Volecia Mitchell

b. 18 December 1825, d. 25 May 1860
  • Volecia Mitchell was born on 18 December 1825 in Jones County, Georgia.
  • She was known as Lecia.
  • In a letter dated November [1845] to Sarah Geraldine Jourdan in Glennville, Alabama, Volecia Mitchell wrote from Mulberry Grove: The Sabbath we are commanded to keep holy, and as I am deprived the privilege of attending church, I shall spend part of this morning in writing to my dear cousin Gerald, for I shall derive more real pleasures from that than anything else that I could employ myself at, and there is nothing I deem more innocent (or holy even) than writing to those we love. I am happy to acknowledge the reception of your very interesting letter by last weeks mail, & hope my dear cousin, that the correspondence just commenced between us may continue uninterrupted, for I have promised myself great pleasure from it, and nothing shall be wanting on my part (in the way of punctuality), so when the correspondence ceases, the fault will be yours. /P/ Cousin Gerald, it is almost an impossibility for me to write now. Kate has just been smoothing my curls and you know my soft head generally suffers from her "rough tonick" Though I can't complain much when she tells me it is necessary "to improve my looks". She is teasing me now to lay aside my letter till tonight and talk and begging Solon to quit Don Juan, which he is devouring in grand style. She I suppose feels in the humour for talking & wishes us to give her our attention, but I shall not gratify her this time for my letter is to be mailed in Hamilton & must needs be written this morning. Mulberry Grove is probably at this time the dullest spot on earth. Ann & Lucinda have been absent now two weeks. They accompanied by Luther and their father are making a tour around to Savannah and Charleston, taking Milledgeville, ______ and Madison in their route. Lucinda did not care to take the trip & was anxious that I should take her part and accompany Ann, but I very politely declined this honor as I was not prepared & it didn't exactly meet the approval of the "old folks". /P/ I assure you that time drags heavily when Ann is away, you know she is the only girl in the neighborhood that visits me and ____ I miss her "notes" that are received weekly, and which generally call forth the loudest peals of laughter from me. Ger, my dear cousin, I sympathize with you, for yours must indeed be a lonely lot, with no one near you your own age to confide in, not one whom you could call a bosom friend, for oh! it is a great pleasure, as you say to have one in whom you can repose the most implicit confidence, but rarely can you find such friends, we hardly know who to trust in these "degenerate days". I feel for you my dear cousin, & think of you often, yes very often, and wish you could be with us. Write to me often and confide to me those secret feelings and thoughts that cause the blues you complin of; and I will promise to be the truest of friends; make me your confidant. I think I can be trusted. I believe we are "congenial spirits" anyhow. /P/ You promised to tell me before you left the Mulberry, who the "dear loved one" was but went off without making me the wiser. Things look very suspicious too , your getting a bridal bonnet & now I think I deserve a little better treatment from you. Probably you think me in love when I tell you that I have been poring over Byron for the last two weeks. I have not yet read Don Juan but I think of commencing it soon. Solon recommends it, so did ?Joe Lane? once upon a time; bye the bye, I saw Joe a few days ago, he is not quite so handsome as he used to be. Cousin Gerald, do you remember seeing a Maj. Erwin in Gainesville 4 or 5 years ago? He was a married gentlemen then, now a widower. He remembers you and Kitty very well & says he never knew anybody else but Col. Jourdan all his life; he was here last week and saw your pictar and asked very particularly after you & said he would like very much indeed to see you. He is a large fine looking gentleman about 32 or three, has one or two children, is wealthy & one of the steadiest fellows in the whole country. He is a particular friend of Maj. Gildar's and has made no ____ visits. The last time he came, he was accompanied by a young lawyer whose name is Gowns, probably you know him or have heard of him as he went to school in LaGrange several years. He is very highly recommended