The Mail Box - January, 1992

Issue: January, 1992

Dear Folks,
I have enjoyed your paper for a while now and wish to share my good fortune with relatives.

Three of the people grew up on farms in Piedmont North Carolina and have stories to tell. Please let me know if you are interested and I will try to get them to let go of some.

Thank you for your paper.

K. Petty
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Dear Mr. Petty and other Readers,
We are always happy to find good old time stories. We encourage everyone to write down their memories, not just for The Mountain Laurel, but for the sake of preserving family heritage. We not only invite but appreciate everyone who shares their memories with our family of readers.

Susan Thigpen, Editor

Mrs. Thigpen:
I do not know when my subscription runs out, but I am renewing now because I sure do not want to miss any issues.

I lived in the area where you began publishing The Mountain Laurel. I lived on the Carroll County and Floyd County line as a child - attended Buffalo Mountain High School - was married in the Buffalo Mountain Rock Church. Therefore, I know so many of the people in the stories of the paper. I have lived in Radford, Virginia since 1939.

I still enjoy going back to the farm I grew up on. My parents are deceased, but I kept the homeplace. My children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoy the place. We often spend several days and nights there. I can identify with so many things in your great paper.

C. Nester
Radford, Virginia

Mountain Laurel,
I appreciate you putting my name in the paper. I was trying to find some cousins or anyone that is related to me. I have not heard from anyone in Floyd or Carroll County, but I am sure some of my cousins must live there. I found a cousin in Concord, VA. He sent me a lot of history on my Granddaddy Bob. I have heard from several people not related to me from New York; Pulaski, VA; Washington - different places. Thanks so much. I enjoy reading the Mountain Laurel.

S. Grubbs
Roanoke, Virginia

Susan Thigpen,
We have enjoyed reading the complimentary copy very much since we both were born in Wythe County and lived there up until 1957. My husband's father worked at the Fish Hatchery so he spent a lot of time there. We always visit the hatchery when we come to visit family. We look forward to getting The Mountain Laurel.

Mrs. W. K. Irvin
Smithfield, Virginia

Dear Bob, Charlotte & Susan,
Enclosed you will find our renewal plus one new gift to The Mountain Laurel. We enjoy and appreciate this paper more than mere words can express.

We admire and respect your talent, fortitude and true grit in being able to survive against some pretty overwhelming obstacles.

Thank you for the heart warming letter in your last issue. Keeping your readers informed of these trials and tribulations may serve to bring us all closer to understanding what all goes into the publishing of this special newspaper that we all love so much.

Keep up the effort!

A. & N. Cunningham
Ferrum, Virginia

Dear Hometown Friends,
I've been receiving The Mountain Laurel for a year now and I really enjoy it. Wytheville is my home town and I enjoy all the articles about Wytheville and the surrounding area. My sister subscribed to the "Laurel" for my birthday last year and I can truly say it was the best birthday gift I ever received. So happy you all are carrying on after a bad time. Keep up the good work. God bless as you do.

C.S. Dix
Roanoke, Virginia

Dear Mrs. Thigpen:
I have been a steady reader of your unusual magazine since about 1984, when a cousin of mine gave me a subscription for my birthday. I immediately ordered subscriptions for my brothers and sister. Your October, 1991, issue is an exceptionally good one. Apartment dwellers do not have all that much space for storage of old magazines, but I will certainly save this one. I plan to take the Floyd County BACKROAD Tour having already been over a large part of this area.

Thanks for your suggestion concerning Virginia county historical societies as sources of genealogical information. I promptly wrote to both the Floyd and Franklin County societies.

Keep up your good work. You may be surprised to know how many fans The Mountain Laurel has and from how many parts of the world.

L. Lancaster
Charlotte, North Carolina

Hi & Merry Christmas To You
Please send The Mountain Laurel to my sister for Christmas. I have been saving mine for her but I like it so much I don't want to give it away.

Keep up the good mountain stories.

G. Montgomery
Reidsville, North Carolina

Dear Ms. Thigpen:
Your wonderful cookbook arrived today. I am most impressed since I am a country boy, a fair cook and enjoy such things as fried apples, corn pudding, - I used to buy dried apples in Stuart, VA. Drying apples was one of my chores when I was growing up in Bedford County, Virginia and [you] must not let it rain on them while they are being dried. NO NO - indeed!!!

I would like very much to buy four of your books. Have a nice and happy Christmas and a prosperous 1992.

P. Mitchell
Richmond Virginia

Dear Editor of Mountain Laurel,
I would like a subscription to your paper. We buy one anytime we're on the Parkway or anywhere it's sold and enjoy it so very much.

Thank you very much,
M. Cooper
Farmville, Virginia

Dear Susan,
God Bless you for The Mountain Laurel. My nephew, Ben Spangler Jr. had it sent to me as a gift. I have never been given a better or more enjoyable gift. I did not put it down until I read every page. I cried and laughed.

I'm a Primitive Baptist. We have come a long way with many changes from the article in November issue. It sure brought back good memories when I was a small girl from Roanoke, Virginia going to church in Floyd, Virginia, with my mama and dad.

I am going to show The Mountain Laurel here in Georgia as I am very proud of those mountains in Virginia where I came from. Am sure you will be getting new subscribers.

I want to say Happy Birthday Miss Addie.

A. Nasworthy
Ludowici, Georgia