| Title: | Jackson, John to Hughes, Laurence, 1850 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6421 |
| Collection | New Brunswick Letters |
| File | newbrunswick/56 |
| Year | 1850 |
| Sender | Jackson, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | labourer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | St. Louis, Minnesota, USA |
| Destination | St. John, N.Brunswick, Canada |
| Recipient | Hughes, Laurence |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers-in-law |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 733 |
| Genre | account of passage, decease, illness, local economy |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Saint Lewes February the 5th 1850 Mr. Dear Mr. Hughes: I address you in these lines hoping they will find you in good health as I am at present. Thank God for his mercies to me. Having address you in several letters, this is one of the sorrowfullest letters ever you got from me. I left home on the second of November ’49 and landed in New Orleans after a passage of eleven weeks and four days. We had one of Widow Gormeley boys out with us. He took the fever and got a man to take care of him but he got so outrageous that the man could make no hand of him. There he lay and every one coming to me to making complaints that he was pulling the chothes off their berths and leaping through the ship for he was deranged. I had to take care of him myself and it was not an easy task. Three days before I landed I took the fever off him myself and was sick coming into Orleans where I lay for five weeks and then salley took ill and we were laying in the one bed and not one to give us a drink but my sister who was after putting a severe turn of sickness over her and was not able to come up to where we lay but twice a day. She would come to bring us a drink. I then sent for a carriage and sent her to hospital and took a chance myself. I thought her life would be saved but alas she died in three days after she went in and I did not know of it for three weeks after when my sister and family was going up to Gilleena and was bringing me with them and I asked them to send for Salley. When they told me she was dead, I then took to my bed and lay three weeks not knowing my own sister when she would bring me a drink. I was then sent to hospital for ten days till I recovered and then they brought me up to Gilleena and I was not able to earn one shilling til the 17th of May when I commenced mining and was successful for in six weeks I earned 22 pounds and believe me it was wanting but God tempers the weather for the thorn. To me the thorn was into the quick. My dear Mr. Hughes, I send best respects to you in the warmest manner and hope you will answer my letter as soon as you can by return of poste. I wrote two letters home and got no answer and indeed they were worth answering. I sent two pounds in one to the Olde Woman and two pounds ten shilling to little Thomas Armstrong, as I was his godfather, and got no answer to none of these letters. I fear they have been mislead. Let me know in your letter if you got a letter from your mother. If I stop in this country I will send for little Margaret and Thomas but hear I am happy in the middle of plenty now. Dear friend this is a fine country. You will get a farm in shares hear and very easy to labour in a fine healthy country. Every thing is very cheep hear. Beef from three cents to one cent per pound, butter 14 cents per pound, flour per barrel 4 dollars. A man can live very easy with a family. My dear sir, I would be glad to see you in this country or at Gileena as it is a more healthy Country. I will say more in my next letter. I would be happy to see all of us hear as Salley was so fond of her (Rosey Hughes). No more at present but I remain your affectionate friend John Jackson. (P.S.) When you write, direct your letter to John Jackson Saint Lewes, State of Misurey. (P.P.S.) I have one of Salley’s gowns for Margaret. It was the only thing they left me belonging to her and they took my shirt, five pare of stockings and the half of the feathers out of my bead. Franked at St. Lewis, Feb. 12, 1850 Received at Fredericton March 28, 1850 Addressed to North America Saint Johns New Brunswick For Mr. Larens Hughes |
