1856 09 30 James W. Carrick to David Andrews

To:       David Andrews Esqr                                                 September 30^th 1856

From:   James W. Carrick                               Short Creek  Harrison County  Ohio

Respected friend    Your favor of the 12 of June came to hand punctualy

and we were much pleased to hear that you were all well   we and the friends

generally are all well  the health of this region has been good since I

last wrote you   I received a letter from Joseph Minteer a few days ago

they with Stewards family were all well  they still continue to be well

sattisfyed with their location and business  Josephs has entirely recovered

his health he says he has worked so hard this summer that the hair of his

head is all coming out.  him and Eliza Jane had been over at parrs a

short time before and they were all well  aunt peggy has got quite fat and

hearty we do not know what time she will be home  she intends to come as

soon as she can get a good chance of company and we know of one or two

good chances that she will have this fall.  We have had a very dry summer

and of cours we have verry poor crops of corn  I think on an average not

more than one third of a crop.  we had a great crop of grass and middling

good wheat and oats.  we have got our grain all thrashed out and reddy

for market.  wheat is selling at a dollar and fifteen to a dollar and

twenty five owing to quality  oats is worth from 33 to 35 and corn 60

and going up and som people thinks it will be a dollar before spring

I would just inform you that unkle Davy has entered a suit against the

estate for wages he claims $4.00 a week from the first of April 52 till

the first of April 53 and $10 a week from then till the first of Febuary

54  making in all with intrust from the last date a little over six hundred

and 90 dollars  I offered him two hundred dollars for a compromise but he

said he could take no such money as that   how it will end I am not able to

say.  it is the opinion of the neighbours generally that he will not get

as much as I offered to give him and the cost of his other suit is not

yet paid off and if he gains anything in this case the court will keep

their claim out of it and he will be about where he started.  I expect it

to com on the next term of the court which will commence on the 4^th of

November  you must try and excuse me for not riting to you sooner we

have been verry throung[?]  we had a middling tedeious harvest and as soon

as that was over we went at building the dam at the saw mill which was

a verry heavy job   since that time we have been hauling manure and

ploughing and seeding and cutting clover seed and at this time we are

engaged in getting out coal for the winter and as I would rather do almost

anny thing els than write a letter I always put it of to the last.  we

would be verry much pleased to see some of you in hear this fall you wrote

that you would like som of us to go out this fall  I think that will be

out of our power at this time  if your mother could com in this fall we

would like to see her if she should take a notion to com I would like to

know a while before hand and I would try and be reddy for her if she

dont come and no convenient opportunity offers I may probably to out this

winter if I keep my health  but I would rather not go this winter if we

could fix it anny other way pleas write soon as convenient after you get

this and let us know what you are engaged in  give our best respects to

your mother and all the family  I have been sitting writing so long that

my hand shakes verry much I am afraid you cannot read what I have written

                                                                        James W Carrick

David Andrews Esqr

NB  you will wonder what the scribbling on the fourth page of this letter

means  well I will tell you  I just went to the door a few minits ago and Robert

thought that he would write a little and that accounts for it all

[the scribbling is just a small child’s running circles and a few straight lines]

1855 09 01 James W. Carrick to Mary Jane Andrews McFarland

                                                                                    

Harrison County  September 1^st 1855

Respected friends    I now sit down according to promise

 to inform you that I got home on wensday evening before

 sundown   the first day I drove to New Philadelphia which was

 between 45 and 50 miles   I found the family all well in middling

 health  Wm is complaining a little with the headache   our

 people got a letter from Steward and Ellen  the day that we

 left home  they are both in middling  good health  they have got

 back to Illinois  they expect to be home the fore part of October

  we have been verry busy thrashing yesterday and the day before

 and I had not time to write till this morning and I do not intend

 to write much for the breakfast is nearly ready and Mary

 Ellen is going to town as soon as she eats   you can tell aunt

 Peggy that Jacob Riggle and Mary Ann has come back bag and baggage

 and she is shaking with the ague   they are going to live in one end

 of the house with Ezra Thompson and Jacob is going to farm

 old John Matson’s place    Sarah wants you to come in with

William and aunt Peggy   She says she wants to see you badly

     But I must close give my bes respects to all the family    no more

 at present but remains yours  [……..]  JW Carrick

 to Miss Mary Jane Andrews

                        PS I intend to write to Steward

 in a few days and see if he will come home by your country

 or not  I understand that Ellen wrote to Nancy McLaughlin

 that they had promised to come home past Logan and aunt susan

 kerr    Wm Kerrs widow was to come home with them if that is the

 case it is likely that they will come strait through and

 not make any stop

Second page

Tell aunt Peggy that I got along very well by myself

   I did not get asleep and fall out of the buggy

I never felt a bit sleepy

1854 06 08 James W. Carrick to Lavinia Carrick Andrews

                                              






  Harrison County  Ohio  June the 8^th 1854

                        Dear Sister  I now sit down to write a few lines to

 you to let you know that we are all well at present except aunt

 peggy   she has a very severe attack of inflamitory rumatism

  she has been confined for a bout three weeks   the first two she

 had to be lifted inn and out of the bed like a child  she could

 not even eat her own meat but had to be fed like a child

   she is now some better  she can sit up a little and walk from

 her bed out to the fire with one to assist her     the doctor says

 that it will be som time before she gets clear of it as it is a

 very tedious lingering complaint and he says she must be

 verry carefull of her self and not be exposed to wet or cold

 as she may have a relaps the rest of the friends are al well

    I received a letter from David dated March the 30^th in which

 in answer to the one that I rote a short time before he wrote

 that you were satisfied with the disposition of unkle johns

 property and that if the will was broke it would be

 don with out your consent and with out your assistance

 but I see in our paper that thear is a bill filled in which

 you and others are plaintiffs and me and others are defendants

 and I have heard just lately that you wrote to David that you

 were not satisfied and I suppose on the strenth of that he

  made use of your name    now if this be true it seems to me

 to be verry strange but I would like to know the

 certainty of it and I hope that you will let me know as soon

 as convenient   it makes no particular difference to me only

 just for my own satisfaction I would like to know what

 representation he made to you about the disposition of the

 property as he has been representing it in a verry different

 light from what it actually is and he may have deceived

you in order to get you to help him    if my memory serves

 me wright I think  I wrote you not to have any thing to do

 in the case as you would be as well of[f] if the will was broke

 as though you had assisted and if not you would loos nothing

[Second page]

David said in his letter that you wanted to know what aunt

 pegs idea was in going to Illinois whether on a visit or to stay

    she had no idea of staying anny longer than fall or till

 she would me[e]t with a good chance of coming back again

    I intended to take her out to see you and stay awhile this summer

 but the prospect for her going is very dull at this time    I

intended to go about the middle of may but she took

 the rumatism and concequently was not able to go     perhaps

 after harvest or in  the fall if she gets better we will go

     I want you to rite as soon as you get this letter

 and let us know how you are getting along but I must

 close    excuse my bad writing for I have wrote in a hurry

    give our best respects to all the family and to John and

 his wife       no more at present  yours affectionately

                                                                                                                        J W Carrick

PS I send you the bill as it is in the paper

and if you request it I will send you a copy of the will