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Dear Uncle,
I now write a few lines to let you know that we are still in the land of
the living and all are in good health. Hoping this will find you the same.
My father has been away paying the last instalment of his lot so that we
have got both of our lots secured but we have had hard scratching for it.
Land is rising to a great price. Land that was two dollars and a quarter
is now ten dollars per acre, indeed everything is very dear at present. My
father's lot is now worth twenty five hundred dollars. Our crops has been
very good this year. We have about two hundred and fifty bushels of wheat
and about as many bushels of oats. We have just begun to dig our potatoes.
They seem to be very good. I was awy at the Provincial show last week. It
was at London. There was all the latest improvements there, indeed it just
put me in mind of St. Jamesday fair. Dear Uncle we have not had any word
from you since the spring that we received a newspaper so that we are
wearying very much to hear how grandmother and all the rest of you is
coming on. Tell us how Agnes and all the rest of her family is coming on
and how Elizabeth is getting on and also of Thomas Brown and of Ann Brown
and family and of Aunty Bell and family and how they are getting on, that
is in Australia. Dear Uncle we have been looking for you this two years.
John Burns told us you was coming out here last year so that we have got a
great disappointment but we will be glad to see you when you do come and
tell me how Michael Andrew and his sister is getting on and if any of them
is married for here we are all unmarried at present but I do not know how
long it might be.
Oct. 7th 1854
Dear Brother,
This leaves us all well and in health and spirits at present. I was up in
Stratford last Tuesday paying for the deed of my lot. It has cost me
altogether 510 dollars and a quarter but land has got to such a high price
that I could get 2500 dollars for it at any moment that I like but I would
rather live and die on it now for I am got to stiff in the joint to go
into bush any more. I do not walk out any. I get as much weaving as I am
able to do, in fact I could keep two looms going. Magdalene is very fond
to hear from you and I would like to know how my mother is. Give our kind
love. We would give all for just to be along with her for a short time but
I doubt much if that will be on this side of time. We would like to know
if Uncle George is still alive and cousin William and if he has got any
family. My mother wants to know if we go to church. There is from four to
seven of us in church every Sunday. The storm blew off the roof of the
church about two months sice but it is on again. There was but one Sunday
that there was no preaching. It was a complete storm of wind, rain, hail
and thunder. It lasted only about one half hour. In that time it levelled
the woods for miles and blew off a great many roofs of barns and houses.
On one lot that corners with John's lot the thunder struck the barn and
burned it and all the year's crop. One of our neighbours got his barn
struck and kindled but go it put out. We has the good fortune to escape
scot free. The price of wheat is one dollar and a quarter per bushel.
December the 11th
Dear Uncle,
This letter has been a long time on the stocks but I must begin to tell
you the melancholy news. I got married on the eigth of November to a young
woman of the name of McEwen. She lived in the township of Lobo about
thirty miles from here. James and Margaret and Ann and another young man
and I started for Lobo on the 7th. We got there about dark. Her friends
were very happy to see us but their daughter Catherine did not look very
well but she got rather worse that night but she got a little better next
day so we started away to get married. We went to the Rev. Mr Scumner of
London township but she got worse that night and seemed to get worse so I
went for two doctors but they did not understand her trouble. The I sent
to London for other two doctors and they told me it was the fever. She
lost her reason on the 10th and died on the 19th. There is five of their
family sick at present with the fever. I have not been able to go to see
them since my wife was buried for I have been sick ever since.
My sister Ann got married on the ninth of this
month to a young man of the name of James Chawens. He is an English man.
He bears a good character. He has fifty acres of land. It is about three
miles from us. They were married by the Rev. Mr. Caven. He preaches here
every Sunday forenoon and in St. Mary's in the afternoon. He is about the
best preacher that I have ever heard in Canada. The rest of the family is
in pretty good health at present. The air is pretty good at present. The
snow is about a foot deep. Dear Uncle try and send us a few newspapers for
we have not had one from you this 10 months or more.
No more for present but remains,
Yours truly,
John Good
Pray write soon. |
