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. 13,1857 Robert Benjamin-1795 to John Benjamin-1823

Bagillt
February 13, 1857
Dear John,
I for once more send a few lines to you in hopes to find you all enjoying the best of health as this leaves both your mother and myself but very indifferent indeed, for I have been now about a fortnight and cannot go about with a very bad cold and got a very bad leg with the old wound as I have on it for some years back and cannot move about the house with it hardly, and your mother has been for a three week or a month before that that she could not go about, therefore we have been knocked about so from time to time that we shall not be here long for you to hear from us at all, for we have sent from eight to nine letters to you and never received an answer to any of them, only one from you in June last and this bit of a note as you sent now in Mr. Gleave’s letter, and saying in it that Edwin must tell you at Christmas that he has written to us since he had seen you before, and also that he was going to write again that week, and if he has done we have never received anything from him as yet.   And as I have stated in several of my former letters that we have never received nothing from him after ____ since a letter as he wrote and dated the 19th day of November, 1955, and never since, and we don’t know where to send to him at all now for you have been so kind as to keep that from us that we don’t know his address and by that we cannot send to him.
And I have to inform you that Mr. Faulks was here on Monday last with your mother and I did not see him for I was ill in bed and he was telling your mother he must have his money and that he would not be bothered any more, and he must have the things, and us to get out of the house, and your mother got Mr. William Pierce to talk to him and for him to take a little patience for a while again, for me to send this once again and to have an answer to this,  for he had lent money to send your brother James off and that he had got them all right and Mr. Faulks could tell him that now we must tell him that we was sending to you both always, and never receiving an answer, and by being so what was the use of sending, and for him to wait as we never got no answers to out letters.   But as Mr. Pierce was persuading him  that he would try and see with this again.  Therefore we should wish for you to try and send an answer to this in some way or other. 
You must excuse me for I am gone that I can hardly carry on any move without keeping on my pen fast on the paper for my hand has gone to shake so.
Therefore I must conclude with all your brothers and sisters kind respects to you all and William Pierce wishes to be kindly remembered to you and family, and except the same from your poor father and mother dutyful has done their best for you all at all times,
Robert & Sarah Benjamin
PS – Excuse this is short for as I have stated before I am fairly tired of doing this much.
Feb. 13,1857

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