| Title: | O'Brien, Daniel to O'Brien, Joseph Sinton, 1852 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6183 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/185 |
| Year | 1852 |
| Sender | O'Brien, Daniel |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Cambridge, Henry Co., Illinois |
| Destination | Collins, Lake Erie, NY, USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien, Joseph Sinton |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 978 |
| Genre | account of his new life: sfarming, local economy, neighbours |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Cambridge, Henry Co, Illinois Oct 3rd 1852 Dear brother It being first day, I have sat down to answer that long list of questions. Our land is Ceeder [Cedar] Co. Iowa where there is a large settlement of friends, orthodox though it is: 12 miles from Iowa Citty, 20 miles from Muscatine on the M.ssip fiver, it is 6 miles from Rochester on Ceder river. Steam boates come up this fiver spring and fall People build fences of rails and boards, though they begin to plant the Osage otange'63 which will make good fence in 3 years: they have to pay 4 dollars per thousand for the plants. We can get wood land but there is no hurry for it: is cheeper now than it was and they say it will be cheeper still. Wood land is 5 dollars per acre. They use oak for fuel mostly. They have a good school in the meeting house. Com sells from 20 to 30 cts pet bush, wheet from 40 to 60 cts per bushel, oats 20 cts, appels from 60 to 1.00 pet bushel. There is hardly any one thats pretends to keep more than 2 or 3 cows. Chees is 8 cts per pound, butter from 10 to 16 per pound. The state of sosiety is verry good in that neighborhood, but in general it is not so good as in the east, for there is so many that come here char are strangers to each other that they the people are from all parts of the United States. The county is to[o] new to have much fruit yet, though they begin to set out some trees. Our best marker is Muscatin, which is 20 miles from us: it is a good market for every thing. It is a good deal larger than Gowanda. The boats stop there evry day going up an dow[n] the rivers. All kinds of lumber is from 10 to 20 dollars per thousand according to the quality: common pine for cors [coarse] work, such as we use hemlock for, is 12 dollars per thousend. The lumber buisnes it commands cash and paves well. People generally break the prairie m June and July, so it was to[o] late for us to brake up any this fall. Some plough it up in the spring and plant on the sod and get a pretty good crop. There is not any land by this time that is not taken up in 5 or 6 miles of our lot. Tell Prudence there is plenty of fresh air, espetialy when the wind blows. The water in the wells is generly hard, but there is a small crick that runs acc[r]oss one corner, or within a few feet of it, that is soft water. It runs the whole time, in a small slew that runs down through the middle. We could stomp down in to the ground and the water would come up in the dryest time; and the men that went with us told us when cattle come to tred it down there would be a small stream, where the ground is so soft that the water runs through the ground. If it proves to be so, there will be plenty of water on it. It is a healthy place, I think, for there was no one sick when we [came?] as we herd of. Blackburries is not very thick, but there is some. Thee wanted to know how far up the river the steam boats come. Well they come away up 7 or 8 hundred miles; above here they go up to St Antoneyes [Anthony’s] falls. We think of going up the river the 8 or 10 of next month. I wish Ebenenezar [Ebenezer Rogers?] would come and go up with us this winter. I think we can do well. I was glad to here that mother is better. Tell her to write to us. I would write to her but I know that you ail see our letters that we write to you. I would like to see the old mill, now it is finished. How much did it cost in all to fix it over. How much did Johnithons [Southwik's?] work come to. I [f?] you write to Andrew [Varney], tell him this is a fine country out here. I wrote so lately that I do not think of anything more to write. Give my respects to all. Tell Gabral I would like to see him, and that he would like to live out here. It has rained most all day here. It is rather lonesome here: there is no one here that we ever see before. It has rained evry first day since we have been here Some times we are all most home sick when it rains all day and we have nothing to do: then the days seam rather long. I wish the cattle could be out on the prairies so they could get some of the grass to eat that will be burnt up. The cattle look as far as they can: there is none but would make good beef now. The man we are to work for has 6 hands to work for him. He is building 2 houses now and wants to finish them this month if he can. One we have not raised yet, it is 22 by 30, two story. He has built 2 others this summer: there is a good many been built here this summer; 3 or 4 others going up here now. It is time to go to bed so I must stop. Write as soon as you get this for we want to know what to do about going up the river. Does the circle meet now: it would seam good to be at a circle once more. As ever your brother Daniel O'Brien |
