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…………









August 5,1853 Robert Benjamin-1795 to John Benjamin-1823

Bagillt
August 5, 1853
Dear John & Elizabeth,
I take the pleasure of sending these few lines to you in hopes to find you all well as these leaves us at present & thanks be to God for it.  And according to your request that I write with this mail to inform you that I received your letter on Monday last and the next day got the money cashed at Holywell, and I went to Liverpool myself and got to the officer strait [sic] on, and it was impossible for to get a berth with the America for they were full and could not get room for one, and they took his name and agreed with me for to bank the money in Holywell and I mean to do it today, and as you thought that we would be able to get a passage for about 10 or 12£, it could not be in no way whatsoever under 15£ in the second cabin and there is no third, and as you can see by the newspaper upon the account of the other line of packets, the first one as to come out next is the Taurus(?), they expect to arrive about the 15th of this month from America and to return they expect about the twentieth.  I made an enquiry in the office about her but she is not to take any passengers, and the Andes is the first open time to bring passengers and that on the 31 of August as you can see in this week’s paper, and another thing they told me of is the passage money is more with them than the Mail for that it is 10£ the lowest money for to come out with them, therefore as you desire so much for to have him out against the latter end of the month I thought I could not do anything  better than getting his passage with the Econ(?) for on Saturday the twentieth of this month, as you can see by the paper that she is for Boston and that will be fifteen pounds, and he says that if God sends that he shall arrive safe and have his health that he shall not be long in making this money up for you again and he is very anxious to come out .
So all your brothers and sisters sends their kind respects to you all and that they are all well, hoping you are the same.  I must conclude for the present with our kind love to you all, and this from your dutyful father & mother, Robert & Sarah Benjamin, with a great many thanks to you for your kindness towards us at all times.
PS.  Your brother is going to write a few lines to you to finish this up as he is here, for he was out of employ when I went to Liverpool and I made him come home for he was running to expenses there, therefore I thought he would be better at home, and at home he will be I suppose for this fortnight. R.S.B.
I shall more write a few lines to you in answer to your letter as I was glad of the money you send me for to come over.  I am sorry as I can’t come over until the 20th of this month and so I respect [sic] to be with you by the end of the month, and so I respect I shant be long but what I should pay you, my dear John, if God will be so good as to give me health as I told you in my last letter before that came from Liverpool last week, and sooner is the better for me to come to you, and I am sorry that passage is more than what you thought of and so the money that you send is gon [sic] very little .  I hope that I should be happy with you and Elizabeth and MAB, and so my kind love to them, and no mor [sic] at present from yours truly,
Edwin Benjamin

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