| Madison County Letters©
- 30Oct1849 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) Troy, Madison Co., Illinois, Oct. 30, 1849 Dear Caroline, I wrote to your husband on the 29th Sept. I visited Kingston Bluff two days afterwards. Your father was seated in a rocking chair, and looked "puny" to use a Western term. His fever had been "broke", but he was troubled with boils, and was low in flesh and strength. The little flaxen-headed Adeline and Henry Clay were as well as usual. Martin Samson Kingston, a little puny fellow, is the sole heir to the Kingston estate. A town called Caseyville has been commenced between little Canteer (?) creek and the Kingston farm; and a Rail Road from it to the east bank of the Mississippi, opposite St. Louis, has already been placed under contract. Mr. R. Radford, of Springfield, is the cntractor. So you may take a passage by steam from Galena to Caseybille next Peach time, in all probability. Mrs. Perthamia (?) Cornwell, widow of Eli Cornwell, died last Friday. William Estes, step son of Wm. F. Purviance, died several weeks since. James A. Steel's wife is dead. Your former admirer, Rev. Samuel Kelley, has removed back to Arkansas. He and his father-in-law, Isaac K. McMahan, had seceded from Methodism, and joined the Baptists. Samuel Steele Hunter and Robert McMahan have gone with him. Their destination is Pike Co., Ark. News from Galesburg. John L. Weeks is married to Miss Emily Finch, daughter of Col. Finch. Horace B. Weeks is married to Mrs. Didamia Shannon, widow of the late Achilles Shannon of Knox Co. He gets a smart wife, a pretty daughter of 15 months old, a nice little brick house and a comfortable property. My correspondent says that Horace has done first rate; and that he bears the title of "Pa" with becoming dignity. Sickness at Galesburg. The typhoid fever prevails and has carried off 6 victims in 6 weeks. Charles B. Weeks has had a severe attack of it, is supposed to be better, but his case is still considered critical. Old Parron (?) Waters has lost 2 of his children, to wit, Edward P. Waters, just out of college, and Harriet. Mary G. Weeks has returned from Whiteside county. The Tempest in a Tea Pot at Galesburg. This continues to rage. I judge from the papers that the Blanchardites are the strongest, so far as the college is concerned, and the Galenites, so far as the Church is concerned. It is said that the Rev. Bascom of Chicago, is to take Mr. Blanchard's place as preacher. Troy - The IOOF hall is about finished and with the lot has cost pretty near $1200. Macdonough Gates teaches a school in the Iowa story (?). Mac wants to be a JP and deal out justice on Saturdays, Gospel on Sundays, and teaming on the other days of the week. His boy, Martin Cyrus Scott Gates, is the fattest and heaviest little fellow of his age that I ever saw. Collinsville - Going ahead. The people are doing the wind (?) work of a Plank Road from Collinsville to Wiggins Ferry - The Edwardsvilleians are doing the wind work of a Plank Road from that place to Edwardsville. That is much wanted. It is supposed that the Rail Road from Alton to Springfield will soon be commenced. Next Tuesday is our election, when the people are to vote for or against Township Organization. I go against it because I do not want to be bothered with two sorts of townships. If any Yankee asks me what township I live in I will tell him, Township 3 North, Range 7 West, and if he is more particular, I will tell him that I live on the West half of the North West quarter of Section 8, T.3N, R7West of the 3d Principal Meridian. When, if he knows ever the A,B,C, of the Georgraphy of the Public Surveys he can tell how far I am from St. Louis or Gains or Chicago or any other place in the surveyed regions of the Great West. But suppose we nickname our Township "Hubbardtown" or "Morristown" or "Poland" or "Oxford" - how can we give the inquirer an idea of our location. Only by exhibiting a mammoth map of the State with a name upon every small square. Truly yours. George Churchill. |