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 30, 1857 John Benjamin-1823 to Elizabeth Benjamin

Hutchinson, M. I.
August 30, 1857
My Dear Elizabeth,
I was very much disappointed yesterday in not hearing from you, for the mail came in but no letter for me.  I hope and trust that you are all quite well, as I am happy to say that I am with the exception of a burnt back.  I  & a Mr. Smith, a friend of those folks from Rockford I wrote you about, went into the woods to get out some logs to finish my house, with up to enough of a certain length for the sills, & we attempted to run them down the river, but could not very well without taking off our clothes & going into the river, which we did to our sorrow for our backs is completely burnt with the sun so that we have not been able to do anything, since all the sympathy we have one for the other is to laugh at one another for being so foolish as to do so.  However, we expect to go to work again tomorrow.
I did intend leaving here for home tomorrow but this affair has put me so much back with my house so that I will be obliged to stay at least this week before leaving .  Keep up your courage for these better times coming I hope.  I could not get any time to take me home with this week anyway, but I expect to have some next week.  I have no doubt from my writing you last week that you will be disappointed in not seeing me at home this next week.  However, you will see from this letter what the cause of delay is, which I hope will not be delayed after this week, for I am indeed very anxious to see my little friends to whom I have __ so much & always willingly for they are all the world to me.  Without them the world would be nothing to me now for having made all the sacrificing man could make. It only makes my heart grow more & more fond of them & to live without them I can’t much longer, nor will I, indeed, be my luck what it may.  
I hope you are having good success in selling off the things for I shall not want to be detained there long.  I shall have to go see the Dr. at Rockford and then return as soon as I can.  Tell those folks from Rockford to be by the middle of the 20th of next month for I expect to be at home by a week from Saturday next.  I shall leave in one week from that time or on the Monday following.
We had a birth in the town this morning, the second one that has been born here only.
My regards to all enquiring friends and my best love to yourself & my little ones.
Yours most affectionately,
John



1 comment:

  1. UnknownOctober 4, 2013 at 5:43 PM

    I don't know what "M.I." or M.L." after Hutchinson means, but that's the way I read it. Do any of you Hutchinson people know what it means?

    ReplyDelete

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