Kimber Letter 4: 3rd Great Grandaunt Sarah’s Visit to Owego, NY

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.

3^rd 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 4^th 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:

SIBLING SATURDAY Some Sisterly Scolding Going on with the Kimber Women!

TALENTED TUESDAY Wm. T. Mackney’s Love Letter to Sarah Kimber

SIBLING SATURDAY, How We Are Getting Along on this Wide World

 

Currier & Ives

Courtesy of Library of Congress

Prints and Photographs Division  

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY The House that Darius Peck Built, Norwich, CT

Mary E. Perkin’s book, “Old Houses of the Antient Town of Norwich, 1600-1800” published in 1895 included a paragraph about Darius Peck’s Norwich, Connecticut home. The author wrote:

   “Between 1772, the date of his marriage, and 1781, he builds the house (long known as the Dr. Tracy house), standing on the slope of the hill at the foot of Mediterranean Lane. He also occupied, as a wheelwright, a shop which stood between his own house and the Miner house, and back of the jail.”  [Part 1, page 391]

5^th Great Grandfather sold the house and the blacksmith shop in 1781.

After a little internet sleuthing, I discovered Darius’ house was a historic home. The Connecticut State Library has digitized a photograph of 5^th Great Grandfather’s home on their website. Its part of their WPA (Works Projects Administration) Architectural Survey Collection gathered between 1935 and 1942.

Darius Peck House, Norwich, CT

Courtesy of the Connecticut State Library

Miss Jennie Congdon owned the home (1935-37) when the survey was created. Grandfather’s home was a wood house built on a stone foundation. Miss Congdon thought the rear of the house was originally the front.

The house interior was described:

   “Mostly original. The floors slope badly. The north door is battened and opens into a small hall; plain wall cupboard in hall; beaded edge boards in partition. A door either side opens into two rooms. The west room was originally the kitchen and has a large fireplace; paneling in this room is apparently a replacement. Out of this room to the south is a room with splendid raised paneling on fireplace side and good bolection moulding. Wide pine floors throughout.”

Please see the entire survey online at the Connecticut State Library by clicking here for more details about Darius Peck’s home.

The Library is seeking information about the house. 

Norwich, CT readers, can you help?

Note: Mary E. Perkin's book included a photo but it’s not as clear as the Library’s image.

You might also enjoy my earlier posts

      Meet Darius Peck and Hannah Warner from Norwich, CT

     MILITARY MONDAY Lieut. Darius Peck, 1st Connecticut Regiment, American Revolutionary War

MILITARY MONDAY Lieut. Darius Peck, 1st Connecticut Regiment, American Revolutionary War

     “On April 19, 1775, American resistance to British authority turned to armed rebellion when Massachusetts militiamen confronted British Regulars who were advancing on the towns of Lexington and Concord, resulting in casualties on both sides.”

          Connecticut in the American Revolution, An Exhibition from the Library and Museum Collections of the Society of the Cincinnati, page 10

5^th Great Grandfather Darius Peck was among the Connecticut men who responded to the “Lexington Alarm” made famous by Paul Revere’s midnight ride.

The British soldiers wanted to destroy military supplies the American Patriots had secretly stockpiled. The Americans got wind of this and moved their war chest. You’ll recall from your school days that tensions would soon ignite. A shot was fired—nobody knows by whom. The fighting began that moment April 19, 1775 at Lexington, Massachusetts.

History recorded Pvt. Darius Peck from the Town of Norwich on the Lexington Alarm List. When the War began, he had been married to Hannah Warner almost 3 years. He was a father to one child with another due to be born October 1775.

The next military record I found was dated Jan. 1, 1777 when Darius became an Officer with the rank of Ensign in Capt. John Shumway’s Company with the 1st Connecticut Regiment. The 1^st Regiment organized at Norwich 1777 and was a unit of the Continental Army. They would take part in the New York Campaign and the Battle of Monmouth. (Click on the hyperlinks for more information.)

In December 1777, George Washington took his army to Valley Forge to winter. Mid-December and mid-February 1778 proved to be especially harsh. The troops needed to build shelter for their lodging while there was a food shortage leaving many men starved.

After small log huts were built, the troops were offered the choice to go home. Darius furloughed in December 1777 and again during January - February 1778. It’s my hope Grandfather slept in his own bed that winter and had plenty to eat.

By Feb. 7, 1778, Darius was promoted to 2^nd Lieutenant and transferred to Capt. Eliphalet Holmes’ Company. In the spring Grandfather took an Oath of allegiance at Valley Forge May 23, 1778.

Darius Peck resigned from the Regiment April 15, 1779.

A List of the Officers of the 1^st Connecticut Battalion of foot who have served since the 1^st of Jan’y 1777 until the present day August 30^th

(Darius Peck appears 3^rd line from the bottom)

Roll of the Names and Remarks of Capt. Eliph’t Holmes’s Company

First Connecticut Battallion dated Sept. 8, 1778

Darius Peck 2^nd name on list

  

I assume the company roll above was written by Grandfather. His signature is located on the bottom right.

Pay Rool of Capt. John Shumways Comp’y 1^st Connecticut Battalion for May 1779

Darius resigns from the Regiment (3^rd line)

  

Sources:

   The Record of Connecticut Men in the Military and Naval Service During the War of the Revolution 1775-1783 edited by Henry P. Johnson, A.M. Under Authority of the Adjutant General of Connecticut, Hartford, 1889; pages 19, 146

   FIRE CAKE AND WATER The Connecticut Infantry at the Valley Forge Encampment by Joseph Lee Boyle, page 147

   Ancestry.com. U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M246, 138 rolls); War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Record Group 93; National Archives, Washington. D.C.

If you would like to read last week’s post about Darius and Hannah, click here.