1858 09 26 James C Andrews to David Andrews

Beaver dam  Sept the 26^th  1858

Dear Mother and brother    i sit down once more to

write a few lines to you to let you know

how we all are  for i have got tired waiting

for an answer to the rest of my letters  this

is the third one i have wrote to you and

still no answer  so this will be the last one

until i get an answer

we are all in reasonable health at the present

time Rebecca is getting a considerable stouter she

is able to do her own work now  Amos has

the ague now for a few days past but the

rest of us is well  with the exception of a

few of the biggest biles that i have got 

they are not so numerous as jobs but a great

deal sorer in my opinion

I have not heard anything from Dan and

Mary Jane for about five weeks but they

were all well the last time i heard from them

the health of the county is just middling

there is a considerable of the ague around through

the country but that is about all the

kind of sickness there is as yet =

the crops of wheat was verry poor here

this harvest wheat turned out the poorest

i ever saw ther was hardly an average of

12 bushels to the acre in consequence of the

   

rust  oats is no crop at all lots of fields

was not cut atall  corn is just a middling

crop potatoes is only about half crop and

hardly that  wheat sells at about 90 cts

to $1.00 per bushel  oats would sell at about

45 cts per bu if there was any to sell

corn none in market as yet

times is the hardest here in consequence of

money matters i ever saw  evry man that

owes a cent is duned for it and there is

not produce enough in the country to

pay peoples debts  there is some of the ablest

farmers in the country that cannot pay their

debts and some of the best of our merchants

is broke up  I want you to write

whether John has gon to Michigan yet or not

Now David the last letter that i received

from you you wrote that you never had

received any acknowledgment of that money

you sent with Mary Jane

i would just say that i sent you a

note in a letter long ago and if you did not

get it i want you to let me know and i will

send you another note

Now David you wanted to know the least

i would take for my interest in the old place

i would just say that i will sell lower now

than i ever would before on account of the times

being so hard here and i am some in debt and

i am tired of being craved and i have nothing

to make money out of this fall and every

debt that i owe will have to be paid this fall

Now David you and William see what is the

best you can do by me this fall and let

me know and i will go in Just as soon as you

let me know and we will draw writings  i can

go in and stay about one week and we can fix it

all except Rebeccas signing it and that can be

done at some other time next spring for

instance when you come out

Now David i want you to write immediately

and let me know whether it will be worth

my while to come or not so that i will

have time to fit and go before cold weather

No more at present but remains your

son and Brother  James C Andrews to

                        David Andrews and all the rest

write soon Rebecca sends her best respects to Mother

                                                            and all the rest

PS I traded horses twice and i have now got a

mare four years old last spring handsome as a picture

even up for old nell worth one hundred and ten dollars

I like to have forgotten to tell you

that the fly is eating up the early

sowed wheat  Robert Reed and Nathaniel

Paxton is agoing to commence to plow

up theirs tomorrow morning and sow

it over and many others

1855 08 02 James C Andrews to Mother Brothers and Sisters

                 Beaver Dam      Aug 2^nd 1855

Dear Mother Brothers and Sisters              i take

this opportunity to inform you of our healths  we are

all well at the present time except myself

i have not been able to work for about a week

with the piles but i am getting some better

today than i have been –  I received  a letter from

mary Jane dated may the 11^th and i rec a letter from

John last thursday  he wrote that you wer all

well on the fourth of July as that was the last

time he had seen any of you

we have had the wetest time here that you

ever seen in harvest  it commenced raining

two weeks ago today and it rained every day

since more or less until today it looks like as

if it would clear off – harvest was verry late

here this harvest so that about the time that

we got our wheat in shock the rain came on

so there it stands yet and is verry much

spoiled some of the hudders is sprouted four

inches long –but if it keeps dry today and

tomorrow that we will get it hauled in

we have the best wheat and oats crops this year

that i ever saw any where the corn and

potatoes looks first rate as yet

the health of the country is first rate at the

present time i do not know of any person

sick in the country at the present time

the small pox broke out about six miles from here

about two months ago and there was several

died with it but they have got it stoped again

the Jefferies and Tuckers was all well the last time

i heard from them – I suppose you are looking

for us in there this fall but that is out of the

question for us to go in this fall as we will

