Bagillt, August 21, 1863
Dear John,
I send these few lines to you in hopes to find you and all
your family enjoying the best of health as these leave myself and your mother
but very indifferent indeed, for I had the rheumatic this time two years and I was
very lame before, but now I cannot move without a crutch, not at all, and I
have not been as far as the village this four years. And we were very sorry to hear about all your
losses and troubles with the Indians. And I am sorry to inform you that we are
in great trouble, I can assure you, for we have had notice to quit this place
on the thirtieth day of December next, for we cannot pay. Therefore I cannot tell you what will become of
us. I am sorry to tell you that all our
things will be sold and everything, and then we will have nowhere to go but to
go to the Union P.S. I should wish in my
heart that if you would have the kindness in your heart to write to your
brother Edwin to see if he could not help us out of our present difficulties,
for we have sent to him so many times and that of no use, and I cannot think what
is the reason. We have received two newspapers
from him lately, and one again this morning and cannot tell when we received
anything before. We have not received a letter
form him since he is married, and you are well aware how long this is ago. We should be very anxious to hear from you
all for we are not to be here long again, for we shall be in another world before
long, and am in hopes to find it not so troublesome as this has been for us,
with God’s blessing, for we think that we have had our share of trouble in this
world now for some years, and the Lord knows how it will end with us in the
later days, for it looks very black before us a the present time
PS – Your mother desires me to write to you that is wanting you
to sell all as you have and come home to England to live. It would be far better for you she thinks,
and oh how glad she would be to see you all once more, for she cried a deal when
she saw the likeness of the two little children, how handsome they looked and
how proud she would be to see you all. I
have taken the liberty of addressing my letter to Thomas Price seeing that we
cannot receive a letter from one another no other way. I thought we could do no better, for your brother
in law, Joseph Garner, sent to us to get Thomas Price’s address for him and he
would write to him to save him the trouble, and we got it and he sent a letter
to Price and enclosed one for you, and that is above a twelve months ago, and
never received an answer as yet, and he cannot think what is the reason. Your sister Harriet took the children’s
likeness to Mr. Garner & Mr. Jones and they admired them very much. I have told Thomas Price in his letter that
he must not take it unkind of me for not paying the postage, by stating that
you would reward him for the same, for they tell us at the Post Office that the
letters are more likely to reach their destination unpaid, especially these war
times.
We should wish to hear from you as soon as possible. Mr. Gleave is so kind as to brig the letters
and newspapers himself when they are addressed to Flint. I have to tell you that your brother, I have buried
his wife since the second day of May, and left two girls to lament her loss,
and he is working in Galway in Ireland.
I must conclude for the present with kind love to you all, and
this from your dutyful father and mother,
Robert & Sarah Benjamin
I have to tell you that your sister, Sophia , has buried her
husband now about fifteen months back.
Died very sudden with the disease of the heart and left six children to
lament his death. Your brother in law,
Robert Jones, and all your sisters sends their kind regards to you all .
PS –
This letter has been wrote by a nephew of yours, your sister Charlotte’s eldest
son.
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