Scope and Contents:
This letter, presumed to be written by E. H. Owen because of the name impressed on the paper, was written in Nashville as he was traveling through the South. The purpose of the trip is not mentioned, but the letter, signed "Papa", was addressed to his daughter and family, probably in Cincinnati. The letter recounts his experiences and reflections of the trip, including his visit in Louisville with a customs collector friend, sights along the railroad line, geological characteristics, the probabilities of finding oil, traces of the war in destruction and emigrating blacks, work in the cotton fields, and the effects of a drought on the corn crop.