not have the [funds] to sp[are]  it is pretty

tuff times with us yet as we have but

a small opening made yet and then looseing my

team last fall makes it hard times to hire a

team to do all my plowing and evry thing

but i have a young yoke of cattle comeing

on that will be three years old next spring

and by that time they will be able to do

a considerable of work – now Mother i think

that you could come out this fall and see us

a great deal better than we can go in to see

you   you and one of the boys could take the

cars and be here in twenty four hours from

the time you start if you could only just

think you could come there is nothing to hinder

you from comeing and if you cannot come yourself

besure and send some of the rest of them

out for i cannot wait longer than this fall

to see some of you it is now four years this

fall since i saw any relation atall of mine

I want you to come out and see my wife and

children as we now got three of them  the youngest

of them a boy now four months old we

call him William Harvey  tell William

that there will be a dress expected for the name

Now i want some of you to be sure to come

out this fall and i want you to besure

and write as soon as you get this and let

me know whether any of you is comeing

or not and write particular how unkle John

and family is getting along

So nothing more at present but remains yours

until death                James C Andrews to

Mother William Mary Jane David

 Joseph and Samuel --  I want you to write whether it is

so or not that unkle John has a cancer on his breast

1858 09 26 James W. Carrick Andrews to his mother Lavinia Carrick Andrews

.    .   
                   



















Beaver dam  Sept the 26th 1858

Dear Mother and Brothers I sit down once more to
write a few lines to  you to let you know
how we all are for I have got tired waiting
for an answer to the rest of my letters  this
is the third one I have wrote to you and
still no answer so this will be the last one
until I get an answer

We are all in reasonable health at the present
time  Rebecca is getting a considerable stouter than
she was in the fore part of the summer   she
is able to do her own work now Amos
has the ague now for a few days past but the
rest of us is well  with the exception of a
few of the biggest biles [boils]  that I have got
 they are not so numerous as Jobs but a great
deal sorer in my opinion

I have not heard any thing from Dan and
Mary Jane  for about five weeks but they
were all well the last time I heard from them
 --the health of the country is just middling
there is a considerable of the ague around through
the country but that is about all the
kind of sickness there is as yet =

The crops of wheat was verry poor here
this harvest wheat turned out the porest
I ever saw  ther was hardly an average of
12 bushels to the acre in consequence of the

Second Page

 rust Oats is no crop atall   lots of fields
was not cut atall   Corn is just a middling
crop  potatoes is only about half crop and
hardly that wheat sells at about 90 cts
to $1.00 per bushel.  Oats would sell at about
45 cts per bu if there was any to sell
  corn none  in market as yet-
times is the hardest here in consequence of
money matters I ever saw   evry man that
owes a cent is duned for it and there is
not produce enough in the country to
pay peoples debt   there is some of the ablest
farmers in the country that cannot pay there
debts and some of the best of our merchants
is broke up  -- I want you to write
whether John  has gone to Michigan yet
or not -

Now David the last letter that I received
from you you wrote that you never had
received any acknowledgement of that money
that you sent with Mary Jane
 I would just say that I sent you a
note in a letter long ago and if you did not
get it I want you to let me know and I will
send you another note

[Third page]

Now David you wanted to know the least
I would take for my interest in the old place
I would just say that I will sell lower now
than I ever would before on account of the times
being so hard here and I am some in debt and
I am tired of being craved (?) and I have nothing
to make money out of this fall and every
debt that I owe will have to be paid this fall
Now David you and William see what is the
best you can do by me this fall and let
me know and I will go in just as soon as you
let me know and we will draw writings  I can
go in and stay about one week and we can fix it
all except Rebeccas signing it and that can be
done at some other time next spring for
instance when you come out

Now David I want you to write immediately
and let me know whether it will be worth
my while to come or not so that I will
have time to fix and go before cold weather

So no more at present but remains your
son and Brother   James C Andrews to
                       David Andrews and all the rest

Write soon    Rebecca sends her best respects to Mother and all the rest

P S I traded horses twice and I have now got a
mare four years old last spring  handsome as a picture
 even- up for old nell, worth one hundred and ten dollars

I like to have forgotten to tell you
that the fly is eating up the early
sowed wheat   Robert Reed and Nathaniel
Paxton is agoing to commence to plow
up theirs tomorrow morning and sow
it over and many others