William Gay Butler letter to Jonathan Butler 2nd and Maria Butler, 1821 February 11

Letter addressed from Philadelphia, with a stamped postmark including the date. The paper is torn and stained with red wax residue where it was sealed. William Gay Butler writes to his father Jonathan Butler in West Hartford in answer to his father's request that he write each time he returned to the city. He returned on Wednesday evening, January 21, having left on December 25. He headed directly to the Susequehanna River and crossed at Columbia, then traveled a circuit around to Chambersberg and back to the river at Harrisburg, a route of 150 or 160 miles. Hiram Roberts did not join him in crossing the river, but expects to on the next excursion. After William crossed the river on January 6, there was a big snow storm, and the deep snow made for bad wagon travel. He drove the wagon about 30 miles near Harrisburg, where he left it and bought a sleigh. He took the sleigh within 30 miles of the city, then left it and rode his horse in to the city to meet his wagon and recover his box. Hiram and Lemuel Roberts got in to the city Sunday morning, January 4, and are both doing well. William, on the other hand, broke the bolt on his wagon and overturned his sleigh on the mountain, breaking it to pieces and losing $15 or $16 worth of goods that he expects were stolen. However, he is not discouraged. On the first trip he lost $10-$15 by an accounting mistake of Hiram Roberts', and $3 by a counterfeit note, of which he writes there are many in circulation though he trusts he will not be taken in by them again. From January 6 to January 25 or 26, they had cold weather and good sleighing, which reminded him of Connecticut. They had hard times on this excursion due to poor roads, and he expects they will be bad again this trip. William includes an accounting of his most recent excursion, showing $600 in goods sold, $133.30 in profit, $40.78 in daily expenses, $6.66 on the sleigh, wagon, and horse, and $15.72 lost when his sleigh was overturned. The net profit was $70.14. William writes that he asked Mr. F (probably Harvey Filley) about his brother Epaphras Butler, as Jonathan requested, but learned he had heard nothing more from him. Erastus Buck, a peddler from Glastonbury who was well acquainted with Epaphras, arrived in the city the last Thursday from a tour of the beech woods (or Beechwoods, PA), but had heard nothing of him either. William writes that he thinks it strange for Epaphras to ignore so many letters, as it is unlikely all of them miscarried, and he will try writing to him again from the country when he heads back out. In a previous letter, William wrote to his father that he could send letters hidden in newspapers to save on postage. Mr. Goodman, of Goodman's Tavern in present day Bishop's Corner, which housed the first West Hartford post office, told Jonathan that it isn't right to do so, and William writes now that he knew it was against the law to write in the newspapers but that Mr. Goodman need not open them, all the same. William resolves not to send any more newspapers, but will endeavor to write to Jonathan whenever he is in Philadelphia. He asks Jonathan to write to him so he will receive a letter on returning to the city, sometime from March 25 to the end of that month. They have purchased $1500 or $1800 worth of goods in the city and will finish loading them up and leave for the country on Thursday. William writes that he thinks Martin Thrall of Wintonbury arrived there the night before, from Lexington, Kentucky, where he saw Thomas Wells and Morgan Goodwin on January 20 of that year. They were both doing well and traveling together. William received a letter from Harlow Cadwell, dated January 25, and learned he is doing well since leaving home but business is as dull there as in other parts of the country. Responding to Jonathan writing about his cider business, William says it appears his apples held out beyond his expectations after he left home, and he asks him to write how much he makes by selling hay. In a postscript, he asks Jonathan to please fold his next letter to save William from paying double postage as he had to on the last. Below this letter William writes a brief message to his sister, Maria Butler, which is partly obscured by the hole torn out where the paper was sealed with wax. William writes that he perused the few lines she appended to Papa's last letter. He thanks her very much and hopes she will fill up all the vacant paper in letters sent to him in the future.