A letter home

John Wheaton wrote the following letter in 1842 by to his parents in Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire, Old England.  The original letter was found among some keepsakes saved by Estelle Heath Carr, great-granddaughter of John & Sarah Wheaton.  Phyllis Schnedler (Great-great-granddaughter of John & Sarah Wheaton in Manhattan, Kansas) has the original handwritten letter framed and hanging in her home.  I obtained a copy of the transcript from Phyllis.  She copied the letter exactly as written – the spelling and punctuation (or lack of it) are as John wrote it.

If anyone has more information, please share it with us. 

submitted by: Jarel H. Wheaton
(Great-great-grandson of John & Sarah Wheaton)
28058 Acana Road
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Transcribed with original spelling.

December 4, 1842
Mr. John Wheaton
Wisbeach Cambridgeshire Old England

Dear Father and Mother and sister and Brother and all whome it may concern we recieved your letter on the 30 Day of November and was glad to hear you was all well bless God for it but we was sorry to hear that our Dear sister had lost her little one but we are glad to hear that they are all of them getting better we are sorre to hear that you are loseing so many of your neighbours by Death, Dear Father you want me to tell you what you are to Do wen you get to me, now I will tell you, you can live with me till you can se a place that you should like to settle your self in, their is plenty of places but a very little ways of ous but I shall want you to live with ous one year till you get to know the ways of the country for they are so Different here to what they are with you, I know of a place called huron that is a first rate place for a good butcher to live there is two there now but they are verry nasty Durty butchers they are Duch men, when you get to me if you think that you should like to live where I am the best you can, for I should like to go to live to huron my self for I think a man can make plenty of money there in the summer season for there is steam boats coming in there day and knight frequently and a man can make arangements with the captains for meat for they often take a half a Bullock at a time and you can get your money of such chaps as them men they get the meat. You can buy a fat bullock here for a pound such as you would have to pay with you 25 pounds for, you want to know what profit I can make on a bullock I cannot tell you exactly for I have to render my tallow Done myself and put it into barrels but I allways get the tallow and nice proffitt and oftens a sovreighn besides I give 6 to 8 for sheep such as you give 25 to 30 for they will weigh from 18 to 20 pounds per quarter, I give for calves 6 to 8 each such as you would have to give 50 each for I have had fat calves weigh 140 pounds for that price I sell veal for a penny halfpenny per pound the four quarters the hind quarters for 2 pence per pound calves skins for 6 per pound hides for a pence per pound mutton I sell for 2 pence and 2 ½ per pound sheep skins for 6 each but I take care and get the wool of them my self before I let them have them for they would not give any more with the wooll on I can sell the wool for 1 shilling per pound your money Dear Father you no call to be afraid of a living in this country for if you was only to sell one bullock in a week that would more and maintain you for you would have no notes nor taxes to pay here you can live well here for 8 shillings per week here is no starveation here, here plenty to eat and drink and wear a many that has got 2 or 3 children if he works 3 months in the year he can earn enough to last him for the year Dear Father I am glad to think you are a going to bring me a gun bring me a good one I will tell you wat sort of a one to get me let it be stubb__ twister mind it is not imitation let it be five eights of an inch in the boar get me a good powder flask that will hold a half pound at once bring me a good shot belt, get Mr. Adams of well to examing the gun or some one that understands it be sure that it is a twist gun let it be about 3 feet 2 inches long in the barrel now I have done the gun story I will tell you wat will be the best for you to get to last you across the ocion get one store of dried bread no biscuits for we througed all our biscuits away bring pleanty of flower and seem and butter and suggar some ______ and _______ and _______ and potatoes and some hams and beef such as you can fry Do not coock any of them for if you are sick it will be the first part of your journey and then it would all get stryed Dear Father get good friends with the Coock and then you can get anything coocked wen you like you had better make arangements with him and give him a Trifle I think would be the best way, now I will tell you the best way to go on when you get across the Ocion go a board of one of the steam boats as soon as you can for Albany Do not make any arangements at new York to go to buffalo for when you get to Albany you can take the first boat that goes to buffalo that will be your best way be shure when you make arangements at Albany to go to buffalo mind and have a reciet that you have paid your passage and for your luggage or else the captain of the boat will make you pay over again, we had to pay for our luggage over again for our reciet did not mention any think about our luggage you must be very careful or elce you will get yankied for the yankies are very deep fellows