May 6,1855 Edwin Benjamin-1833 to John Benjamin-1823

Dedham, Mass

May 6, 1855

Dear John & E.,

I take the opportunity of writing a few lines to you in answer to yours of the 4^th and I was glad to hear you all arrived at Rockford safe and all well as I observed that you all must be very tired, and all here is quite surprise that you hold out so as to go night and day .  They all here want to come out west now after I told them what you heard in your letter (they all have the western fever as they call it) and indeed I hope it myself .

Mr. Baker came to me and ask me how you got along.  I told him what you said and one thing in particular that way that a man and his wife could live as cheap as a single man could board, and he told me it was quite an inducement for a young man to get married and come out there, and he wanted I should one of the Gitcombe girls out and right to work.  I told him I had to learn how to keep one first because if didn’t I couldn’t get along these hard times, and he said he expected times would be better by and by.  I expect he has some prospects before him.

We haven’t had much of anything to do since you left.  I have about 100 sets posts by my lathe and when Baker was talking with me I told him they did not take my posts up very fast.  He said they all go by and by. 

I was up to south Dedham last Friday.  I road [sic] up and walk down.  I went to see James and Price and Price told me he’d write to you that night.  He will tell you all the particulars about him not coming down to see you before you went away.  I am going there to see him and his wife two weeks from today.  He told me James is getting along first rate.  You would be surprised to see how he carves now (at least I was).  He hasn’t been down since that Sunday before you went away.

I wrote home after that day been to Boston and I told them all about you going away.  I sat down all the afternoon writing until eight o’clock and I wrote two sheets of paper, the longest letter I ever wrote home since I have been here, and I felt as though I could sit down and write as much more.  Father and mother will be glad to hear what I said about you going away (success to you and family).

I am going to send you some papers with this with this letter and the Traveler which has very important news from ould (old) country.  You’ll see by my writing I that I have been great haste.  We have a party in the house today and there is some more coming by and by, and we are going to have some singing before they are going away.

I shall send you the $10 the Monday after we have our money here and I expect I must make the £12 up in June for my father, and so I must work as hard as I can for the month to come (and indeed after that if I am coming out to the west).   I had a little conversation with Macbeth last Saturday about coming west but I have no time to tell you anything about it at the present. 

All the shop hands sends their kind respects to you & also the little Yankees.  And from you affectionate brother,

E. Benjamin

Since I wrote the other sheet I have been to church.  The text was the man of God.  Mr. Babcock referred to the late deceased Mr. Richards who died May 1^st.  It was a very good sermon, one of the best ones he ever delivered in Dedham.  Mr. Richards he lived opposite the post office and he gave $7,000 toward supporting the minister in Dedham and $3,000 towards singing, also $10,000 toward the high school (a very good gift in Dedham).