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…………









June 23,1853 Robert Benjamin-1795 to John Benjamin-1823

Bagillt
June 23, 1853
Dear John & Elizabeth,
We are taking the pleasure of writing these few lines to you in answer to yours of the sixth inst.  and was very sorry to hear of the great catastrophe as happened with you, and in another way was very glad to hear that you were well in health, as we are glad to say that these few lines leaves partly the same as usual thank God for his mercy toward us at all times, only that we must allow that we don’t get any better but still worse every day, for as you say in yours,  that one does not know what a day may bring forth for every day bringeth something of new , and therefore  I hope the Lord will put it in our hearts for to prepare ourselves against the time he wishes to call us for I have one thing at the present time on my mind to relate to you if is, that is, of yesterday last of all, that John Jones the bricklayer as used to sign in church, was with his work as Dee Bank and was struck with something like a papeltick (?) stroke as they thought, and against this morning about four o’clock he was a dead body and has left, as you well know, a very large family for to lament their loss.  Therefore the word is a true saying we don’t know when the almighty might call us to his presence.  We ought therefore to think and prepare ourselves to be ready at all times.
Therefore about the money, as you thought of Sunday we should of been very glad and very thankful to you for your kindness if you did send them, for the Lord knows we do not know what to do about the money, for Mr. Faulks received a letter last week from Mr. Williams of Denbigh about receiving the rents, and to settle with us on the whole of everything as wanted settling, and Mr. Faulks sent for me into the shop and asked me to settle with him for he has bought the place and has not paid for it until everybody has been settled, and they have all settled but us, and I have had time until the last day of this week as I told you before, and we don’t know what to do for we will either be out in the street or sold everything, and as you sent on the ship as was on the newspaper that you should send the things with Robert Ellis.  Your sister Louisa and Charlotte made your mother and myself and your sister Louisa uncle come with us to Liverpool to meet the Europa, and so we went with the Packett boat on Sunday morning, and walked of Cheshire side and walked in Liverpool to the Packektt for she was in since Saturday afternoon, and walked on Monday morning, that we have not come to ourselves yet and could not get no intelligence of nothing on Sunday night, no how, for there was no person on board on Sunday, only a ship repair and a policeman, and they told us to come down at six o’clock in the morning, and if there was such a man on board we should get to see them, and so we went and all the intelligence we got at last from the second engineer that he had left for these two  on __ last ___, and that he had gone to the Affrica and that she had only gone out last Saturday for New York, therefore all our toil and labour was for nothing, but your sending that Louisa knew Robert Ellis so well that it would be the best way to go and meet him, and things might not go astray as they did before when you sent the others when the man lost the directions to go to the office, and I was in both offices in Liverpool to see if there had any parcels come from America for Bagillt, and they made an enquiry directly, but to our sorrow there was none, but we shall make an enquiry again if they his family has got to know if he has changed his vessel or not, and let you know and when you shall find that the Affrica is bound for Boston you may happen make an enquiry about him. 
And as you thought and sent that you had some old castoffs that you could send only knowing how we was very glad, for they would of been very acceptable in these days, for it has gone very sorry with me at present,  therefore it made us very anxious ourselves for to go to Liverpool to meet all, and especially your sisters was assisting us to go, but we hope and trust that the time will not be long but there will be another opportunity for you to send if God pleases that I should live to want them, and also, if God pleases, that we shall not have everything as we have sold up and be obliged to go to the union workhouse, if that will be the case we shall not need any for there will be some provided for us there .
And I have another thing to relate to you, as I am sorry that I have such things to relate, that is your brother Edwin has been home just a month very bad in health with a very bad ___ or something like all through his limbs and everywhere,  and another thing worse still I have to tell you of is that your brother James got his arm, the big bone of the but [sic] end of the left arm, broke by putting the band on the drum at one o’clock five weeks last Friday, and ___ the arm, and a splint of the bone came out of it, but thank God it was as it was, for if the strap had not broke he would of been into the saw strait [sic] forward, and thank God he is getting on as well as can be expected, and therefore you may partly guess how it is with us with all this, and they did not afford, neither of them, at the mill one penny in all of this trouble.  I nearly forgot to tell you that it was Doctor Haywood  did put your brother’s arm together, and very well to I believe, and there is one guinea of expense to pay, but I don’t know who is to pay not yet .  And another thing when your brother Edwin went to work again they put him to strike in the smithy, for they are so slack there they have nothing for them to do hardly, and they had gone so with Richard Davies the same this good while, and they had broke him to eleven shillings per week, and Richard ___ to Liverpool for the firm as he worked for them at Newton ___ , a foundry at Liverpool, and he had an answer that there was work for him to be had, and  he is there this last ___, and young Tom Edwards went along with him and was employed likewise, and your brother Edwin wrote to Richard Davies last week and he thought he might be employed, and he is gone since Tuesday last, but we have not heard from him as yet, but we expect to hear every day, but you shall hear more in our next, and if in case you should have the opportunity of sending anything sometime you might send and let us know a week before the mail ____, for if you notice by the paper they are in the harbour now at each end now a fortnight.  You could send a letter the week before the mail as you would send the things with, and your sister Harriet sends her love to her sister Elizabeth, that if she should have anything in her way she would be very glad, and that anything she would be please to spare that it would be very exceptable [sic] if you would have the convenience to send, and if in case your brother Edwin should remain in Liverpool a while, he might watch the mail in, by us having a letter from you a week before hand (?) and after all, dear John, if possible that you can purchase what little I have begged of you to assist us out of this distress for once again, and for me to beg of ___ Williams to stop another week or two and John Dover the ___ has told your mother that he is a very bad sort of a ___, but we are very sorry that we have to trouble you and I am sure, or at least I think so, that you would be very sorry to hear of everything as we have been __ about __ ___ and us without anything .

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