by Maj. Erwin , who gave him to me for a beau. Is a graduate of Athens, very intelligent, rather good looking (not handsome), fine morals, good family and very wealthy. ___ girls are very much pleased with him on first sight; he is very communicative, told me a great deal about LaGrange. Lizzy Colquit returns to Washington City this winter (he says to accept a congressman from Ohio, who addressed her while she was there). Lizzie Lane is engaged to Peter Hurd and Jioneny Herring(?) to George Ross. Coot Rogers was to have been married last Tuesday to Bibb of Montgomery who is palsied in one hand so he can not write. She is marrying him ?tis thought for his wealth, she had been engaged to a very worthy, tho poor, young man in Columbus for 18 months, then discarded him for Bibb. what will not the lure of wealth cause a girl to do? Oh! I hate such principles. /P/ Tom enquired after the Mr. Phillips?. Abe or Abraham spent the day with us not long since in company with Dr Casey (Carey?) ; the day passed off very pleasantly too, for the gentlemen were both in fine spirits & as a matter of course Kate and I were too. Kate could but wish tho, that it had been George instead of Abe. George is in Crawford Fla. reading ____ and sad to tell she has not seen him since that memorable night by moonlight. /P/ Dr. C left us with a promise to return the next week and bring Katie a beau, said I shouldn't have him. Kit thinks he wanted to reserve me for himself, however he and the promised beau did not come and Kate declares she'll never put any confidence in what Dr. C says hereafter. She thinks she has been rather badly treated lately, has had several disappointments to bear with. I'll just tell you another. Virgil saw George S. in Columbus about two weeks ago and he promised to come up and give Miss Kit a call and a serenade, making Virgil agree to come with him. Virgil came over and appraised us of their intended visit so on the day appointed for their visit, Kate and I dressed up in our "Sundays" and looked our very prettiest but alas, the day wore away, no George was seen, we thought however the serenade would certainly come so we arranged several beautiful bouquets. There too, we were disappointed and our flowers were doomed to wither untouched by those they were intended for. /P/ Sister H has been absent about a week on a visit to Mrs. Low, she is very much missed, I assure you. Our neighbours were all very much pleased with our cousin Geraldine. Virgil was delighted with her singing and frequently called for "Just Grant Me an Hour"because he liked it so well when Miss Gerald sang it. He left a few days ago for Augusta. We will miss him very much for he is more sociable that any of the boys. Tell Mary Ann Miande(?) has suffered a great deal lately with the toothache and still bloats very badly, she looks remarkably well though. /P/ Farewell dear Coz. Don?t share this and write soon to Lucia Are you not tired of my nonsense. I never know when to stop when I am writing to particular friends. I wrote a very foolish letter to Coz. Pat. I hope he won?t let it be seen. Don't have any fears about your letters for I assure you no eye will see their contents save my own. I have not even read it to any of the family. I hope you will keep mine as secret. Give my love to all the relatives. and do answer this soon. I feel loathe to stop even now. There are many things I have to say but the boy that is to take charge of this is waiting so good bye my dearest cousin. Lecia [P.S.] Farewell dear Coz. Don't share this and write soon to Lecia. Are you not tired of my nonsense. I never know when to stop when I am writing to particular friends. I wrote a very foolish letter to Coz. Pat. I hope he won't let it be seen. Don't have any fears about your letters for I assure you no eye will see their contents save my own. I have not even read it to any of the family. I hope you will keep mine as secret. Give my love to all the relatives. and do answer this soon. I feel loathe to stop even now. There are many things I have to say but the boy that is to take charge of this is waiting so good bye my dearest cousin. Lecia [Postmarked Hamilton, Georgia, 16 November, year indecipherable, but 1845 determined by events mentioned. Transcription by David Leon "Tuck" Wilson III , shared with Elsa Vorwerk by email, 3 June 2005. He will welcome any follow-up information about members of these families.].
