Bagillt
February 18, 1853
Dear John & Elizabeth,
I take pleasure of sending a few lines to you in answer to
your letter of the 17th ult. and we were very glad to hear that you
were all well as this leaves us but very indifferent for there is something the
matter with both myself and your mother, and your mother almost altogether now
in these days, and as you were talking of our pecuniary affairs that you could
not assist us to come out of them, I doubt it will be still worse on us for we
are in such affairs that we cannot get out of them at present and shall be
obliged to stand the risk of letting everything go, for we did not think of you
to be breaking us of entirely on such short notice, for we did think you would
of helped us for this year that is past, and if in case that you should send
for your brother as you was talking that he should have a little time before
him after that, and as I have told you before upon different times about your
brothers that they did not earn above half what required to keep them, and I am
certain that I never sent you no false reports for I have told you the truth,
and another thing we thought you should consider a little towards us that is
that we had such a long sickness with your sister, and you must know that it
was not a little expense for to bury her, and all expenses on ourselves, and
nobody to help us and everything that we are gone that we cannot help ourself none, and the Lord knows
how it will be upon us _______ for we shall not be here long neither of us, for
we are growing less every week one week after the other, now your mother is
gone so little at present that you would hardly know her now if you would see her.
We waited until this week without sending for we thought
that the Mail Europa was at Boston, the last trip we expected that you would
send with her for she arrived in Liverpool on Sunday last, but I do not know
where she is bound next. I understand by
Humphrey, he was here the other day, that your brother Edwin is writing a
letter to you again, but I cannot say what it will before he will send it here
made up the same as he did the last . I hope he will please you.
Mr. Gleave and Mrs. Gleave sends their kindest respects to
you and that he has gotten about pretty well.
Likewise all your old shopmates at the mill sends their best respects to
you and are very glad to hear from you when I tell them that you send to them,
and they make a great deal of enquiries after you, and I was talking one day
last week a good while with Rick Davis, and I made a little enquiry about your
brother Edwin, how he was getting on in his work, and Rick told me that he was
getting on to be a very good lad for he works close up to him, and I was very glad
to hear, and if you have anything of old clothing as you could send they would
be very exceptable [sic], for neither your mother nor myself has had a ____ of
nothing new since you went to America .
Therefore you may partly guess how lone we must be and we cannot afford
to have nothing either, for we have not gotten clean of the expenses as past
with us as you must know that they must be great, for you bore nearly the same
expenses with your other sister yourself.
And another thing I am sorry to relate to you that I am kept out of
church now these four or five Sundays for I have only one pair of shoes, and
those for every day for your old boots has lasted me since you went away, so
you must think that I have been confined with all, and Mr. Jones sends here
with your brother Edwin now and then for to know what is the matter, for I used
to be in church as regular at all times, and your sister Harriet says if her
sister Elizabeth has any old castoff and could give them she would thank her
very much .
Dear John we hope that you will take this letter to consideration
for it would give us the greatest pleasure in the world if it should come with
us that we could send a letter to you without complaining any in the least.
So I must conclude for the present with our kind regard for
you all and would be very glad to receive the likeness. So all your brothers and sends their kind
respects to you and that they are all well in health at present thanks be to
God for it. Likewise all your old
neighbors and friends sends their kindest respects to you and are very glad to
hear from you at all times, and we all join in love to you both and remain your
dutyful father & mother,
Robert & Sarah
Benjamin
We hope that you will send again as soon as you can. I should be glad to receive a newspaper now
and then from you after you have done with them for I think that you have
forgot me this long time.
Again, letters like this must be very difficult for John to read, so far away from home.
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