I considered naming this post ‘Great
Grandaunt Sarah’s Horrible, Terrible, Very Bad 2 Days in Owego’. William and
Sarah (Kimber) Mackney took the train to Owego in October 1852. The trip began
with a rocky start. Great Aunt Sarah describes her experience as a train car
passenger in her letter home.
Once they arrived in Owego, their
evening did not improve. Their room at the boarding house was given to other
travelers. William and Sarah spent the night at the Tioga House--a hotel across
the street from the boarding house. The next morning Uncle William found
another boarding house. Aunt Sarah has much to write about the proprietor and
none of it complimentary. I can’t describe it better than she—you must read it
for yourself.
While reading Aunt Sarah’s letter I got
the impression she was not in the best health. William wanted to carry her
across the street to the Tioga House. Later
in the letter she said “I had to take plenty of morphene to keep up”. I don’t
know what her medical issues were. Perhaps it was a chronic condition as Great
Grandaunt Sarah died 12 years later just 40 years old.
3rd Great Grandaunt Sarah
(Kimber) Mackney addressed her Monday morning Oct. 25, 1852 letter to her
parents, Benjamin and Keziah (Bennett) Kimber, and sister Abigail. Sarah Kimber
was William Mackney’s young wife having married at Minisink, Orange County, New
York in June 1844.
How am I related? Sarah’s parents,
Benjamin Kimber and Keziah Bennett, are my 4th Great Grandparents.
Sarah and my ancestor, Charity (Kimber) Clark were sisters.
Letter
4.
Monday
Morning October the 25, 1852.
Dear
Father and Mother and Sister
I take up my pen this morning
according
to the promise to let you know I be
and
now I am geting along we arrived safe
at
Owego
thursday evening but such a tired mortal
as
I was I dont think ever lived I took
a good
shaking
up I assure you they need not tell me
any
more about the cars riding easy for I had
rather
ride in a carriage twice told on the
account
of the jar if any one want a good
lecturising
let them take a ride on the cars I
dident
feel much afraid after we got under way
but
I must tell you how we made out after we got
here as soon as we got off the cars we got
aboard
the omnibus and went up to his boarding
place we went in and Mrs Wood came into the
room
and said she couldent board us before she
got
his line she had taken another man and his
wife
in that room and she was full you can
judge
my feelings for they was better felt than
told I could not help but cry William wanted
me
to lay down on the settee while he went out
and
got a place for me to stay but I told him I
dident
want to take off my things until I took
them
off for good it would only tire me so
much
the worse so he went out and was gone a few
minutes
and come back and said we would go over
to
the Tioga House and stay all night
that was
just
across the street and then it was eight o
clock
in the evening he wanted to carry me
over
but I couldent let him I leaned on
his
arm as soon as I got over there I laid down
and
while I was laying down William went
out
and hunted up a boarding place and the next
morning
about 9 o clock we got in the omnibus
and
away we went up there and the moment I saw
the
woman I did not like her I made up my
mind
that
we should fare pretty slim and so it turned
out. she looked like an old jade she was one
of
those kind that are always talking what they
are
going to do but never do it she had
not
got
our room ready for us yet she said we
must
stay
down in the parlor she called it until
she
did well at length the dinner hour came and we
went
out to the table I must tell you what
it
consisted
of some bread that tasted as if it
had
been baked a month and as sour as swill and
some
baked beef as tough as leather and about
half
done and some potatos boiled whole and
looked
almost as yellow as them mary golds that
Mary
Ellen used to bring me and some beets cut
up
and some pumkin pie to top off on I
eat
about
two mouthfuls of pie and left the table
and
William eat about the same only he managed
to
eat his pie I guess she had made a
mistake
with
the pie and put the ginger in for the sugar
and
the sugar for the ginger I forgot to
tell
you
we had black tea I drank one cup if I
hadent
took a pretty big breadfast I couldent
have
got along till night after dinner
they
went
upstairs and fixed our room after
they
got
it fixed I went up Willy was up there
and
when
I opened the door I stood there speachless
and
William laughed up one corner stood a
little
stove on a big flat stone about as large
as
one of your stove pots and in another corner
was
a bed and it looked as if some irishmen had
slept
in it for a month past it was so
dirty
and
it was a back room in the bargain I
