Fred's Letter to Clancy & Tom

Nov. 29, 1995
Dear Clancy and Tom,

I received your letter last week and never got around to answering it. We had
our Boswell daughter and husband and grandkids from Thursday night until
Sunday morning. They seemed to enjoy themselves here. Bradley read most of the
time. I guess he acted sort of like your Steve did when he was young and
visited here. If reading will help, maybe he will turn out to be some sort of
genius. Eric seems to have more ordinary intelligence if he will use it in the
long run. He seems gifted in mathematics, and can multiply big numbers out in
his head. I let them have a cedar for a Christmas tree. I don't know how it
fared at 75 miles an hour on top of the car for 750 miles.

I took your advice before I got your letter on extra tests concerning what the
Dr. in NC thought was a TIA. The Dr. here, since I have very good insurance,
had a brain catscan run and also audio echo tests done on blood flow to and
from head and on heart condition. From these tests he said there was no sign of
my ever having a TIA. He said my heart condition was equal to one in a much
younger age group. He supposed I must have had some sinus congestion or
something like that. At least he made me feel good. Fayette hospital has the
modern test instruments to extract the most money from Medicare and Bluecross,
so I didn't have to go off somewhere to get tested. Anyhow the Brevard, NC Dr
got me well by taking a few extra aspirin, so I wasn't dissatisfied with what
he did. I guess I will just die off with nothing wrong but old age and
meanness. I had eyes checked in early summer. That Dr. was ready to operate the
same week. I told him I was "gunshie" of eye operations; since having a sister
and a brother with not much success with eye operations, and that I would wait
until I went blind first. I can still see the leaves on trees 1/4 mile away and
see the road good in daytime, so I guess I will hang around a while before
trying to have my eyes improved. My eyes seem to me to be in about the same
shape as in 1936 when the Navy recruiter in Bham. told me to get out of the
recruiting office, that I couldn't see. I suppose they never have been too
good, or too awfully bad, so I will just try to be satisfied with what I have.
The female eye Dr. at Ft. Belvoir said I had unusual striations in my eyes. The
Dr. here saw nothing unusual, but was eager to make a dollar.
I have been compiling a little Church of Christ history here lately. I found a
church in Morgan County, Al. where the Nick Hackworth family went to church.
His Dau. Sally married Philemous Morris. Phil was the Morris that wrote the
diary while living near Berea Church, and was the grandson of Sally Hackworth.
Sally's sister was Mary Hackworth. She married John McCaleb, the preacher son of
Hugh and Elizabeth Holbrook McCaleb. So I deducted that the Hugh McCaleb family
must have lived somewhere near the old Log Church where Sally and Mary were
baptized. The Randolphs were up in Morgan Co. also. The Randolphs and John
McCaleb were instrumental in establishing Berea Church. Jim Wade, a Primitive
Baptist turned C. of Christ after marrying Leah Catherine McCaleb ( dau of
Andrew and Leah C. McCollum), Was the most loved preacher at Berea. He didn't
charge for his preaching (a prim. bap. principle), Ha! Virgil Randolph married
Martha McCaleb. So everywhere I turned there was a McCaleb woman married to an
Early C. Of Christ preacher and McCalebs and McCollums donating land for Berea.
Nick Morris started the Morris cemetery where daddy's brother Franklin is
burried. It may turn out that I know more Church of Christ history than any of
the members around here, and me not even a good member. Should I give them a
copy of what I have? I also have Killingsworth Baptist. Grady Randolph wrote up
the Randolph contribution to the Church of Christ. He lives in Atlanta, and is
the grandson of Virgil and Martha McCaleb Randolph. Would you like to have the
full amount I acquire on the Church of Christ?
Guess I better quit for today. We seem OK at present. Have had greens from
garden. The noise of Thanksgiving has died down. I hope you and Tom are OK.
Glad to hear Tom and Bill are getting out of cow business. Too much work for
old fellows. Maybe Tom hasn't got old yet. I hope he stays young for a very
long time.

With love,