Letter 2 James Weaver to Richard Hardeman
Letter 2: James Weaver, from Augusta (Oneida County, New York) March 30, 1833, to (cousin) Richard Hardeman, Shropshire (County), Great Britain.
Page 1 Copy of Original Letter
Page 2 Copy of Original Letter
Page 3 Copy of Original Letter
Page 4 Copy of Original Letter
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 March 30 1833
Dear Cozen
I have just sat down to answer your last kind letter in which I hope you will exquse in my not writing to you before for I know it is neglect of mine and I wrote to Mr Taylor a few weeks back in which I hope you have heard from us in is letter for I menshond to him for him to write to you. In which I have no thought but for what he as and I hope you will do the same to him when you receive this letter and give our respects to him saying I think Father wearse verry fast this winter. He as not been verry well now for some time but he is getting better now I suppose.
Wm. as not wrote to you yet I have not heard him say eny thing about it and I have not said eny thing to him about it not laitly. There is not now one thus eny writing much I believe but my self. We have not wrote to eny of our friends in the marsh but once since we left England nor to Uncle Bill but I hope they are all well and a doing well as thank god. We are a doing as well as we can exspect to be and please to give our respects to all of them when you have an upportunity to write to them and to say that we are well satisfied with this countary in regard of getting a living but I like the Cleamate of my own native countary best oldo the Cleamate thus a greae with me verry well but I do not like such long winters. The winter before this was a verry long one. The oldest man living I suppose never new such a winter. We add snow lay from Novr. till May before it was all gone but this winter as been a verry comfortable one. We add not now snow much before Christmas and we have got a earley spring a looking promising. Indian Corn was a short crop last summer but all other crops pruty good. I add a good crops of hops but was unlocky in selling of them for I sold to soon like maney more of my neighbours. I add 1,066 and sold at 11 dollars per cart wich if I add kept a nother mounth or 2 I mite got twice 11 but it was not my luck. I only wish I add but known if hops ware but a shorte crop in England that would made a difference hear. I now by your letter that hops were short in England but I add now thought that would make eny difference heare till was to late.
Now dear friend if you will be so good as for to send me a letter so as for me to receive it in September I will be verry much a blich to you. I think you better send it a way by the first of August and I want you to give me the pertickler account of the state of hops and what the price is and how the crops is like to be so that I may now better what to do with mine if I grow eny.
Now R I must give you a little account of my one family.. I have lately increase one more in famley which is a son and I think I shall have his name John. This make the second yankey. The baby was born the 20 of March and I am happy to say my wife is as well as can be expected and so is the rest of my family except poor James and he is in a poor state of health. Still I have got a nother freash Doctor to him now for the other one says he can not to him no good. It has been a great lost to me poor James being so sick it over a 100 dollars lost. I think but I do not now but the doctoring will come to more then half of it.
Now I must give you a little account of Stephen. He lost is wife last Jany. She died when her baby was a bout 3 weeks old. She add not many well days since I node her. He caredon is busness still so he hiers is board and as but is son out to a woman that lives close beside me. They come from Peasmarsh Mrs Cloito. Now we have got the old blatchler married at last wich is John. He has got a little woman a bout as big as ant simes and they live where Stephen did and so Stephen board with them. Rebacker husband as lately hiered a farm for 3 years. There is about 80 acres of it and it is about 13 miles from me. I think Backer as got a good husband. Thers is a poor littel boy but he add a bad misfortaine last summer and fell from a building and brooke is thie and 2 ribs but is got well of it now.
I believe all of my brothers and sister are well. I have not told them I are writing to you. I have not seen they for some time. I have not seen Father for this month or 2 but believe he is well. No thought but that he would be glad to send is best respect to you for he is so glad to hear from you and he is verry much please with your letters but grows something chilish now and wears I think verry fast.
Dear friend I should like for us to meet to geather a gine once more in this world. What a joyful meeting that would be. Just step over and take a peace of ham for bracfust if you please-R.
I feel so glad to think you show such a respect to father for it make him feal comfortable and I hope you will come over and see us in corce of a year or 2 when you can make things sute for we are a going I suppose to have a new canal wich I suppose will come within 3 miles of my house. Hey have got grant for it this winter so you can come by water all the way with in 3 miles of my house. It will be nearly 300 miles from New York. It cost about one cent a mile.
Now you wanted to now how much that would take you for a middle kind of life. Now I must tell you I think you would do well with £150 for I must tell you it is £125.0.0 more than I add and I suppose father add about 200 pounds to set us all up withand now I have got 2 horses and 1 yoke of oxen and 3 cows and 5 yearlins and 1 calf and 6 sheep and 3 hogs and 7 pigs and a little wile a go Mr Eloite and I bought 50 acres of land between us, it joing on to me and I thought I should like to have him for a neighbour. We paid 50 dollars down and got to pay 100 dollars a year. Now that poor man now what it was to want for bread before he left England. He came a way and left is wife and family at Peasmarsh and he add but not 2 shilings when he got to New York. He started about 3 weeks after we did from England. Now I must tell you is trade is a mason. He use to worke at Mrs Mascall a good deal and Mr Taylor knows him well. Mason is a good trade hear for they 10 shillings per day in the summer.
Now I hear the Colery is a breaking out verry bad in some of our states. It was verry bad in this countary last year and in this state to some hundread I suppose died with it.
Now I will give you the increace of New York State in 99 years. There is the biggest population in this state of ere a one but there is two more state nearby as big as this.
Population New York State
In 1731 50,395
1800 ..586,050
1830 …1,913,508
New York City
In 1800 60,489
1830 ..203,007
Albany
In 1830 24,238
These are the two bigest City in New York State
The number of state in my almanac is 28 so I will leave you to think this is not a small countary. I suppose York State nearly as big as England. There is a great deal more different in different parts of this countary then there is betwixt England and were I live hear not half now. I hope you will not be I quarter so long answer my letter as I have been answer of yours. I let it alone most to late before I begun to write in the spring. It got now to be the 3 of may. I thought much of many of you at Tenterden fair. Please to give our love to your brother and sister and I hope they are a doing well and I think of writing to some of them in the marsh at the latter end of of the summer and to Uncle Bill please to give hour respect to all inquire friends . I hope you will give me the pertickler account of hops as soon as you now.
Dear R I hope all things are seteled comfortable in the old native countary and better times for poor people. I think it would be on ard times for me now if I was there to get my family there belley full but thank god I can fill there belleys full hear 3 times a day and whil that is good for I add 4 good hogs kill last winter. I add a bout 1000 of meat but I can tell you I work some harder then when I work in the garden but I do injoy the fruit of my labour and I think I have done a fine thing for my family but I can tell you that when the spring comes a farmer must not be lazy.
Please to take all of our kind love and I will answer your letter in a shorter time next time so good by and god bless us all I hope to meet from your affectionate and Cozen and well wishes.
James and Elizabeth Weaver
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