Letter 3 James Weaver to Richard Hardeman
Letter 3: James Weaver, from Augusta (Oneida County, New York), July 20, 1834, to (cousin) Richard Hardeman in Tenterden, Kent, Great Britain
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Note: Richard Hughes transcribed this letter in early 2008, and he notes, “I decided to retain the original phonetic spelling .”, so it may be difficult to understand at times. “Original copies” of the letter below can be found by clicking the above links.
Augusta July 20 1834
Dear Cozen Richard
With great pleasure today I take my pen in hand to write a few more lines to you in answer of your kind letters and newspaper in which I be verry much oblidge to you for that all thoue I add sold my hops before it came. I add a good offer and I took it up and it was well I did .
Dear Richard I beg your exguse for my not answer your kind letter weeks before this. I have not now excuse only idleness. I can say I have been driving it of from time to time till at last I have begun and now I will try and finish it shortly.. I add better write before busy as come on but I hope you will not think I have forgot you for I often think of you and talk of you . O how happy I should be to see you once more. I hope you will come and pay us a visit when you can make it convunant. May be you cold sute yourself when you get hear to something if you should like this countary. New York is a very pleasant place.
I am very much a blidge to you for the offer you made me. It would be a great under taking for me to come back a gaine yet for some years for I should have to come back again it seames to me now. If could not live and get a half belly full for my family in that countary now I think if ever I live to see my family grow up. My wife and I should like to come back to pay you all a visit. I wish for my wife to see are friends once more if it pleases the lord to spears us to meet again once more. What a joyfull meeting whart it be.
I ave a letter from Mr Taylor the latter part of June and I am sorry to hear such a bad account of the old countary. I am afraid much blood will be shed before better times. I feal to think I have done great things for my family taking of them to this countary were a good living is to be ad by trying for it. Thomas and William could clear themselves now if I was to let them go and go to school in the winter to but they are wourth me more they are good boys to work but poor James as a poor state of health still but he is a pacent child in is afflictiant .He get a bout the house some. He was very low last spring . He has been tap 6 or 7 times but as not been tap now for some weeks but I am afriade will be tap againe. The first time he was tap the doctor took upwards of 30 lb of warter from him. He was as big round is body as I was. The doctor as took a way in all about 50 lb of warter.
I am sorry to hear poor Uncle Richard is no more but I hope is family lost is to is gaine. I think poor man add not injoy much comfort for last years. I have not heard from them since I recive your letter but I know some of us add ought to write to them but there now one in the family will write to eny one except I do but I believe I will write one so that they may exspect one by Christmas. If you will be so good as to write a few lines and give our respect to all saying we are doing as well as can be expected and enjoy a good state of health except poor James. Father injoy is health will by the blessing of god.
I have only wrote one letter to Romney since we left. I have not wrote to Tenterden only once. I wanted some of the others to write but they have not done it so it has gone on sloe. Father add a letter from Uncle Bill last but I think it likely I shall write one there in the winter. If you write to them give our respects to them.
I am glad to hear your sister is doing so well. Mr Taylor give account of going to see her with you in is letter and of your drinking ours good health and Father and I drink your good health and Mr Taylors and many friends in the old countary. They have got getting people in this countary to sing what they call the cold water paper it called the Temperance paper that is to say that they will drink no more arden spirits except quace of sickness. I do not know but they have got almost half the people to sine it in York state but they have not got me to sine it yet. I think it is a good thing to keep people from getting drunk if they can I suppose. Father as left of drinking eny arden spirits and Wm Wife as sind. She must be in the fishon I suppose so I believe I shall be out of fishon. I hope I can keep myself drinking with out that. They are not a loude to have any in the house nor to give eny away. I can not tell you eny more a bout it now for if I was to tell you eny more about it it would be more than 10 letters full for they send newspaper to your houses 1 a month and have Temperance Meetings.
Wilm Wife and my wife are not on the very best of terms. We have not been there all the summer for I do not like her ways nor what she as add to say a bout my wife. I will only give you a little hint of it. I suppose she as been telling of people my wife fats but could not see her one she as been talking about my wife being in the family way before we was married. I suppose she was not now better but that a verry great discrace in this countary and she said many more foolish things but I shall not say much much more about it. My wife felt very uncomfortable about it. I just spoke to my brother about it and he took his wife part very much as I thought.. I would do the same so they may go crose as long as they like.You know she never like my wife nor you since you was a going to give her that fairing when she look out of the window you now cakon to take eny notice when you write about it.I do not want to make father feal uncomfortable about it for I like to read your letters to Father. If she was to git a long som thing better than what she did she would be pleased but thank god it as been my forting to do best for all. Ihave add so much sickness in my family I do not think eny of themhave made eny great head way for I exspect they owe father as much as there property is worth. They have always got a good living. Stephen a add a good chance to save money but as not gone one the right way. He is got married a gaine to is wife sister. He has got one child by each woman. I have not seen is last wife yet. He is a bad one, his wife add not been dead a year before is other child was born. I hope you will keep it to yourself for I am ashame to have it now of in the old countary but I believe he is doing well now. I have not seen him sincethe spring. He lives about 30 miles from us .
Now I will give you a little account of my self. I was worth about £20 when I got hear wich was about 90 dollars. Well I bought a yoke of oxen and a few things for the house
Well then I loaned 20 dollars of Father the first year. Last September I paid Father all that I owed him and now I have got all my stock my own. I have got I yoke of oxen 4 cows years old heaifer 1 yearborn haiefer 2 calfs 28 sheep lambs 1 two years colt 1 work horse 6 hogs 100 poultary and I have bought 20 acres of land to myself and paid 60 dollars for it in part of the payment. I got to pay 12 dollars per acre for that pay 40 dollars per year till paid for. I exspect I have cleared about 100 dollars per year but the 3 years together I have been a farming and my crops look verry well againe this yer take them all together. I do not think my hops are quite so good. Last year I sold my hops the heist price that eny was sold at in the town. I pick some pretty erly and sold at 19 dollars per hundred weaigh and when I carried them to the man I contracted the rest of mine at 16 dollars per hundred and some keep and sold at 15 so I think I did the best. I never got over 11 dollars per hundred till last year. I do not exspect to get more than that this year for hops are come down some excepted a firing market . I growed about I ton last year. This year I think I shall grow about 15 hundread . I think I cleared 150 dollarsby my hops last year and I are able to keep my family well much better than I cold if I was in England for living I can grow . I made 120 weaigh of stager this spring and Rebaker as two.
I think of going to see my sister next Sunday . She lives about 13 miles from me. Her husband has took a large job of diging of stone for the lock of our new cannal. It comes within about 3 miles were I live so so you can come by water when that is done within 3 miles of my house.
Dear friend I have a great deal more to say only my paper is short. I hope you will answer this letter immeadately and I will and I will answer quick agine. So now I must conclude with best wishes to health and happiness and god bless us all. So no more from your affectionate friend .
James Weaver
My wife say I must give her respect to you and she says you must come and pay us a visit for she think you can come hear much best as you have not only yourself. I thank you for the offer you made us. I should like for to see England and many friends once more. Poor Jamie fills up againe now these last few. I am afraid that he must be tap againe in a few days. Poor boy, he as not much enjoy ment of this life. John lives the next house to me. This year he as got a nice little woman for his wife. He as one child.
I have just received a letter from Mr Taylor. If you would be so good as to send him a few lines and give our respects to him saying I have just receive is letter and that I will answer it as soon as I see how that hops are like to go.
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