William Gay Butler letter to Jonathan Butler 2nd, 1832 November 9 and 14

Letter addressed from the entry to the St. Joseph River, Michigan Territory, and sent from the Saranac post office with no postmark, for 50 cents postage. 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 about his affairs since visiting with him in Ohio. William writes that he returned to Brownhelm the Saturday morning after Jonathan left, and decided to go to Buffalo. William's sister Maria and her husband George Wells informed him that Jonathan planned to spend the Sabbath at Mr. Miner's near Erie, PA. William boarded the steamboat Sheldon Thompson Sunday morning at Huron and landed at Erie that evening. On Monday morning he went to Mr. Miner's and learned that Jonathan had left Saturday. William took a stage coach for Buffalo, through Springfield, and arrived in Buffalo Tuesday evening. Although he heard that Jonathan got there Monday evening, he heard nothing of him in the city. He spent three nights and reached Detroit September 17. He entered his land in the Land Office for White Pigeon Prairie, St. Joseph County, on September 22 and got home September 25. He was stricken with fever the night before getting home, "but I had a Frenchman and an Indian to paddle the Canoo." He was quite sick for 12 or 15 days, and then went up to Elkhart Prairie on October 20 to purchase grain, returning home on November 3. When he returned, the schooners Marengo and Detroit were just leaving, and the Napolean and Austerlitz are now lying at anchor in a heavy gail. Resuming the letter November 14, William reports that the Austerlitz capsized while crossing the bar to get in to the river. Captain Miller, a gentleman passenger and resident of Chicago drowned along with two deck hands, and two hands were saved. William has waited there for 11 days with no possibility of taking his sail boat on the river, due to the high winds. He writes that he is anxious to get home, as he has a hired man and a surveyor to accompany him. He hopes they will be able to go in the next 2 or 3 days. He sent Jonathan a map of a few sections of the "Fractional Town" at the mouth of the Kalamazoo river, highlighting the "perticular valuable points." Land can be entered for preemption until the sale next June, and William writes that he wishes to purchase a section of 46.7 acres at the mouth of the river. He wrote to his brother Epaphras Butler and solicited him to come out that winter and make an improvement on the lot to try and secure the preemption. It is unlikely Epaphras could come before late in the season, but as late as March could suffice; if they get no preemption there will be a chance to buy it at the sale. William suggests Epaphras might help him put in crops and settle his family there. In either case it would be "but little trouble or expense to make trial for a preemption and if succesfull it would be a verry pretty speculation - I thought you would be willing to assist him to leave his Famaly in a Comfortable situation and expense money, wish you would write him soon your mind and wishes, but now is the time, next season will not do." William writes that he feels fortunate to have secured his own situation but would not be able to get anything near the same value any more. The proprietors of the town sold shares there at $3000 two years earlier, which he says now bring $30000 or more. The most he has been offered for his land is $500 cash plus a store to do business on commission for some time, for one half of his land excepting the burying ground and his house lot. But he writes that he has not offered it for less than $2500 for an undivided half, and the gentleman who made the offer agreed it was worth that much. William borrowed $460 from Rix Robison of Grand Haven, due in June at 10% interest, for which he transfered him his land certificates for security. He needs about $1000 that spring to pay back Robison, buy a little more land and build himself a house and warehouse. William asks Jonathan to come visit them, and bring "all Papers appertaining to all our old affairs, and I will give you a mortgage to satisfy you." If Jonathan could assist him in purchasing more land, he writes, he would give him a security for it and thinks he could make a good speculation. William urges Jonathan to come that spring and writes that he will never solicit him to come so far again. He asks Jonathan to write him on receipt of this letter and direct mail to Kalamazoo Harbour, Sarinac post office, Michigan Territory. In closing he notes that he received 2 kegs of butter and a barrel of cheese from Maria and George, via the schooner Napoleon. He had already bought butter and cheese for the winter, "but they are good Cash Articles at 10 and 18 3/4 cts."