampless Adams Express Company envelope in which it was shipped.

The 1860 census lists E.E. Boyd as a thirty-two-year-old female head of household living at Saluda Regiment, Edgefield District, West Creek Post Office, with an eleven-year-old daughter, J.R. Boyd. The 1870 census identifies Elizabeth Boyd as a forty-two-year-old female head of household living at Saluda, Edgefield District, Batesville Post Office.