told
William
I couldent be staying there well he
said
I needent for he was as sick as I was
he
said
he would go down to the Tioga house again
and
see if Mr. Knapp could furnish us with a
front
room he told us the night before he
would
board us if we dident like up there
he
went
right down and came back in a few moments
and
said we could have a front room with a large
bedroom
attatched to it only it was in the third
story I would have to go up the two pair of
stairs I thought I could get along with that
inconvenience
and have got good fare better than
I
could stay where I was and starve to death
so
Mr. Knapp sent the omnibus there about 4 o
clock
in the afternoon and we got in a bag and
baggage
again and away we went and left the old
woman
and glad to get off to for I began to feel
as
if I wanted my tea I had to take
plenty of
morphene
to keep up she was sorry that I was
not
contented she was going to make me so
comfortable she said she thought I looked as
if
I wanted a great deal of care I concluded
if
I did it would be more than I could get there
I thought it was the longest day that I ever
saw here I am situated very pleasantly and
very
comfortablely the door opens from my
front
room out on a stoop I have a fair
prospect I can see a good ways around I have
a
good bed and first rate board
everything is
brought
to my room except my victuals and to day
my
dinner was brought there was a great
many
here
to dinner and Mr Knapp said he would send
my
dinner up as it is a big day in every way to
day there is a democratic mass meeting they
have
the Ithica hose band they passed
right
along
by the door this morning the band was
playing
ahead of the procession and when they
got
in front of the hotel they stoped and gave
three
cheers for the democracy "Tioga" the
speaker
is John Vanburen they have a platform
erected
in front of the congregational church
I
can see very plain from my door and hear him
speak
but I cant understand what he says but I
am
so busy writing that I havent got time to
tend
to them much I dont eat with Willy
but
once
a day and that is tea he has to eat
his
breadfast
and dinner both before I do there is
a
setting room at the top of the front stairs
and
that is always warm I stop in there going
and
coming from my meals and rest they
have a
sofa
rocker in there that I sit on and take a
good
rest I have a bolster rocker in my
room
I
have felt quite smart ever since I have been
here
considering what a journey I have took
I
felt
very sore for a couple of days but I have
got
pretty much over it now I expect you
feel
very
anxious to hear from me but dont worry
about
me for I will write to you every week if I
keep
smart and if I dont keep smart I shall come
home Williams cough is a good deal better he
dont
have to cough but very little now I
shall
have
to bring my letter to a close for I am so
tired
that I can hardly wag my pen I have
written
a long letter but I have not written
half
as much as I would like to yet I dont know
where
to stop but I shall have to wait until
next
time I dont know as you can make out
to
read
the whole of it for I have trembled very
much
all day and my ink is poor give my
love
to
all that ask after me but mind and keep a
good
share of it yourselves o how I wish
you
could
come and see me it dont seem
impossible
I
am so far from home I cant tell you
how I
like
it here for I have not had a chance to know
write to me if you can Abby so I can get it
a
Saturday
night and if you cant be sure and write
so
I can get it a Tuesday night for l want to
hear
from home write all particulars and
then
it
will be as if I had seen you I had my
passage
free coming up it is now candle light
and
William has come in from the shop and is
setting
beside me he says tell Abby that he
is
one
of the boys to hunt boarding places but good
bye
for this time and may the Lord bless you all
and
preserve each one of our lives to meet again
which
is the earnest prayer of your affectionate
daughter
and sister
Sarah
B. Mackney
P.S.
Mother that letter Cathern [another
Kimber sister] sent you hair
and
all was in the note book when William opened
it
yessterday I dont know how it came
there
I
will send the hair home in a letter if you
want
me to or else I will keep until I come
write
which
By
day by night at home abroad
Still
we are guided by our God
By
His incessant bounty fed
By
His unerring counsel led.
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 letter is 4 of 31.
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 was
especially difficult to read.
To see Kimber Letter 1, 2 and 3 click
on each title below:
TALENTED TUESDAY Wm. T. Mackney’s Love Letter to Sarah Kimber
Currier & Ives
Courtesy of Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
