KIMBER LETTER 11: POTATOES, PEAS AND A PLUM TREE

The Kimber Letters are writings exchanged between the Kimber sisters and their mother, Keziah (Bennett) Kimber. The letters found their way to the sister’s descendants. They’ve been saved and shared among us for over 150 years. I treasure them and am grateful to the late Edna Raymond for giving me transcriptions.

“It is with much pleasure that I set down this afternoon to wright you a letter” begins Jane Eliza Kimber’s letter to her mother, father and sister Abigail back home in Orange County, New York. Keziah and Benjamin Kimber must have found comfort in her words. During the last nine months Jane Eliza and her husband, Moses Seely, endured difficult times. In November of 1854 their home burned to the ground, and they lost nearly all their belongings (see Letter 6). Hardship turned to heartbreak the following month when Jane and Moses’ baby boy Willie Emit passed (Letter 9).

Moses and Jane Eliza left Orange County and moved to Troy, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania around spring 1855. I’m certain Jane Eliza’s sister, Sarah Bethia, and husband William Mackney were happy to have the Seely family join them in Troy.

As I read Jane’s letter, I heard enthusiasm in her words describing her peas and beans, Isabel’s schooling, the wheat fields and even the price of potatoes, butter and milk. She’s hoping her brother-in-law, Erastus Elston, will visit and bring one of the Kimber’s with him. Sister Phebe Decker owes her a letter.

Jane Eliza has news she didn’t tell but I’ll share. She was expecting a baby. Six months after this letter was written, a baby girl, Sarah Alice Seely, joined the family in January 1856.

Transcription Letter 11

July 25th.  1855

Dear Parents and Sister

It is with much pleasure that I set down this

afternoon to wright you a letter    you think    no

doubt   that   I have forgotten you but I have not

and now I would say to you that we are all well

and doing as well as we can    we received your

letter the 17 and was glad to hear from you    it

done  like seeing you and talking to you Mother

you wanted us to write if we wanted you to dry

us some currents    we should like to have some

if they are not all gone when this reaches you

as we have not any here    we havent any fruits

here but one plumb tree    our garden looks very

good what there is of it    it is very small so

we do not have much of a variety    we have had

no potatoes but soon will    we have had peas and

beans    Mr. Dobbins sowed a lot of peas a little

way from the house and they told us to go and

get what we wanted and I tell you that we have

almost fatten on them    Mother Isabel goes to

school now    she likes to go and learns very

fast    she reads in her AB  abs she says that

she is going to write grandma a letter some day

   she has good health and grown very fast    we

have had a sight of rain here and are still

haveing    they have commenced to get there

harvest around here but O Mother if you could se

the wheat fields around here it would do your

eyes good to look at them    there is a lot of

forty acers in it all wheat   I think it will make

some man sweat to get that   it looks as if

might be lowed than it is flour is selling at

eleven dollars a barrel here and young potatoes

at one dollar a bushel    we have to pay eighteen

pence a pound for butter    three cents a quart

for milk    that dont seem like going to our    own

milk pan and butter tray    I tell you I think if

we can get a farm we shall go on one another

year    we shall build our house and rent it out

   we can make as much at that as any thing for

rents is so high here in Troy    O if I could

come home once in a while it would do me so much

good    Mother you said in the leter that you

sent to me that Erastus talks of coming out here

after haying

tell him to come and if he does come some one of

you must come with him for I do want to see you

so bad    now tell him if he comes to write what

time he will come    I dont know whether I shall

come out this fal or not    I will if I can

Mother you must tell me if Mr. P. comes to our

house yet   if he does it is time they put a

match to it and struck it of and come and see us

  I dont know as I have got much more to wright

at this time    I would like to know what has

becom of Phebe    I writ them a letter two or

three months ago but I have not heard from them

since    I am a going to write her a nother and

se if she will answer it    O Mother if I could

se you I could talk a week night and day    but I

must close for this time    give my respect to

all that ask after me and my love to Father

Mother and Sister and ever remain your

affectionate Daughter and Sister until Death

so no more

Wright soon

Good by

Jane Eliza Seely

Still life with peas and plums

Painted by Mateusz Tokarski circa 1795

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

To read earlier Kimber Letters click on the label 'Kimber Letters' at the bottom of this post.

Father and Mother, Now is your Time to Come, Kimber Letter 20, August 31, 1856

Kimber letter 20 reflected urgency about the well-being of Keziah (Bennett) and Benjamin Kimber. Keziah must have written her daughter Sarah and husband William Mackney letting them know the matriarch and patriarch were not happy in their new home.

Keziah’s letter galvanized the family in Troy, Pennsylvania. As soon as William and Sarah Mackney read it, they sent word to Moses Seely and wife Jane Eliza Kimber. Moses and Jane came to the Mackney home that evening to discuss what could be done to help.

It was unusual for the sons-in-law to write, but each of them penned a letter to Benjamin and Keziah inviting them to come live with them and pledging to help. The Kimber daughters, Sarah and Jane Eliza, sent words of encouragement too.

