Nashua (New Hampshire)
August, 1849
Dear Elizabeth,
I am now taking the first opportunity that offers itself to me to drop a few lines to you in hopes they will find you in perfect state of health as I am happy to say that they have me quite well at present thanks be to God for his merciful goodness toward me at all times. You’ll pardon my long silence in not writing sooner when I tell you that we have to work very late – that is until 7 o’clock at night and we have to get up at 5 in the morning. Consequently I have no time to do anything for all that.
I like this _____ berg Nashua but I should like it much more too if I had some of my friends here with me or some one that I know for when a person gets into a strange country it is hard to tell what anybody is. Since I have been here I have been with about fifty English people and they all pay me very great respect for it pays off as an Englishman myself for when I tell the Yankees anything of Wales they think it is in some part of Ireland therefore I don’t tell them but what L-Pool is the last place I am from.
I got to work here the second week after we landed in a shop something like the one at Prentra but my wages will be much more than it was there although wages is much less here than it was five years back.
T.Price is at a place called Milton 9 miles from Boston quite in the opposite direction from here and I am forty miles north west of Boston which makes us apart forty nine miles. We had the pleasure of meeting together on the fourth of July in Boston when I found him quite well & I have wrote to him since & I expect an answer every day. This town is fifteen miles from Lowell or the place that I expected to have stopped at since leaving home but I am not sorry that I have come here for wages is higher here than it is at Lowell.
There is to many Irish at Lowell consequently they always work for less than anybody else will do. The Yankees don’t like an Irishman a lot they would just as soon kill him as look at him but they like the English and the Germans well enough for they can do anything, but Irish they can do nothing only the commonest of labor, but their condition in this country is much better than at home although all of them that come here can’t find employment directly. On their arrival some go right back perhaps on the very same ship as they have come over in. When I was at Boston I learned that about one hundred and fifty of our passengers had gone back home. I went to find one to the same ship as we came on. He was going out that day. I think that Price and myself has been amongst the most fortunate of those that came with us for we were only few days out of work after landing. All the girls that come over here they can very easy obtain employment at the cotton mills. There is six mills in this place and in some of the looms there is only from 12 to 18 girls where they should have from 50 to 60.
Dear Elizabeth I do not wish you to let anybody know in any shape or way that you have received a letter from me as I should like to keep our correspondence as silent as possible for Flint people are so very fond of talking about anybody. So I think that the best way is to not give them the chance of talking about us. I should feel pleased to hear from you as soon as you can and let me know how things is going on at Flint and the neighborhood. Hoping that your father, brothers and sisters are all quite well. My kind regard to them although for them not to say anything to anybody as I desired you before leaving you.
I have received a letter from home and one from Rick Davis from Newton and some newspapers from Mr. Gleave. Please to express my kind regards to Miss ______ hoping that she is quite well. Do not show her this for it is wrote so badly and in a hurry. Accept of my best wishes for yourself and believe me to remain yours most truly and affectionately. You have the need to buy postage for your letter when sent.
John Benjamin
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