Hutchinson
XXXXX Co. Minnesota
May 8th, 1857
Mr. John Benjamin?
My dear sir
Your very kind letter xxx
xxx and my xxx
xxx has xxx xxx
xxx Gus? xxx xxx
xxx of this xxx xxx
this wisdom ? county
xxx xxx xxx xxx
xxx xxx
xxx suffering by xxx
xxxxxx xxx xxx
when xxx brother
lasts xxx xxx xxx
labor for its receiving
This isn’t many to get
home xxx xxx is too xxx
to Henderson by steam boat
and then by wagon
ox team or on foot south
west 35 miles to this place.
When the river is xxx
your best course xxx
xxx up xxx xxx xxx
xxx by land to Nxxxx
appxxx these through this
xxx 85 xxx 58 miles
west. Your faxxx here
wasted? xx xxx as
circumstances should xxx
Rail Road to Hudson?
your xxx xxx
steamboat to it Paul
Henderson
$7.50 3:00
steam boat xxx chance to find xxx
carxxx covering the expense
is from there to Joxxx xxx
has to walk your xxx
first great xxx xxx xxx
rest for the night and day
and a half reach as XXXX
the river.
Xxx saw miles is a
good time ready to xxx
xxx as we can get things
planting - or a good xxx
and take it or help train xxx
and saw our lumber
straight away as we cut it
Xxxxx to James Xxxxx
xxxx xxx ring for
the mill - the xxxx
people of the Mill Xxxx
Xxxx Chansher’s and Harrington
the xxx see waxxx
xxx see in for there is
xxx best of us xxx use
disxxx the xxxx
Three of the xxx are farming
the others xxx
landloard - and so
full of xxx xxx
xxx xxx xxx
attract to the mill
xxx and see -
P.N. Gates and Co of Chicago
xxx you all xxx
the Mills it’s capacity
the Mill xxx a master
so xxx all the xxx xxx
Every house is xxx xxx
xxx - and - all was
building material.
FOLDED
Mpls Park St. Paul $26.00 $30.00 12:00
xxx xxx
xxx xxx xxx
xxxx best $120 per
xxx rules vary by
just xxx but the xxx
ccc will of xxx making
xxx ruled xxx these promises
xxx shall in desxxx of the xxx
gave one share in the town in
xxx xxx
I can talk better than write -
excuse the haste we are busy
with planing
Yours, Asa Hutchinson
[I looked up history on Asa and found the following:]
Vineyard United Methodist Church has ministered to the community
for 151 years.
for 151 years.
Methodists circuit riders came to Hutchinson in 1856. Hutchinson was just
a small village but in 1857 the official Methodist society was organized by
Asa B. Hutchinson, Wilbur and John Higgins, and Dr. John Benjamin families.
a small village but in 1857 the official Methodist society was organized by
Asa B. Hutchinson, Wilbur and John Higgins, and Dr. John Benjamin families.
Asa Hutchinson purchased a load of lumber in early 1870 and built the first
community church in Hutchinson on a plot of land given by Lewis Harrington.
The 20 acre plot of land was given to the community for park purposes. The church was on the same land and so began questions about the title of the church. This was resolved in 1870 by a special act of the state legislature with Lewis Harrington as the McLeod county representative.
community church in Hutchinson on a plot of land given by Lewis Harrington.
The 20 acre plot of land was given to the community for park purposes. The church was on the same land and so began questions about the title of the church. This was resolved in 1870 by a special act of the state legislature with Lewis Harrington as the McLeod county representative.
The singing Hutchinsons traveled east to perform five concerts to raise fund for the new Methodist church. A camp meeting in Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts resulted in a four hundred dollar love offering and the gift of the bell. The bell bears the inscription, "A present to Vineyard M.E. Church by Boston friends, 1874". The church bears the name from which these gift cometh.
The original church building was moved west and a large new sanctuary was added in 1892. The old church was one of the most up to date places of worship when in 1917 a basement with modern facilities was placed under the entire structure.
The original building had become outgrown in 1955 and a committee was formed to investigate an expansion. Ground was broken in 1964 for a new church facility on five acres of land donated by the Enevoldsen family. The original site which had served nearly 100 years of ministry was closed in 1966. The new church opened in April, 1966.
Below also is a link to some history on Hutchinson, with mention to John Benjamin:
And this:
And this:
This is the first letter I have from Asa Hutchinson to John. The town of Hutchinson was named after Asa, who eventually convinced John to move there. Unfortunately, the letter is too hard for me to read due to his handwriting and the bleed through of the ink from his writing on two sides. My niece, Carla Burke, was game to give translation a try, and the result is shown here.
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