| Madison County Letters©
- 22Feb1847 Copyright 2000 Fredi Perry In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data and images may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or for other presentation without express permission by the contributor(s) Kingston Bluff, St. Clair Co. (Collingville P.O.) Feb. 22, 1847 Dear Caroline, I am here on a visit. Left home yesterday. All well there and here. Your father says he had a letter from your husband dated Nov. 15, but he has not answered it yet. We have had a very uncomfortable winter: snow - rain, freezing and thawing - and more changeable than Ie ver knew the weather before. John G. Jarvis's wife died Nov. 25. On the 10th Feb. (2 ½ months) he brought home another wife. She is a sister of his first wife, and was a widow. I did not hear the name. Widow Blackburn (near Collinville) is married to John Duncan, brother of James Duncan, who was killed by the mob last July. It's said that Miss Mary Ann Minerva Gaskill either is, or soon will be, married to George B. Judd of St. Louis, formerly of Marine Settlement. Miss Hannah Seybold was married last fall to Mr. Albert Wilson. Macdonough Gates lives on the old Skeanborrough (?) farm where you lived so long. His wife (formerly Mary Ann L. Gillet) is very low and not expect to live long. Macdonough has sold said farm to his brother-in-law, Willoughby. Horace B. Weeks came from Galesburg in Nov. last. In Jan. he was keeping victualing (?) cellar in St. Louis under the Monterey House, north side old market, in company with Mapes, Webster and Shipley. Whether he is there now, or not, I think somewhat uncertain. Mr. Purviance called at the cellar 2 or 3 weeks since and inquired for him, and was told that he had "gone to his uncle's in Illinois." But he has not been either here or at my house since the 28th Dec. John L. Weeks is teaching school near Payson, Adams Co., Il at $15 per month. George Churchill is teaching 4 miles north of Galesburg at $14 per month. Emily Amelia Churchill is teaching a little west of Galesburg at $12 per month. So you see that Galesburg turns out a great many teachers. I have a recent letter from Wm. W. Weeks, Galesburg. His father has had the fever and ague a long time, but had got about again. He writes that Jimmy Perrigo had got tired of Geersville (?) because there was no meeting to go to: and both he and William W. Weeks have the Oregon Fever. Your father has filled up his large fireplace with brick and fixed a grate therein, and now burns coal. He burns wood in an old $2 cook-stove: and has a coal stove upstairs. Then he keeps the home warm enough. He has got a new brass clock, a new looking-glass, and whole panes of glass in his windows. Little Adeline and Henry Clay are fat and hearty. Coal has fallen to 9 cts. Per bushel at St. Louis; and as the roads are "awful bad" your father's coal team do not navigate the Botton at present. I have rec'd the Wisconsin Constitution. It is not so bad as the Convention threatened at one time to make it, but still bad enough. Do the wise men think they can stop the people from taking small bank notes? The thing has been tried out and out, in Illinois and Missouri and is an utter failure. When do you come to Illinois? When do you go to Vt.? Ex-Gov. Slade (?) of Vt., has been at Springfield, Il, lecturing on Education. Wants to make arrangements for sending a quantity of Yankee "School Marms" to the West. Don't you want some of them in Wisconsin? Where is Norman? At Monroe? Or at the Wisconsing Pinery? Dr. Gates has moved into Troy. Mr. Thomas Camp who married Jane Vineyard, has also moved to Troy. That town now has 2 wagon maker shop, 3 stores, 2 taverns, 2 churches, and another commenced, 2 boot and shoe shops, and 5 physicians. The north part of Illinois was unusually sickly last year. The south part not so sickly as in past years. Please write to your father soon; and I will try to see the letter before it gets lost. Truly yours, George Churchill. (Added on same sheet the following letter) Feb 22, 1847 My Dear children I received your letter about 1st December but partly thought carelessness and a hurry of business I have not answered it until now. I still carry on farming in summer and coal business in winter last fall the business was good the average price was 15cts per bushel. Since that time there has been so much rain and bad roads that I have not make much having eight yoke of oxen to feed I shall expect to see you here this summer peaches are ripe in September aplles in October and November - I looked for you last fall but all in vain. I am glad to hear Norman is doing well and George I expect them here this spring (Handwriting changes) I am in rather delicate health this winter, this is one of the best (?) of the country only eight miles from St. Louis the great Emporium of the west, there is some expectation of having a plank road from the bluff made this summer --- give my love to all the children - write often. Yours affectionately, W. B. Churchill |