Sometime in 1856 4^th Great Grandparents Keziah and Benjamin left Orange County, New York behind them. I didn’t know where they were living. I got a clue when William mentioned Mark in his letter; the only Mark I’m aware of who has a family connection is Mark Congleton, husband of Mary B. Kimber. Mark and Mary lived in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and I suspect the Grandparents had been living with them or nearby.

You can read the letter for yourself or listen to my narration by clicking below on the YouTube video.

Letter 20, page 1

Letter 20, page 2

Letter 20, page 3

Transcripts provided by the late Edna Raymond, Town of Minisink Historian.

  

My Trouble Has Been So Great, Kimber Letter 9

The Kimber Letters are writings exchanged between the Kimber sisters and their mother, Keziah (Bennett) Kimber. The letters found their way to the sister’s descendants. They’ve been saved and shared among us for over 150 years. I treasure them and am grateful to the late Edna Raymond for giving me transcriptions.

In today’s letter Jane Eliza Kimber and husband Moses Seeley wrote to Sarah Bethia (Kimber) and William Mackney. The Seeley’s lived in Minisink, Orange Co., New York and addressed their letter to Sarah and William in Troy, Pennsylvania.

Seven weeks earlier Jane and Moses Seeley’s baby boy died. Jane apologized for not writing sooner but admits she wasn’t able to compose herself. Jane shares her heart wrenching pain over the loss of her little boy, Willie Emit.

        “O sister it was like tearing my heart from me to part with him …”

Jane’s grief will touch your heart.

“Her First Born”

Painter Robert Reid, ca 1888

Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

In earlier Kimber letters the health of Kimber sister Julia Ann Elston was a concern to family members. Jane worried Julia Ann would “never be any better”.  Another sister, Abigail, remained with Julie Ann to care for her.

3^rd Great Grand Aunt Jane included a short letter to her niece Mary Holly. As far as I know Mary wasn’t related to the Kimber’s. Perhaps she was Moses Seeley’s niece. Anyway, she was a close family friend and live-in help for Sarah and William Mackney.

Moses’ letter to William sounds like he's planning to leave Orange County. He tells his brother-in-law about his auction sale and says he will see him in March.

TRANSCRIPTION: Letter 9

January the 21, 1855

Dear Brother and Sister

I set down this morning to write a few lines to

you to let you know we are all well and I hope

this will find you alI well and better than you

was when I last heard from you   you must

forgive me for not wrighting to you before this

for my trouble has been so great that I could

not compose my mind to write but by having faith

in God   I have given it up in a measure    you

have no doubt heard that little Willy Emit is no

more for Phebe has written to you the

particulars and Mother to    so it will be no use

for me to wright but, o Sister it was like

tearing my heart from me to part with him    if I

had not looked up to God for his help   I could

not went through it but I have the hope of one

day meeting him where parting will never be

again    that is all the comfort that I have in

thinking of Heaven but O sister I miss him

wherever I go and whatever I do    when I lie

down and when I arise enney place reminds me of

him    his little prattling voice is no more

heard nor his little hands patting around the

floor    I look around and say where is he    he

is gone home    gone home from this world of

trouble and affliction to rest in his fathers

bosem forever and ever    but O sister you have

passed through the same affliction and can feel

for me but I hope and trust that it is all for

the best that God has taken him from us but I

must drop this subject    I want you to wright

back as soon as you get this and wright if you

get Phebes  letter and if you have not  I will

wright you the particulars about the death    I

will now tell you about the rest   Julia Ann was

still getting worse the last   I knew from her

the dropsy was getting worse in her stomick and

I fear she will never be any better    Abigail is

with her yet    John folkes are well   I have

been to fathers and spent a week with them

they are well but I must close my letter    but

do wright to me as soon as you get this    if all

is well we shall be there with you soon    so no

more at present    but my love with you now and

forever    so good by

Jane Eliza Seely

Dear Mary

I received your letter and the note and have

sent it to them but I have not got it yet    I

thought that  I would get it and send it to

you and then there would be no danger of your

getting it    Mary Brink Courtright is married to

Emly Marsh and Mary Manners to John Haden

Josiah Seely wife has got a young son    I dont

know of anything more to wright to you at this

time so no more but remain your aunt til

death

Jane Eliza Seely to Mary Holy

Dear Brother

I will write a few lines to you    I had my

vendue december 27    my cows on an average 25

dollars per head    I sold 120 dollars worth of

hay and have got more than half of it yet    I

did not sel enny of my horses    horses is very

low out here    125 dollars for Ginney but I wont

take it for she is so fat she cant hardly see

grain is verry high out here    rye 1 shilling

corn 2 shil    buchwheat 10 shillings    Oats 5

shil   potatoes 100 dollars    money is verry

scarse here    I traded old bob away in Goshen

January 11   I got a gray horse for him even

they say he is worth 80 dollars    I told him she

would kick and strike so we traded so he took

her as she stood and I took gray as he stood but

he has got a case    he lict her til he was tired

out   he give three men 3 dollars to lick her

till she give up but my  gray is all right and

sound   but William i will come out some time the

first of March but writ as soon as you get this

so no more at present but remain yours

Moses Seely

SOURCE: 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 #9 of 31.

To read earlier Kimber Letters click on the label 'Kimber Letters' at the bottom of this post