Below is a transcribed copy of a letter from Furman Bush to his brother, Tivas Bush. We have the original letter in our possesion.

Aug, 24, 1918, Nicklesville, VA

Dear Brother Tivas:

We certainly were glad to get your letter last week and to know you are all well. This leaves us all as well as usual. My wife is never well of rheumitism but can get around a little. My youngest son (John) is in France and has been since May. We had a letter from him last week saying he was well and had just returned from the front line of trenches where they had been in battle for several days. I suppose his company was sent back to rest a few days and will go again soon. He says the Germans are on the run and he thinks the war will be over in a few months. I’m mighty proud of him. He is only 22 years old.

Steve, my next oldest boy was in Washington (State) the last time I heard from him. He wrote he was expecting to be called anytime, so by now he may be in camp somewhere. He has been married but his wife died in a year after they were married leaving a little girl baby. Its grandmother Bond (Charlie Bond’s widow) is raising it, so of course he can’t claim exemption on account of it. I don’t suppose he even tried to.

My next oldest boy was to old to register before but he will have to register in a few days now. He is 32 years old and not married. He is somewhere in Idaho. So you see I am not as lucky hardly as you are as I haven’t a single one of my boys with me. This winter I won’t even have my two single girls with me, as Tabby Kate will teach in the Coeburn High School and Ormal Ray (the baby) has a book keeping position in Stonega, Virginia. One of my daughters from McLean Texas has been with us three months this summer but left for home last week. We are all mighty lonesome since she left. I will only have my two grandchildren I am raising with me this winter and they both go to school. The girl (Kate) is 18 years of age and the boy (Ted) is 10 years old. They are both lots of help and company. The girl will finish school here this year then she is going to teach and do some kind of work for herself.

I would love to come to see you mighty well this fall Tivas, but there is no one at home that can do anything much when I’m gone so I don’t think I can come this year. I have a pretty nice lot of corn which joins my pasture fields where I have a lot of horses and mules and they are so bad to break in I am afraid to leave home. If I live, I’ll try to come see you in a year or two. This war seems like it has changed everything and caused living to be so high that it has thrown everybody in a hard place. Our prices on grain and things are about what you wrote yours are. I had my wheat washed yesterday, but didn’t have a very good crop. I think I will have enough to do me though. I have not quite quit raising hogs yet, I have 4 nice ghoats for meat next year and a sow and 6 nice pigs. I can raise hogs very well. I bought me a nice bunch of sheep (40 head) a few days back. They cost me awful high but I think I’ll make them pay for themselves next year. I’ve about gone out of the cattle business as they don’t pay me as well as sheep. I only have 4-5 head. I pasture for other people, which pays me really better than buying them and grazing them myself as you never know when prices on cattle are going to decrease. Cattle are awful high now. Choice head are worth .10 cents to .10 ½ cents per pound and bulls are about .07 cents and .08 cents per pound.

Brother tell your boy to come right on and see us anytime he can and we’ll show him as good time as possible. The girls will try to be at home or come home to see him and all his other cousins and kinfolks will be glad for him to come. Now tell him to be sure to come before he has to go to war. May girls have always begged me to come down there with them but some way we have never got started. I think it’s a shame too that all our children are grown and have never seen each other. Its not too late yet tho. Can’t you come with Willie to see us and bring your wife too? We would be so glad to see all of you and would show you as good time as possible. Jane Richmond is well and getting along fine I think. The girls were to see her not long ago and one of them works in Stonega where she lives.

I don’t hear from Jim very often. He fell last winter and broke his arm on the ice and I don’t know whether it ever got all right again or not.

Well Tivas, write again soon and a long letter. I hope I have answered all you asked and that you will enjoy my letter.

With much love from your loving brother, F. P. Bush (Furman Preston)