Maria Butler Wells, George Wells, and William Gay Butler letter to Jonathan Butler 2nd, 1828 September 2 and 3

Letter addressed from Brownhelm, Ohio, and sent from the Black River post office with no postmark, for 25 cents postage. The paper is torn and stained with red wax residue where it was sealed. Maria Butler Wells, her husband George Wells, and her brother William Gay Butler write to their father Jonathan Butler in West Hartford. Maria writes that William and Mary arrived at the end of July, and Mary was quite sick. When she recovered they began preparing for the wedding of Benjamin Bacon, Esq., to Anna W. Graham. On August 21, Maria gave birth to a son, weighing 7 pounds, whom they named Nathan Porter Wells. Maria writes that they have made 15 cheeses, larger than they ever made before. Little George sends love to his Grand Papa's folks, and Maria signs off to leave room for the others to write. George Wells picks up the letter on September 3 and apologizes for not writing sooner on receipt of Jonathan's letter dated August 18. He writes that Maria has already written all their news, and that William will write about Rhoda James getting married and settling there in Ohio, on a farm of about 125 acres, "that when cleard up will out shine us all." Their wheat was middling that year, and they plan to put in 20 acres that fall. They cut 20 tons of hay, better than ever before. George writes that he thinks William will meet all his obligations as long as no bad luck arises, and has been engaged in buying Aunt Rhoda's farm. Her fiance, Deacon Stephen James, has one of the best cleared farms in town. The next two full pages and the space around the address are taken up by William's letter, dated September 2. William writes to Jonathan that, as Maria wrote, they were late leaving Warrior's Mark and left on July 5. Mary was sick before and on the journey, but recovered on arriving in Ohio. They stopped six days in Pittsburgh at Theodore's, and stopped at Austinburg three days. Aunt Rhoda asked William to tell Jonathan about her wedding plans. She was to have been married already, "all ready to make the Cake," but Col. James fell sick with fever and the wedding is delayed til his recovery. He writes that "she is to put in eaqual amt of valuation of his place Stock etc about 100 Acres about 40 or 50 Cleared verry good, amt will not exeede 1000$ probable about 800$, to be expende as far as is necessary in building a House etc all to be joint stock till death of one of partes and then equal division." Mrs. Seymour could give Jonathan more particular details. Aunt Rhoda expects to visit Connecticut at the end of October, to stay til spring. As she has not yet given Jonathan a deed for her land in Connecticut since the wedding was delayed, William asks Jonathan to send them a description of the lot so they can prepare a quit claim and warranty deed. She is to purchase a lot of about 125 acres from Mssrs. Shepard and Whittlesey for about $450. It is good land but has no improvement. William writes that they received a letter from his brother Epaphras Butler, who was well but having failed to get his lumber down the river that spring cannot come out to Ohio in the fall. Rhoda wishes he would come, and would give him or his children a part or all of the land she is purchasing. William writes that he settled up his business in Warrior's Mark and left it with Jacob Van Fries, with between $800 and $1000 in goods. He would have written to Jonathan sooner but is still waiting for an answer from Mr. Smith about the payment of $1160 due October 1, which William intended to forward to Jonathan. In response to Jonathan indicating he could get along with enough to pay the New York claims of $600 to $700, William says he hopes he should not fail to meet that amount. He brought some goods along with him to Ohio and sold $200 worth, mostly on credit, with $200 or $300 more on hand. He sold a mare and colt to George for $60 and expects to sell a pair of mares and one wagon to Theodore for $225, and has another two horses and a wagon left to sell. He lost one 5 year old horse worth $75 since arriving in Ohio, but thinks he can sell the rest of the goods to buy Aunt Rhoda's land. He writes that he owes her $200 plus interest for the costs of the journey, the balance after buying the land to be applied to Jonathan's account. William asks Jonathan to write whether he could get along with enough to pay the New York claims, and reminds him of his debts on account of John Boyd's legal trouble in Huntingdon the previous spring. The amount he will have to pay is still uncertain, and he writes that given all hazards he should only be $1000 behind, "but intend paying you if not others." He has urged Smith and Cunningham to insure their goods. William writes that he expects to leave his wife Mary in Brownhelm til spring, and go to Detroit to collect the balance of a payment on tobacco sold there, then to Pittsburgh and on to Missouri. He writes that he hopes to "git a situation to git a small salery," likely as a postmaster. He assures Jonathan that the notes he gave him and the one Jonathan paid to Mr. Watkinson are the only demands against him whatsoever. In closing, William writes that he will endeavor to start for Missouri November 1, and notes that he and Mary's baby is very healthy, and now weighs 19 or 20 lbs.