Abner Fawcett

Abner Fawcett was the eldest son of Joseph Fawcett and Lucretia Keyes. He was the only Fawcett to stay behind in Harrisonburg after the Fawcetts either moved to Alabama or MO in the 1830s. Like his brother, E.R. Fawcett, he was a tanner. This letter documents the entry of Fawcetts into sheep business. Later Willis raised sheep in MO, before moving to central Texas where he herded sheep with his brothers-Niles, Benj Keyes & eventually E.R. Fawcett. The Fawcetts owned property along Smiths Creek in Rockingham County where they tried smelt/forge iron. Noland & Co, Frank Price & Allen were all probably merchants known to Joseph. Abner married into the Crawford family, and his widow was still living in nearby Augusta County during the Civil War. The Bowmans were neighbors. In 1828 Joseph Fawcett's mercantile store went under, probably because he was too generous with credit. This eventually led to his moving to MO with most of his family. Peter was a slave (see census records). The Fawcetts-like others-were divided over slavery. Some owned them, while others like Willis married into a Quaker family and later sided with the Union during the Civil War. Soon after this letter was written Lyle headed to Alabama, to work for Beirne & McMahon. Beirne was the wealthiest man in what is now WVA, and a business friend of Joseph Fawcett. His house still stands in Monroe County.

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Some or all works by this author were published before January 1, 1929, and are in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Translations or editions published later may be copyrighted. Posthumous works may be copyrighted based on how long they have been published in certain countries and areas.

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