Back in December of 2021, I received a message through Ancestry.com asking how I was related to Bailis Petree. Almost two months later, I received the following reply from “jeremyg38”:
I have no relation to the Petrees but I do have an interesting story. Back in the early 90’s my father stumbled upon a bunch of letters and pictures of the family going back to James C. Hale, father of Mary Hale who was married to Bailis Petree. It’s quite a collection of your family history. I got to thinking if someone had my family history, I’d want to know. If you are at all interested, send me your cell number, and I can send you pictures or you can text my cell.
As soon as I read Jeremy’s message, I immediately texted back. The following night, we had an hour-long conversation on the phone, then arranged for Jeremy to send me the box of old letters, photos, and memorabilia. So, what all was in the box? Along with James’s letters, I also discovered Civil War letters from Bailis’s brother, Benjamin Petree, as well as other family letters – including several written by friends and family members who had taken the Oregon Trail to California, Oregon, and Washington in the 1850’s-60’s. The box also included a pair of James C. Hale’s eyeglasses; a flag his daughter Mary Ann Hale Petree made for him, which he carried with him throughout the Civil War; several tintype photos of family members; and pieces of material from dresses worn by various women in the family. Wow! Here you can see photos of those items.
Letters written by James Calaway Hale, plus a letter from Rebel cousin Rachel (in the tiny envelope)
Another view of the letters
The oldest letter in the box, written by my 4th great grandfather, John Brown, to son-in-law James Calaway Hale & daughter Elizabeth (Brown) Hale, from the State of Tennessee, Washington County, dated March 22, 1846
Letter from James's brother Lewis, dated March 30, 1854, from Horse Creek, Tennessee
Letter written by James C. Hale from the Marine Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, dated October 30, 1863
Letter written by James's nephew Lewis from Petaluma Valley, California, dated January 29, 1858
James C. Hale's eyeglasses (labeled by granddaughter Lettie Petree Bragg)
My father trying on his great-great grandfather's glasses
Old tintype photo - possibly of Mary Ann Hale and her three sisters (before one of them died in 1860); the word "Mother" is written above the girl on the left, which could be Mary Ann (the oldest of the four)
Some other items that were in the box Jeremy sent me - including old tintype photos, notes, and pieces of materials and dresses some of my relatives wore
Unidentified tintype photo - possibly Benjamin Petree
Unidentified photo of a young girl, possibly Amanda
This photo is labeled "McDonald" on the back, so it is likely a photo of Mary Ann's brother, McDonald Meshack Hale
Unidentified tintype photo, probably McDonald, Mary Ann, and Amanda Hale; this photo was accompanied in an envelope by a piece of material from the dress one of the girls was wearing
Note reads: "Material of my dress that I was wearing in the family group. The buttons were silver, bright & pretty"
Material from the dress of Bailis and Benjamin Petree's mother, Mary Snowden Petree Note reads: "1957 - Aunt Lucy Earls Petree, wife of Benjamin Petree, took care of Grandfather's (Henry Petree's) trunk of special keepsakes for some years before he remarried and after. When I was visiting my Aunt Lucy when I was 14 years old, she gave me this piece of Grandmother's (Mary Snowden Petree's) dress - the square cut from this piece was given to my sister Lizzie Hatcher. It is now very old. Aunt Mollie (Petree) was the baby of the family, 5 older children born in 1842 - 1957 - 115 years - perhaps, 30 years old. L.P.B. (Lettie Petree Bragg)" This last part of the note is a bit confusing. I'm not sure why Lettie brings up Mollie Petree - perhaps the other material is from one of her dresses, possibly worn when she was 30 years old. Mollie was born in 1842 and was the youngest of Henry Petree and Mary Snowden Petree's six children. Mary died in 1844; Mollie, in 1901. It had been 115 years since she had been born when Lettie wrote this note.
The first (and most faded) letter written by James Calaway Hale, dated October 2, 1862, from Rolla, Phelps County, Missouri
Letter written by James Calaway Hale, along with flag sewn for him by his daughter, Mary Ann Hale Petree, which he carried with him throughout the war (as labeled on the envelope by his granddaughter, Lettie Petree Bragg)
This letter, written by Mary (Kincheloe) Hale (1777-1866) to son James Calaway Hale from Greene County, Tennessee, is dated June 12, 1850, and includes a list of family names, birthdays, and death dates
Mary Ann Hale Petree sewed this 9" x 14" flag for her father; the envelope, labeled by Lettie Petree Bragg, states that Mary Ann made it for her father, James C. Hale, and that he carried the flag with him throughout the war