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]

1854 02 01 John S. Carrick to esteemed friend

                                                Shortcreek    Feb 1^st AD 1854

Respected and much esteemed friend 

       I regret to communicate to you the mournful

 intelligence that unkle John departed this life

 this morning at half past six o’clock  

 the funeral is to take place tomorrow

 at ten.  he suffered very much for the

 last five or six days.  I defer writing any

mor til I know what disposition he

 has made of his property.

Feb 6^th  the friends are all well

 at present so farr as I know

   I will now give you an account of

 the will as near as I can mind  it was

 read on friday the third and was as follows

    first to unkle David one hundred

dollars  next to aunt Nancy Parr 150 dollars

 next to aunt Livina Andrews 150       “  

 next to aunt Margaret 150 dollars togather

 with one bead and beading  the bureau

 one set of chairs hir chois one cow hir chois

 and the cupboard and cupboardware 

  next to Father the farm providing he will

 provide a living for aunt Margaret either

 in his own family or in the house where he

 died and pay the other legacyes.

  next he gave to Father two family bibles and

 Scots Commentary to Samuel Parr all of

 flavels works to Aunt Lavina bucks

 dictionary an Alexanders Sermons.  the balance

 of his books is to be equally divided among

 his brothers and sisters now living togather

 with

myself.  that is all I get.  his sadle

 and wach he gave to William C Carrick

                             paps William  

I have give you the outlines of the will

 as near as I can recollect aunt Margaret

 has not determined yet whether she will

 go to fathers to live or stay in the house

  unkle David and aunt betsy are trying

 to make a fuss but they cant get at it

 rite  they say that it is not unkle John

 will that it is Fathers and Mothers.  they

 say that they are a going to prove that

unkle John was not fit to make a will and

concequently break the will but I think that

 they will fail their.  I think that the less

 that they can say the beter  they will fair

   nothing more at preasant but still

 remain your sincer well wisher

write soon and let me know how

 you are getting along

  I will writ again as soon as I can

 tell you what is a going to be done

 and what aunt Margaret is

 going to do

   that is all for the present

John S Carrick

1854 01 23 Carrick, John S. to Wm Andews

Shortcreek  January 23^rd AD 1854

Respected Friend   I take the preasant

 oportunity of informing you that we

are all well at preasant with the exception

 of unkle John  he is still living  when that

 is said it is all that I can say for we do

 not know how soon he will be numbered

 with the dead  he has ben very bad for three

 weeks he was 21 days without a pasage

 last Thursday  Doctor------------ succeded in getting

 a pasage but it seems as tho it did not

 do him any good, he does not suffer

 very much near so much as might

 be expected we have to sit up with him

 at nights he does not sleep much, he has

 not taken any nourishment for

 two weeks except a sup of cream once

 or twice a day.  I wrot a fiew lines

 to John soon after you left us and

 requested him to write and let mee know

 how you got home  I would haf writen

 to you some time a go but I did not

 know what to write as unkle John has

 ben very much the same as when you was

 here  he does not talk so bad as he did

 we have had a very dry winter till last

 week we had a rite smart wet spell and

one of the hail storms.  We have very

 suden chainses some days warm others very

coald  this is one of the coald ones

 I have nothing more of importance to write

  only to request you to answer this

 by the return mail.  yours respectfully

                        John S. Carrick