Copy of letter from John P. Arthur to me.
John P. Arthur Asheville, N.C. April 17th, 1903.
Attorney at Law.
Franklin D. Love, Esqr.,
Georgetown, Texas.
Dear Sir:
Yours of the 14th, inst., to hand. I spoke to Mrs. Hilliard this morning about writing a sketch of the life of her Grandfather, Robert Love, but she says that she is not in a position to give you as much information as I have already furnished, as she was but nine or ten years old when he died, and she has but a faint recollection of him.
I suggest that before you have your account of his life printed, you send it to me here, or to Miss Mary Love Stringfield, at Waynesville for such suggestions, corrections and alterations as they may devise. In this way nothing will be omitted; nothing be included that should not be, and if there are any errors, they should be corrected. At any rate, this is the best means of securing fullness and accuracy. I will make it my business to submit it to all who are in a position to revise it, and return it to you, if you adopt this suggestion. No one seems willing to undertake the task of writing out a full account of his life, for various reasons; but if the first draft or framework is read to them, each would be willing to make any recommendations that may occur to them. And, then, no blame could attach to you for errors or omissions. As what you propose to print is the only enduring monument Robert Love will ever have, in all probability, no pains should be spared to have it as full and as accurate as possible.
The Thomas Love mentioned in Wheeler’s History (of N.C.) was a brother of Col. Robert Love, and not his son. He was several years younger than Robert Love. He was known as General Thomas Love, and after 1828 removed to Forked Deer, Henry County, Tennessee; was elected to State Senate and became its Speaker or President. He was far more distinguished in this State as a public man and politician than Robert Love. His wife is buried in the Grave Yard of the Methodist Church at Franklin, Macon County, North Carolina, and a handsome tombstone has been erected to her memory. He was a great campaigner, and did his most effective work among the women, taking to the first house on his campaigns a batch of garden or flower seed, telling the mistress that his wife had sent them with the special request for some of her own; taking what she gave, and presenting them to the woman of the next house as a gift from his wife, with the same request for some of hers, and so on around the circuit. He was a man with blue eyes, of a large and commanding personality, and every influential in the legislatures, not only on account of his long service there, but because of this great ability as a diplomatist and manager and leader or men. Col. Allen T. Davidson has told me that he was a “born leader of men”.
Yours very truly,
John P. Arthur, (Signed)