Scope and Contents Note From the Collection: In a March 5, 1856 letter, G. W. Young of Clarksville writes to his father William in Chaplin, Connecticut about farming and coal mining. Young describes an agricultural practice known by the locals as "Plant Beds & Burning" in which they burn "Brush heaps on Tobacco beds & [save] the seed for plants." After a discussion of people from home, Young also talks about coal prices in Tennessee versus those in Connecticut. He also speaks of "a Rail Road in construction from...