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Joseph Desha) was for many years a Represent-
ative [Representative] in Congress from Kenty and at the time of
the almost unparalleled & unaccountable murder
committed by his son, was Governor of the State.
Genl. Robert Desha, who lately died at Mobile
a gentleman of high standing was his uncle.
The declining health of my sons, & other causes, par-
ticularly [particularly] pecuniary embarrassment, induced me
in 1825, to come to the determination absolutely
to remove to the south (Huntsville was the point
I had in mind. With this view, I sold my land
as before stated at a great sacrifice. Thos. was sent
with the blacks to Huntsville, where he hired them
out. And about the 10th of February 1826, my wife
daughter & self left for that place. Algernon T's
health had by this time declined so much that
it was considered unsafe for him to travel & was
left at Winchester as a boarder with Mr. Hay Ta-
liaferro [Taliaferro], a kind & worthy man.
We arrived at Huntsville, on the 23rd of February
1826, found Thos. in pretty good health, but several
of the negroes sick. My wife's health had been
greatly impaired by the journey. The weather all
the time had been warm & wet and upon our
arrival at Huntsville, the town & country were al-
most [almost] covered with water. She was much de-
pressed [depressed] in spirits. She did not think we could
have our health in such a country as that. We
had left an interesting son, just arrived at man-
hoods [manhoods] sick in Kenty. In this state of feeling
and dependency we first went to Columbia in
Tennessee, where we could not find a house to live in
and stayed but a day or two, & from] thence we
unfortunately went to Winchester, & settled there