Nov the 18 1862
Stae of North carolina Randolph Co
Govener Vance
Dear sir this is a great undertakieing for me
as i never wrote to a man of authority
before necesity reqires it of me as we
are nonslave holders in this section of the
State i hope you and our legislature
will look to it and have justice
done our people as well as the slave-
holders i can tel you the condition
of my family and you can judg for your
self what its condition woul be if
my husban is called from home
we hav eight children and the oldest
is not foreteen years old and an old
aged mother to support which maks
eleven in our family and without my
husband we are a desolate and a ruined
family for extortion runs so hie here we
cannot support and clothe our family
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without the help of my husband
i hope you will look to the justice of the
pupels of this section of the State
and i trust you will hold the rane
in your own hands and not let the
confederate cngress have the full sway
over your State i appeal to god to look
to the while cultivaters as strictly
as cngress has to the slaveholdes and i
think they men from 35 to 45 will be
hel as reserves at hom to support there fam
ilies if the are calld from home it is bound
to leave a thousn families in a starving
conditin in our county we trust in god
and look to you for some help for our poor
children so no more yours Respectfully
Martha Coletrane to Govenor Vance