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…………









March 26,1852 Robert Benjamin-1795 to John Benjamin-1823-Typed

Bagillt
March 26, 1852
Dear John & Elizabeth,
We take the pleasure of dropping a few lines to you both in hopes to find you in good state of health as these leave us but very indifferent, as you may be well aware that we cannot be no other way, and as I informed you before in our last that is about your poor sister, after she died we did not know where to turn our faces for money for to bury her and I intended to send a bit of a note along with your brother Edwin to Mr. Gleave for to see if he would be so kind as to lend us a little money for to bury her, and he was so kind as to do it, therefore we don’t know when we shall pay him and we were sorry to hear in your last that Elizabeth had not been very well, but we hope that ere this she has gotten well again.  Another thing I have to inform you of is that Elizabeth’s brother William is dead and buried yesterday at Northop.  Died a fortnight to the same day as your sister and buried him a fortnight to the same day, but I suppose you shall see it in the newspaper the same as you have seen about your sister, and besides, I suppose that some of them will write to you upon the subject as they want to send to you about other things, and that is upon the account of the letter as you sent to me for to go to Mr. Robert Evans,  I received your letter on Saturday and I went to him on  Monday morning, and as your letter requested me for to see Miss Dawson first, I did, and against she had read her letter I told her I had another for her father and she said that she was very glad of that but, however, against then he had gone out to go to the office, and she told me I had better go up to the office to him, so I did, but he was not there, but however I was to go there against two o’clock.   I went, but, however, he was gone again.  I went to hunt for him again and he had got his letter then when he went to his dinner, therefore I thought he would keep out of my way, but, however, I happen to meet with him by the lower machine so he asked me how I was, and he spoke to me first about the money, and what he told me was that he could not pay me the money then, and as I was walking up the railroad with him I told him a little of my circumstances and told him as you had ordered in your letter, and I told him also how Mr. Maurice was with us, and that he had received a letter from Denbigh the day before upon my account, and that he must have the rent from me, and I told him that I would be obliged to tell Mr. Maurice upon the account.  Yes, says he, tell him, and he says again that he did not know whether he would pay them to me or not, for he did not know whether they were due or not, whether she was one and twenty yet or not, and I told him she had past that for me to know, but however I could see not Mr. Maurice before the Wednesday morning for he was in Liverpool.  I went to Mr. Maurice on Wednesday morning and I told him all these things and he listened to me very much and considered a good deal upon the thing, for he told me he knew most part of his circumstances.  I drawed your letter out of my pocket and read him the part about what Elizabeth authorized me for to do.  Well, then, I will tell you the best way for to do with him is to go to him now and tell him that I have sent you to him, and to ask him if he will object a three month’s bill against Mr. Adam Eyton or Mr. Ellis that he would take it.  So I went and got him in the house and told him I had come there again.  Well, didn’t I tell you that I could not pay them now.   I begged his pardon  that it was then that I saw Mr. Maurice for he was in Liverpool on Monday, and that I had told Mr. Maurice how everything was, as I had told him on Monday, that I should have to do.  He told me then that he would not object no bill whatever but he would pay the money before the three months, and then asked me where Mr. Maurice was, and I told him that he was by the house for it was that moment I had come from him.  Well I shall call Mr. Maurice directly and thanked him and went off to Mr. Maurice’s again, for he ordered me to call and let him know, and I told him he said he would call with him. Not him, indeed, says Mr. Maurice, but however we were in the garden talking together,  I said here he comes as so he did, so we both went up to gate to him and he says to Mr. Maurice, Robert Benjamin has run into your debt and he wants me to pay twenty pounds as belongs to his son’s wife and I will not object no bill atall, for I will pay the money before three months, but I don’t like to pay them with what I have seen, for it was a letter from his son, he says to Mr. Maurice.   Well, Mr. Evans, I says, did you now see a letter as your daughter had, for there was one for Elizabeth upon the subject from Elizabeth herself.  Well, he says, I did not see it, and he has promised to pay the money if Elizabeth will write to him the authority herself, and he says that his daughter should write to him herself, and then Mr. Maurice got him then to promise to give him a note that he would pay me the money, for Mr. Maurice to send to the attorney to Denbigh for me to have ___ while we should hear from America, but Mr. Maurice is doubting that he won’t,  for if he does he says that he shall have him first and Mr. Maurice is begging of Elizabeth for to enclose a note for him and one for me, and if in case his daughter does not send in time for to ___ this that she had better enclose one for her uncle likewise, and then he cannot deny that he had not had one, and Mr. Maurice wishes as you have both come to conclusion together about these things that she should write them herself, and to write to us a copy of what she will send to her uncle for to authorize him to pay to me .  Therefore, John, you may easily imagine how it is with all this trouble that is with all the illness that your sister had for such a length of time. and also that it must be very troublesome to our minds by being two year’s rent due on the 1 of July .  Rent, as I have told you in my last, how she must in the last week as she lived how we was going to do for our rent.  Therefore you may judge for yourself how are circumstances are the present time. 
Therefore  I must conclude for the present.  All of your brothers and sisters sends their kind respects to you and that they are all well in health at present, thank God for it, and accept the same from your dutyful [sic] father and mother,
Robert & Sarah Benjamin
And as you was saying about T. Price he never showed his face here since he left here first.   I did not hear you mentioning anything about a wife or whether he had one or not.

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