Big Bro - Errett

The year is 1909. This letter is written to my grandfather Forest by his older brother Errett when they were both young men. Errett writes from Bowie, Tex., and Forest must be in or near Anadarko, Okla. In the second paragraph, Errett references "up there," (Anadarko is north of Bowie) and is the home of Forest's "girl," also referenced in Errett's letter. The girl is Mary B. Fitts, soon to be his wife and our grandmother.

As noted in the previous blog, Forest struck out on his own around 1907 traveling west to Tucson and soon after made his way back to the Texas/Oklahoma area.

A little history on brother Errett --Born in 1884, he was four years older than Forest with no living siblings in between. They have an older sister, Lucy, who is seven years older than Errett. Between Lucy and Errett, Sarah Sweet gave birth to four other children. None of them lived to be more than eight years old. Three of them died in 1883 reportedly from typhoid.

Errett married Flossie Hefton in 1906 in Sherman, Tex. At the writing of this letter, Errett and Flossie were likely living with his parents, Lewis and Sarah, in Bowie. In the previous blog's letter (dated Dec. 1908), Lewis mentions that Flossie was sick and Errett appears to be a source of information about town.

Errett and Flossie will eventually move to Sherman, Texas, as shown in the 1910 Census. Sherman is 79 miles due east from Bowie. He was a hostler for the railroad, a type of engineer that moves engines in and out of service facilities.

Bowie, Texas
Jan. 13 1909

Mr. F.A. Sweet
Dear Bro, We are having quite a spell now and I guess it is much worse up there than here.

   I told Ma Sunday that I had a letter from, and you said that your girl had quit school. you thot [sic] you knew why. Forest you ought to have seen ma's face, I couldn't keep from laughing at her.

   Forest, I saw Roy the other day, he said I could have Dick and Rubby to work for their feed. He said that he would write Cloud about Dick and he said he knew that Cloud would let me have him. I will go back to my indelible pencil. I believe it is the best on this paper.

   I want to know if you can lend me some money in a week or two. Now Forest when I say lend me money I mean it for I will pay you back as soon as I can and I feel sure that I can pay next fall, for I have already got a job. I didn't have to ask for it either, it was offered to me by Llass [?].

   My idea was to make a ? with pa and next fall take that job with Llass, and then hire a man to help in my place to pick cotton.

   I can make more running that engine than I can picking cotton is the reason I would take the job running it.

   I think Mr. Dobkins let me have groceries on fall time, but I will have to pay cash for feed.

   I will buy feed by the wagon load from the farm so I can get it cheaper. Roy said that he wanted me to feed lots of hay and course that is cheaper than corn.

   Forest let know at once and what or how much you can spare by the 25 of this month.

   Your Bro.

   Errett Sweet


Here are a few things I have gleaned from this letter and my research:

• Mr. Dobkins is James Dobkins, the grocer in Bowie. Probably a good man to be on good terms with.
• Dick and Rubby were perhaps a couple of horses. 
• Errett will eventually take that job running an engine, as the 1910 census shows he moves to Sherman, Texas, where he becomes a hostler. Sherman was served by five major railways.

Now, about that "girl" ...  As a young girl, Mary B. Fitts lived in Anadarko. I don't know how she and Forest met; but I do know that as of 1909, none of the Sweet family had met her yet. Forest and Mary maintained a "long distance" relationship as later letters will show that Forest moved around alot.

Grandma Sweet's name for Forest was "Sweet" and she always called him that, even after his death.