  • In a letter dated 4 April [1846] to Sarah Geraldine Jourdan in Glennville, Barbour County, Alabama, Volecia Mitchell wrote from Auburn, Lee County, Alabama: "Really, my dear Cousin, I know not which is the most punctual correspondent, you or myself. Some five or eight weeks pass without one answering each others letters. Never have I borne that character before, and I am inclined to blame you for the change as I have only been endeavoring to follow your examples. So, dear Coz., do in future set better examples and I shall be governed thereby, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. /P/ The girls have all just left for church, and I, during their absence, will have a good chat with my cousin Gerald for it has been a long, long while since I have had a social confab. What a great day Sunday is, with the babies and because (of both colours) particularly those who have treated themselves to a 'new dress', bonnet, hat, etc., for they then can have an opportunity of showing them to the best advantage. I had no such inducement to draw me out to church today so any prayers must be offered up in my closet. /P/ There has been 'great excitement' in our village for the last week. The arrival of new goods, I suppose, is sure to excite the ladies, tho' in every town. Orange colours will mostly be worn in Auburn, judging from the number of orange dresses that has already been purchased (ten to my certain knowledge). I haven't yet bought any thing for myself as I thought it rather early, the spring fashions have not reached us yet. Then I prefer leading in Columbus, & propose going down in a few weeks. Ann and Lucina(?) have promised to meet us there and I know 'twould greatly add to my happiness to meet with my cousin Gerald. Oh! Happy thought that I should see those dear ones again! Till then I care not how swiftly the wheels of time may so be. Cruel fate, which compels a separation between hearts that love deeply and devotedly, but to thy decrees we must submit, (and Christian-like) without a murmur. As to my new home, I must say that I am highly pleased, and was agreeably disappointed in the size of the village, which I think is much larger than Glennville. We have two excellent schools. I went up a few evenings since to hear Mr. Selota's(?) pupils read compositions & some were excellent. I was reminded very forcibly of Dr. Brown, on hearing his ___ read and almost wished myself a schoolgirl again. Mr. S is very strict yet very mild and kind; his pupils generally are devotedly attached to him. A Methodist and a Baptist Church we have in the village, the latter is a few yards from our house. The people (that is the young ladies and gents) have proved so far to be quite sociable, tho' we can't boast of a great number of either; there are some handsome young men, some rich ones, some real steady, worthy ones, some intelligent ones, & and some very dissipated worthless loafers, but none can compare to the beau you kindly offered to give me (___Geo.? Baldwin) for not one in Auburn or it's vicinity possess the four first mentioned qualifications combined. The girls, some of them I have become attached to, but not one of them can supply Ann's place. She holds a place in my heart that no other can ever occupy; having known her from childhood and being my earliest friend and confidant. She seems almost part of myself, consequently can never, never be blotted from memory's page, though we never meet again. Is it not pleasant dear Coz., to indulge in the sweet reminiscences of the past! I have found it particularly so, since I've been in Auburn, and yet these retrospections have always ended in the blues, but enough of this. /P/ For the first two months after I came here, we had a show of some kind every week, concerts, Negro songs, and dancing, and ledger domain we ought to be perfect in. Finally the citizens got ashamed of themselves for patronizing so many of these shows, & the last one was but poorly attended. We haven't however, had any Monkey Shows, I dare say, there would be a general turnout to one of those. /P/ The recent source of amazement , will be the debating society; there are some six or eight old men belonging to it, and one (Tom Edy), who doesn?t know his alphabet. I attended one of their meetings last Sat. night, and I assure you my sides were almost sore from laughing. Some of the boys were very bashful and so choked they couldn't get out more than a half dozen words; one said he had two or three ideas on the subject and we were anxiously waiting to hear them, he gave several hums and took seat, the presence of the 'Fair Sex' I suppose caused him to lose those precious few. I dare say it will be a great source of improvement to us all; Uncle Tom Edy says every thing he knows he has learned from the debating societies since he has been in Auburn. so be not surprised if you should hear of your Coz. Lecia's becoming a real literary lady, authoress, etc. How are all my good kinfolk getting along in Glennville and what has become of The Judge? I should have liked very much to have been at your Ball, as I too have a great fondness for dancing. Auburn, being such a pious place , we'll