and when you get to buffalo go a board of the first steam boat that comes to sandusky or to Huron if the boat comes to Huron inquire of a man of the name of winchel he keeps Tavern you can stop there till he sends word to me and then I can fetch you from their, if you should land at sandusky you can get on the railroad and come to where I live be shure and do as I have directed you do not take any notice of what the people do tell you if you do they will keep talling you somethink to wast your money you will find it will keep waiting very fast in traveling. Dear Mother i hope you will fetch My Dear Sister and Brother and family with you for I am sure this is a good country for them here is no starvation here he could do well if he was here I hope he will try all that he can come with you for he knows about sailing and could work his own passage over and that would be a great help to him Dear Mother I now you would be no happer with me then you are now if you left them behind for they would be a great comfort to you when traveling I would rather you would not bring me any thing then leave them behind you need not bring your ironing box for wee use flats fetch your talyairon with you bring your good brass candlesticks and snuffers and me a pair to your carpets and bed fanongs and blankets and quilts you need not bring no sheets if you can make anything of them be sure and bring what pictures is ________ for _________ the paper and hooks and eyes and a grose of 2 of hair pins and thimbells for us and Jane you need not bring no neadels bring some good ginger and some fullers earth and som salts of leamon bring all the garden seeds you can get for I shall want you to make a garden for me Father and us is agoing to write to Grandmother to get him some seeds write of, for you to bring I should like for you to bring yorr Dear Jane a new doll and bonet for I have let the other children spoil her other one, William grows a fine boy Sarrah Ann runs anywhere she has one tooth and can say a great many words Caroline has been confined and is doing well but we bured her Dear little girl today she was twelve days old I will send more pictures wen we write to Grandmother my Dear Mother I am ashamed of trubling you so much but you must bring a shone of oatemeal for we have to pay 2 shillings for about 1 pint of it Dear Father your recommendation is to late for my house is built and my pocket bottom is in yet for it is allmost payd for I dont owe the mason above 2 pounds and I dont owe the carpenter so much as that if the wether holds as it is now shall get it plastered this week and then by you get this letter I shal be in my own house, I have had my oats thrashed and I have got 80 baskets for my horse to eat he is as fat as a pig I have sold one of my horses for 16 pounds but if I should live till spring I shal get another one to match this one I have got, tell the folks I can Drive a match span of horses as well as your big parsons can or as old frog gutted wart and not rob the poor people and starve them all to Death I have got a first rate well of water close to my back Door it is 23 feet Deep I have got my oxen yet but I am a fatten them I have got so many pigs that I Dont now many I have got I wish I was against some of your poor people so that I could give them some of my pigs we have no Union here if any one cannot Do for them selves they are put out to board Dear Father bring 2 good meat saws as well as knives and ________ you can bring 6 steels for they are very Dear here and good for nothing at that bring my ____  _______with you Dear Mother my face is well I hope for I don’t feel no affects of it but I sometimes have the jumping tooth ake but I have learned to smoke and that cures it write of so I shall want you to bring me your tobacco pot to put my tobacco in like wise a tobbacco box to put in my pocket, tell My Friend Mr. Flat he must make me a fiddle stick for I have broken the one I had tell him he must send me all the notes he can get for me tell Mr. Waller he must send me some to. We have had a very heavy storm on our lakes about 3 weeks ago there was 14 scooners lost 4 steem boats lost and then it set in freezing very sharp and it lasted 2 weeks but it is all thawed out now again we have had some staying this last week the storm lasted 3 Days and 2 knights Jane is a good girl to go to school Give my love to all inquiring Friends now I must give over for I am very Tired and it is ½ past 10 o’clock an so good knight and God bless you all Amen so no more at present from your loving son and Daughter

J and S Wheaton

Dear Mother I wish you would buy my Dear brother and sister as it will be the last time I shall have the opportunity of giving them anything esccept they come George and Ann a good silk Handkercheef and us one a pees like them buy the children one a each and our children one like them I should like for you to serve Bangels and the same if they do not come but I rearly do hope they will you must escuse the bad writing as we had yours send ous another letter as soon as you can For I Don’t think there will be time for ous to write to you any more till we se you and send ous word wether our Dear Brother and sister Bangle is coming or not for we very much want to no, Mr. Healy is Married again to day, and send ous a few lines as soon as you land in new York and then we can tell pretty near when we shall se you Iv no more at present God bless you all Amen.

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