William Gay Butler letter to Jonathan Butler 2nd, 1826 December 8 and 9
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Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/11134/690002:341
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Persons |
Persons
Correspondent (crp): Butler, William Gay, 1799-1857
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Title |
Title
Title
William Gay Butler letter to Jonathan Butler 2nd, 1826 December 8 and 9
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Origin Information
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Parent Item
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Resource Type
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Digital Origin |
Digital Origin
reformatted digital
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Description |
Description
Letter addressed from Susquehanna County, PA, 9 miles from Montrose, with no postmark, for 18 3/4 cents postage. The paper is torn and stained with wax residue where it was sealed. William Gay Butler writes to his father Jonathan Butler in West Hartford with news ahead of his business partner John Boyd's visit. Boyd left Dundaff for Connecticut accompanied by William's cousin Simeon Gay. William writes that he has been to Michigan and Canada ("Caniday") on the Detroit River, then traveled down at Buffalo on Lake Ontario to York. He stayed with his sister Maria and her husband George Wells in Brownhelm, OH, for four days on each leg of the trip. George accompanied him to Detroit; Maria said she has plenty of Farmers' fairs and that is good enough. Everyone in Brownhelm is well, and William writes that George and Maria work very hard but "think they are in a fair way to live easyer at no great distant time." Their son George Butler Wells is 8 months old and weighs 21 lbs, and William hopes Maria will be able to bring him to Connecticut to show him off in a year or two. William writes that he thinks George and Maria would be able and willing to help William's brother Epaphras Butler, if he were to move near them. They have 13 head of horn cattle, 20 large hogs and 10 smaller ones, some sheep, plenty of wheat, rye, corn, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, etc. George said he would let Epaphras have his brewery a mile from their home, on a lot with nine improved acres and nine cut last August. George even offered to reserve timber to build Epaphras a house that summer, which he could live in as long as he pleases. William refers Jonathan to Simeon Gay for further details. William writes that he is now on his way to Williamsburg via Easton, and heard in Kingston that Epaphras' wife Jane has a pair of twin boys; he says he will urge Epaphras to write home if he hasn't yet when he gets there. Uncle Fisher Gay's wife is sick with consumption, but doing better than before, and the rest of the family - Grandmother, Aunt and Uncle Jenkins, and William Swetland's people - are well and asked to be remembered to the people in West Hartford. Resuming the letter on Saturday afternoon, December 9, in Montrose, William writes that he went to Dundaff, where he and Mary were married by the Presbyterian Rev. Charles Thompson, with a small number of guests. William apologizes for not informing his father of the marriage sooner, but says he was unsure of it even til he reached Dundaff and did not want to wait for an answer. He writes that though he is not in as good a situation to be married as he wished, he has "sett out with a determination to be industrious and equenomical ... I shall be much plesed if my choice should meet your approbation, and would be grattifying to me if Mary is admitted friendly in to our famaly, and remembered in your Letter." The people in Dundaff were sad to see them go, and the young ones accompanied them 4 miles on their way out. Mary has sent by Mr. Boyd a piece of wedding cake, "which our famaly will pleas accept together with her love." He asks that his sister Eliza Butler share a small piece with Mrs. Griswold's family, and cousin Lucy's, and any others she thinks proper.
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Rights Statement
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Note |
Note
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Local Identifier |
Local Identifier
79.23.53
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