John Benjamin was born in England in 1823. In 1849, at the age of 26, he immigrated to America with the goal of seeking opportunities in the new world and improving the life of his family. During his immigration and eventual settlement in Hutchinson, Minnesota, John saved many personal letters that were written by and to him. These letters, the subject of this web site, bring to life his immigration and the life of others during this courageous adventure. The most recent letters posted on this sight are on this front page. To see all the earlier letters, keep pressing the “Older Posts” button on the bottom of this page. The earliest letter recorded here is June 20, 1849. The letters…………









Feb. 22,1850 Robert Benjamin-1795 to John Benjamin-1823

Bagillt
Feb 22, 1850
Dear John,
I received your letter 18th inst. and we was very glad to hear that you was enjoying good health as this leaves us at present, thank God for it.  Only your Mother is rather bad often and we are both of us very thankful to you for your kindness to us for sending the money and very glad we was for to receive it for the times is so bad all together in Bagillt and its neighborhood for it forced us to sell something out of the house and I do not know who could afford to buy anything in these days for there is a great many nearly __ in the neighborhood and more robbings from here to Greenfield and Holywell than ever.  Nobody can recollect they are robbing in the daylight and another thing I have to relate to you as I am sorry to relate that young Price as was in the Bee House Shop in Bagillt has been in custody at Flint for two days.  His Master had sent for him up to Mold for to be his rider asst.  ___ this good while and had a good place of it and his Master had marked some of the money in the till and while he was at his tea, half sovereigns as was marked was gone out of the till, again he comes back and he got the policeman in and searched them and they say that they got from eleven to twelve pounds between his pockets and his box and no one can tell how it will be until the assessor for John Jones & Blestons & Morgan Sadler went back for him until such time his trial will take place and the neighborhood was talking that  he and Miss Kim Jones was going to be married yesterday only for this, but we don’t know,  we can let you know more in our next. 
You wanted to know more about the note that was in William Jones letter.  He received that letter in Bagillt and I heard him say that he had sent a note of such inside of the letter to his destination and we have never heard nothing from him not yet since he ___. 
I have had the opportunity of having a discussion with your old Master that is Mr. Gardner this week for he and Mr. Gleave sent for me to meet time on Monday and I was in Holywell and that ___ called me that Louisa D__ and __ me to meet them on Tuesday by ten o’clock and I did.  They have bought 64 very large ash trees by Bry__  G__ and I have bought ___ __ __ __.  They say about 12 or 14 hundred of them and there was only the old gentleman himself with me that day and we __ very well about them and the old gentleman asked me about you and I told him that you was very well and he told me that he thought you did not amen yourself by going away and he asked me whether you talked about coming home again and I told him I have never heard you say anything of that.
Robert and Louisa had given their house up at Flint and he had taken a house at Greenfield for their oven(?) was almost down and could not get it done in no way and he let the house to some other people and never said nothing about the oven at all to them and ___ woman came there to see the place.  Louisa showed the oven to her and that was the reason they were going away.   The woman would have nothing to do with it no more and then Hugh came to them again and wanted them to take it again and go to the expense of rebuilding the oven and he would allow in the rent and they ___ at it this week and I expect to see a fire in it tomorrow if all is well and you want to know that little girl __ ___ is Mary Elizabeth.  They all send their kind respects to you, likewise George and Sophia and that they are all well but Sophia has the sign of more family expecting any day.   
George wants to know whether there was any smelting works anywhere near you, somewhere where for the whole family of us ready to part from here now all together.
I have to inform you that this last letter of yours __ __ __ and I turned to the post office at Holywell for to enquire and they could not tell me but it was charged so to them and sixpence at the bank.
J Paul and William Parry and his family sends their kind regards to you all of them and he is very thankful to you for the news that __ as you send to him and every time he sees me he says that he was very glad to receive a letter from you.
I have to add a little more space for inform you of the accident as has happened    yesterday and today.   Evans Jones of Holywell it was so stormy here yesterday and they say he had got a first half pint of ale and it blowed so strong that he went against the wheel and down he went with his head under the ___ and about 2 ½ tons of lead ore on it and the cart was stopped immediately before it went over his head but crushed his brains out on the road.  The ___ was with the horse at the time.  John Hughes Pispwells Team and Ned Wm Griffith the tailor & son the ___ and ___ the accident happened at Farm Calliery today to a boy of D Evans the ___ about the size of our James a fall came on him and killed him on the spot the same as E. Evans and it has set the whole place in a great lamentation. 
So I must conclude for the present - we all join in love to you and wish you well.  So your brothers and sisters sends their kindest respects to you all.  So no more at present from you affectionate father & mother.
Robert & Sarah Benjamin

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