Joe Bird is the son of Charles Asbury Bird and Sally Bird. Joe attended the School for the Deaf and Dumb in Morganton, North Carolina, because he was partially deaf from a childhood accident. At the school he studied to be a linotypist and went on to become co-editor of the Bryson City Times and later on, the Sylva Herald (Jackson County Heritage 73).In this letter, Joe is writing to his parents Charles and Sally. Charles Bird worked as a farmer, Qualla Township political figure, store clerk, and was at one point a chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.Joe writes about the measles outbreak in his school, his homesickness, and his witnessing a barn burning. The theme of home and family remain constant throughout the letter. Joe mentions two of his brothers and expresses his desire to return home when the school closes for break instead of working for someone else
