Jane
Kimber and her husband Moses Seely wrote to her sister Sarah Kimber and spouse
William Mackney in Owego, Tioga Co., NY in today’s letter. Although Jane
addresses her letter to her ‘dear brother and sister’ Jane’s writings were
meant solely for Sarah.
‘The Sisters’
Published by Currier
& Ives c. 1845
Courtesy of the Library
of Congress Prints and Photographs Collection
You’ll
hear about a Sabbath school celebration, the weather, little Isabel who’s quick
on her feet, Phebe’s sparking, and Jane’s supper that night.
Then
Jane got around to the news about sister Charity (Kimber) Clark—my 3rd
Great Grandmother. Kimber sister Julie Ann and husband Erastus Elston visited
with Grandmother. It wasn’t good news. Charity was upset because her folks
hadn’t been to see her. She told Julie Ann she “felt sometimes as if she could
not live and then to think she had no friends to come and see her”. That was
only the beginning of her trouble which started with my 3rd Great
Grandfather William P. Clark and their oldest child, James. Jane writes “William and James has been cutting up
grate dido they took them up once they
settled it and paid ten dollars a peace”. I don’t know what cutting up grate dido means. I hope it
was merely a moment of bad judgement. It cost the family $20. Grandmother had
her hands full with eleven children and lonesome when William and James got
themselves in some kind of fix.
Jane
closes her letter wishing to see Sarah.
Transcription
Letter 3:
August
the 21 (no year, prob. 1852) 2 o clock
Dear
Brother and Sister
I
now take the pleasure of writing a few lines
to
you to let you know how we are getting
along
on this
wide world we are all very well at
present
and I hope that these few lines will
find you all the same I received your letter
the
17th and I was glad to get it I tell you for
it
done almost like talking with you l want to
see
you O how bad O I have got a string as
long
as from here to Owego to tell you the whole
but
l will have to wait until I see you Father
and
Mother is well as can be expected Abigail
has
gone to Calebs to stay two weeks I have
not
seen her since I got the letter but I will
keep
it until I do she was some better the
last
time I saw her than she was when you went
away
she
is going to Newburg while she in gone
Caleb is going with her We have been over
there
and to Erastus Elstons since you left here
we had a very good visit at both places I
have
been to Orange to meeting on Saturday and
on
Sunday it was our communion season I
enjoyed
myself well Mrs. Geimsley wanted us to
go
home with them and stay all night she asked
about
you and said she wanted to see you and Mr.
Grimley
said that he knew me by you for I looked
so
much like you we have had very warm wether
here
not only warm but hot for one week but we
have
had almost a week of rainy wether since
that
they are going to have a sabbath school
celebration
the 3 day or September in the woods
by
old johnney howells near the school house
there is six schools going to meet there and
they
are going to have the brass band from
Port
I think it will be worth seeing and l think
that
I shall be around about that time they
talk
of holding a meeting on for a week well
Sarah
I hold my own yet Only I have had the
Erysipelas
in my hands it made me feel not
very
good for a day or two but they are better
now
Isabel is well she talks most everything
and
runs till it hard to get on track of her
ofter
phebe is well she is a spining now
they
spark as much as ever and sometimes a
little
more for he has to stay downstairs with
her
every night I think that looks rather
green
but I think keep cool they think they
are
some pumkins I should say rather small
ones
now Sarah I will tell you what is the
reason I have not writin you before I did not
know
where to direct it till I could send
home
to
know now I will keep it O shaw why cant
I
run over and see you once in a while if
I
lived
as near you as you do to me I would come
and
see you every now and then I was glad
to
hear
that you was so much better than you were
here
and that you had got to be a walker I
wish
you and William would take a walk out here
some
day now Sis I must eat a peach and then
I
must go and see about the grub for it is most
five
o clock I will tell you what I am goinq
to
get I am going to have short cake and
cucumbers
and some berries some peaches and
some
apples and tea well Sarah it is tuesday
afternoon
and I have got my baking done and have
just
taken my pen in hand to resume my letter
again
I have not seen Chartey yet, but Erastus
and
Juliann has been there and they said that
she
was grieving herself most to death about her
folks
not coming to see her she said that she
felt
sometimes as if she could not live and then
to
think that she had no friends to come and see
her
she almost felt crazy but O Sarah, you
dont
know the trouble that she has now William
and
James has been cutting up grate dido they
took
them [up or pu] once but settled it
and paid
ten
dollars a peace I wont wright any more
about
it now for Moses is a going to wright
William
all about it and put inside of his it
wiil
be the particulars I suppose Sarah I
told
Abigail what you told me to tell her about
the
papers that you took and she said it was
just
like you Mary was here a Sunday a
little
while she was well and she said that I must
tell
you that she sent all of her love to you
but
a little that she saved for some one else
I
will tell you more about it the next letter I
wright I dont know that I have got much more
to
tell you I cant think what to wright
but if
I
could see you I could talk I tell you
you
must
not make fun of my wrighting for it is
awful
but you know its me O Sarah I wish you
could
be here a few days and then back again
you
must wright to me as often as you can and I
will
do the same William Moses wants you to
wright
as soon as that trial comes of it is a
getting
late and I must close my letter for this
time
but I remain your Sister untill Death. So
good
bye Brother and Sister till we meet
wright
to me as soon as you can
Moses
and Jane E. Seely to William T. and Sarah
B.
Mackney
[The
Mackneys were in Owego at this time.]
[Susan
Isabel was born 10 July 1851 in Orange
Co.]
NOTE:
Edna Raymond, a past Town of Minisink historian, gave me typed transcripts of
the letters exchanged between the Kimber sisters and their parents. This is letter
3 of 31.
Let
me tell you what I can recall about the provenance of the Kimber letters. It
was many years ago when I visited Edna and learned of the letters. Edna has
since passed away. I believe Edna told me a couple from Illinois visited the
Minisink Town Hall and brought the original Kimber letters. The Kimber
descendant allowed Edna to photocopy the letters in his/her presence. Edna
worked quickly. In those days copy machines were slow and the quality left much
to be desired. Edna spent many hours studying and transcribing the letters as
the ‘old time’ handwriting and spelling was especially difficult to read.
I
can’t say how the Illinois couple came by the letters. The Mackney’s and
Congleton’s moved to Illinois so it’s possible the Illinois couple were from
either branch of the family tree. Winfred Drake Riddall added comments to the
letters. She was a Moses Seely and Jane Kimber descendant from Buffalo, New
York.
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