Bagillt,
August 20, 1852
Dear John & Elizabeth,
I take the pleasure of dropping a few lines for once more to
you both in great hopes to find you and the little baby enjoying the best of
health as this leaves us just partly the same as usual, only your mother’s head
is very bad again this three or four weeks back, but we must thank God for his
kindness towards us at all times, and about what you are very anxious to hear
is about the money as we had to settle with Robert Evans. We have never got them settled until now and
only got him now to accept a three month bill at last, what he would not do
before, and Mr. Maurice gave him the preference different times and he would
not do it. He kept saying he would pay
the money before then. Mr. Maurice has
been very ill now for this last five or six weeks but he is getting a little
better now, and he sent for him for to come to him to the house, and he came
this week and Maurice told him the danger he was in if in case that he did not
settle these affairs, and that very soon it would be all over with him for that
we had him fast enough with the note of promise that he wrote himself that he
would pay me, and by that and the reports and everything he got somewhat
frightened and he got Owens that Castle Inn for bail with this three months
bill, and I called on Mr. Maurice on Tuesday for to see him and he was glad to
see me for he meant to send to me to come there to tell me all, and he had sent
that day for Owens there to him and told him that he would look to him for the
money when the time would come up, and that he must mind him again in paying
his rent, and dear John as you know yourself how the time is running, as well
as we do ourselves, that when you granted for us to receive the money it is a
long time, and that there was two years rent due on us the 1st of
July last, and against the time this money is paid there is four months more,
and the Lord knows what we are going to do, for we do not know, for it is
getting worse and worse here altogether.
Mr. Mather’s works is gone that there is only ten or a dozen people in
it at all, and Mr. John Henry has turned about from twenty to twenty five
people some weeks back, and the Collings is gone that they are worth nothing, mainly
for they bring coal to all parts here with the railway. You would not believe excepting you would
see there the very same. J. Gardner told
me at Holywell a little time back, I was talking to him in the shop, he was
telling me they were ready to eat one another up nearly in Holywell.
We could not tell you what would become of us all this time,
being that your sister was such a length of time ill and dieing [sic], and
funeral expenses and everything as it came upon us, and we did our best for to
bury her as tidy as we could between us, and we buried her just the same as we
did with your sister Elizabeth, but we could not of done it only for your
sister Louisa, she was very good all the time and what money we borrowed from
Mr. Gleaves we mustered to pay them between us, and as for your brothers they
do not earn half enough to keep themselves, let alone doing us any good, for
you can see yourself for there is Edwin he is oftener five shillings than six,
and James three shillings, and I have been complaining to you before that
Robert Williams was very shabby with them, and this is still worse and that is
that Thomson as you call him and I have been talking to Mr. Gleave ___ as three
times about it, and he could say nothing about it, and I have got tired of
talking about the same thing altogether, but we would know if you would of been
there that Edwin would of been worth ten or twelve shillings a week, and James
from six or seven per week, therefore we know that it is a great loss for both
them and us that you are not there with them.
Dear John, your mother would have me to enclose a lock of
hair of your sisters that she intended for to make for a watch guard for you if
health and life would of permitted her to get on with it, therefore your mother
thought it proper for to send it to you.
Another thing you must excuse us for not writing to you sooner, for I
have that we had sent you to such expenses by writing so much backwards and
forwards that it was useless to send until we got some settling, so Mr. Maurice
is, as I have told you above, is satisfied as they have got him none only to
wait this three months’ time up.
Another thing I have to inform you of is that your mother
desires me to send to you that she would wish very much for you to send
Elizabeth’s likeness and little Mary Ann Ellen on her arms, that she would be
very glad to receive it, and she hopes that she will have the privilege of
receiving it to she would be very glad.
Another thing, I am enclosing this address of Robert Billis,
Nelly Billis is son by Robert Taylor, smithy.
He has been in America this twelve months just now and he sent home to
his mother for to see if I would be so kind as to let him have your address,
and I gave it to them and perhaps he has sent to you ere this. I understand that he’s in a good place in
that asylum soon after he came over. He
hardly never was well before he left home and he sends here that he has never
had nothing ailing him __ __ after he left home, and sends that he is doing
well for he was a very sturdy young fellow for he belonged to the Worlean
Chappel. Always I have put these all
these particulars down for fear that you should not recollect who he was. If you hear or should hear from him I have to
inform you that old Robert Jones, being my aunt’s husband, lost his life in the
colliery by a stone coming on top of him this six or seven weeks back. Likewise
I have to tell you I do not recollect whether I did send to you before or not
of Elizabeth Parry of Bagillt’s death by going to Ruth____ fair. The cart turned over and killed her and
likewise her son, John, lost his life at Cwent_ Gwyn Colbany about a month
back. He was the fifth of the family as
was gone just in the same manner, and I cannot be down to you so many of our
neighbors have been buried lately, and as you can see by the list as I have
sent to you that we are drawing to a close for we are getting in years now, and
the Lord knows how long he pleases for us to remain again, for the Lord’s will
will be done and we have only to hope that he will put it in our hearts for to
prepare ourselves ready when he pleases to call for us.
Your mother has one thing more for to ask you both if you
would not wish for to turn your focus towards England once more for the best of
all things, as she would desire would be to see you all three, and that soon,
or else she thinks she never shall see any of you these last days, that almost
everybody in the works complains after you, and that they do not get near the
money as they would have if you would have been there. I know that your place would be for you
tomorrow if possible you could come to it, for every time I tell them I have
had a letter, they always ask me if you do not talk of coming home, therefore I
know they would be glad to see you, and they all send their kindest respects to
you and Mr. Gleave likewise and family, but I have not seem Mr. Gleave since I
received your last letter but he is very glad to see the ___ ___ Journal. He begs to see them every time they come for
he likes them and says that it is a good book and that he has fixed a shower
bath in his room since he gets to see them, and likewise Mr. Thomas the berth,
he begs to see them for he likes their Capital.
W. Jones, the watchmaker, and family sends their kind resects to you
both and very glad to hear from you at all times and that you are well. Your sister Harriet is very glad to hear that
there is something in the little girl like her that her eyes is black.
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