not have an opportunity of dancing here often. Last week we had a picnic at a mill about three miles from here, the most beautiful and romantic scenery I have ever looked at; there were about two dozen in company, and a merrier crowd I never expect to see. The day passed off very pleasantly in rambling over those mountains, playing cards, dancing on the sand hill, chatting with the beaus, and gathering wild flowers. We had the finest music all day, being honored with the presence of two of the best fiddlers in the whole country. The young men went to considerable expense to furnish the picnic, so, I assure you, we fared scrumptiously, every thing that could be had in the way of cakes, candies, fruits and wines. And everyone seemed to enjoy themselves so much that I guess they'll have no objections to another that is already in anticipation. Some say that these picnics are gotten up by the young men for the purpose of courting their lady-loves, & there never was one passed off yet without some love-making. Kate I believe is frightened about the next one. /P/ Sure enough, according to promise, Maj. Erwin came and brought my beau who was a very nice little man but not what my family had painted him, consequently I didn't fall in love. Not so with him, however, for strange to tell, he fell most audaciously in love on first sight (this is in confidence, dear Coz.) You think he didn't, the very next week after I saw him, write me a real long downright love letter. A beautiful thing it was too, spiced now and then with a little poetry. What are your ideas about love on first sight? I have very little confidence in such myself. I frequently receive letters from Ann & oh! it is such a treat to read them. They are so long too, very often six or seven pages. Dr Virgil(?) has returned home with his sheepskin Luther is also at home; they have promised us a visit soon , Also, Antoinette and Jeanette came about two weeks since, the latter looks better than I have seen her since she was married, and has two very interesting daughters. Florence (the eldest) is very pretty and as smart a child as I ever saw. The baby is very large and fine looking. _____ babe grows but little . She is very delicate looking and the whitest skin you ever looked at. I fear the little thing is not healthy. She is the prettiest and smartest child for her age in these diggins. I was truly sorry to hear of the death of cousin Mary's babe. I was very anxious to see her. Cousin Lizzie Harper is living about five miles from Auburn and is up frequently to see us. She spent last week with us. Sent her love to you and acknowledges she has treated you badly. Says she will surprise you however one of these days. 'Green Wood' is to be married the 8th of this month to Apiso(?) LaGrand of Tuskeegee and when is your wedding to come off? Remember I am to be bridesmaid and must have timely notice. I was greatly surprised to hear of Mary(?) Brown' marriage. /P/ I have learned several new songs recently. 'I Love but One / I Love but Thee', 'The Blind Boy', 'The Grave of Bonaparte', and the first is a great favorite of mine. My love to all and tell Mary Ann we shall begin to look for her soon. /P/ Abe Philips, who is still a constant visitor at Col. Walkers. George has been over to see us once and promised to be in our picnic last week but didn't come so Kate was badly disappointed. I hope Cousin Gerald, that you will be more prompt in your answers hereafter as you and Ann are my only correspondents. I always look anxiously for your letters. Mary's health I think is improving slowly. The rest of the relatives are well. Poor old aunt Mary died last week. /P/ Write soon Dear Cousin [Unsigned, no postmark, but 1846 determined by events mentioned. Transcription by David Leon "Tuck" Wilson III , shared with Elsa Vorwerk by email, 3 June 2005. He will welcome any follow-up information about members of these families.].
  • In a letter dated __ ___ '1847-1848 to Sarah Geraldine Jourdan, Sally (?) wrote: "I suppose by this [time] Cousin Lecia is married, poor girl. I hope her future days may not be spent only in accordance with her anticipations. Perhaps she had better remain single the remainder of her days though she knows best. Her eyes are open." [Leter from unidentified cousin "Sally." Transcription by David Leon "Tuck" Wilson III , shared with Elsa Vorwerk by email, 3 June 2005. He will welcome any follow-up information about members of these families.]
  • She married John William Wallace Drake on 22 February 1848.
  • John William Wallace Drake and Volecia Mitchell appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1850 in Macon County, Alabama, living next to Volecia's uncle William Mitchell, and not far from her mother and sisters Katherine Swanson and Harriet Jordan, and her sister Mianda Gilder.. Other members of the household included James A. F. Drake.
  • Volecia Mitchell died on 25 May 1860 at age 34.
  • Her husband John William Wallace Drake became a widower at her death.
  • She was interred at Pine Hill Cemetery, Auburn, Lee County, Alabama.
  • Last Edited: 2 May 2009

Family: John William Wallace Drake b. 25 March 1819, d. October 1866