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DOCUMENT REF : A/32
1880, by reference toMargaret Clarke’s death from Carrie Bimson Sr to Julia and Richard Potter,mentions a sister Mary.
Feb2
BeverlyAdmas Co
DearSister and Brother,
wegot your letter and was glad to hear that you are my famley is all well as far as i know at present there is none at home but Carrie and she is at school did you never send Mary word about Mother being dead you ought to for she was hermother you know as well as ours sendher the certificate any way it may help hermabe you can put it in an envlop it will do you no good no how since i lastwrote to you she has sent me 3papers, 2 was drected to Mother it makes me feel right bad.
youknow there is only 3 of us left and i dont think i shall ever see ether of youagain in this world but i hope we shall meet on the next where us parting willbe no more i tell you my health is not so good, my arm is sum better but notwell i cant put my hans up yet wellare having a very open wenter not very cold and no snow to speak of i dont knowhow wheat will do but it look wellyet i have not had a letter from cousion Jhon yet i will send you the paper and you can writ to him yourself well i mustconclud this time with my love to all iwas over to Marget Culnery last week and she sends her love to you and says shehas not forgot you she is very comfortble.
riteas soon as you get this
DOCUMENT REF : A/33
Letter probably written in 1880, seeCarries ref to age 17 .From William Bimson, Caroline Snr’s husband and Caroline Bimson Jr. To the Potters.
Beverly,Ill.
DearFriends,
Asit is a long time since I wrote to you I thought I would write a few lines inthis Harvest time is justupon us with heavey crops of wheat oats and graps (?) I have 25 acres sown in wheat, 40 acres in corn, 12 in meadow, 6 inpasture, the other is all out side growing timber. If Mr barnes calls again,tell him we are both well and would like to see him but if we dont meet againhere, I trust we shall meet again in that land were there will be no moreparting. How is Uncle Richard and Aunt Mary and sister Mary getting along, giveour best respects to them and the same to yourselves, Yours William
From Carrie Bimson (Florence Caroline) Jr.
DearCousins, we received the letter and picture the other day and were glad to hearfrom you, does the picture look like him?
Weare all well and hope you are the same, you said you were having very dryweather but it is very wet this spring here everything is growing so fast herewe will have a very early harvest, people will hardly get done ploughing forcorn before they will have to harvest wheat and there is a good deal of fruitthis season we did not have very many gooseberries though two quarts is all wehave put up and we havent a very big patch of strawberries. I went to a picnicat a place called Daugherty Springs saturday, it is ten miles from here, it wasvery hot and I have had the headache almost ever since, I would………of yourpicnics once I…….like ours at all.
Iwish you would write and tell me what kind of a place you live in and all aboutit. I would like to visit Europe if it were not for crossing the ocean, do yougo to school now ? I have not been going this summer, our summer school ispretty near out, do you have school all the year round we were very glad to hearthat you were so well of do you tend a farm? I dont mean you I mean your folks,where is Carrie now we do not hear anything from her, is she staying at homenow? I want to know if she is older than I am, Mother and me were talking aboutit to-day and Mother dident know, I was 17 on the 16th day of April, have yougot an organ or a piano? We have got a very nice organ, we have had it four orfive years I would rather have a piano though, does Willie still keep a greenhouse? I would like to see it I never was in but one, do you raise any kind offowls? we have got about 80 chickens and 10 little turkeys, we did not have verygood luck with our chickens this spring, Libbie is teaching school at a placecalled fish hook where Julia lives, Julia has a very nice place there herhusband keeps a store, well I think it will take a Philadelphia Lawyer to readthis now I have got it written for my pen is so bad and I am in a hurry beside Ihave told you all the news I can think of and asked all the questions too Isuppose you will think, but I like folks to ask me question’s to I suppose youwill think,but I like folks to ask me questions so I thought I would ask some at present Mother and Paula are outin the garden weeding and the baby is squalling so I guess I will have to takecare of him so good by write soon from your cousin
CarrieBimson
PSthis picture is Paula’s baby his name is Karl Grammer, this peice is a peice ofmy dress, from your cousin Carrie to Miss Mamie Potter *
* Mamie is Mary Elizabeth Potter aka Polly
DOCUMENT REF : A/34
From John C. Clarke to Cousin Nov 21st 1880 – by the context this lettermay be to either William or John Potter but more likely William who was born inIllinois, their father Richard dies in 13 months time and it is possible Williamis keeping in touch with apossibility of a return to theU.S.. John C. Clarke seems to be relatively prosperous and having no male heirscould be a useful contact, Jonathon is referenced in other letters of thisperiod.
On printed letterhead.
CLARKE’SSAW AND PLANING MILL
JOHNC.CLARKE
MANUFACTURERAND DEALER IN
LUMBER,SHINGLES, LATH AND PICKETS.
Cars Loaded Free ofCharge
OnW.V.R.R. Wausau, Wi. Nov 21st 1880
DearCousin,
Itis a long time since I have heard anything of any of you that I had almostforgotten my visit in the long ago to your home which I now can fancy I see inmy imagination. Well I suppose your mother, Cousin Julia, is well and in thefull prime of womanhood and your father I hope is strong, well and healthy. Howmany children is there of you, what is their ages, and what is your occupations,what is become of your Aunt Mary Spencer and her family, where is her boyJonathon that was here once. My sister Mary Anne lives at Manchester and sisterBetsy at Middlesborough, there is a nephew of mine, my brother W’ms son, aboutnow on his way to America to come and live with me. He has been a soldier in the16th Regiment for 6 years stationed most of the time in Ireland. I have a nicefamily of 4 girls but no boys with a kind good wife. We live very happilytogether, my business for the last year or two has been very good. I have donewell, I heard, a month or so ago from Caroline and William Bimson, they live inthe same place, their children are about all married and gone from them. Give mylove to your Mother, Father and all the children, I hope in 1882 to come backand see you all if I can find you after so many years seperate,
Iremain your cousin,
JohnC. Clarke.
DOCUMENT REF : A/35
Carrie Snr to Julia and Richard, probably 1880, describes the gravestonepurchased for her mother, Caroline mentions she is almost 60 years old, herbirth probably approx. 1819-20.
Beverly,June 26
DearSister and Brother
andall of you we were glad to have your letter for i was very ancous about the onei sent you i came to be pusled about it but you know i was afraid they wouldfind it out for if they had found it out and who sent it it might have cost me 3hundered Dol so
isent it to Barrey post ofice without a word in it so if they found it they couldfinf who sent it and it would stop at thr Dead letter ofice but i was afraid towrit another letter before i got one from you but you will have got one fromCarrie before now we are all well and i hope you are the same we commenced toharvest this morning our own wheat is not woth the cuting for we shall not getback what we sowed wheat is very poor all over this part of the cuntry there hasbeen hunderds of acres been ploud up and put in otes and corn and no fruit wehave a good prospect for corn grain and otes and vetgables I will send you soimecactus as soon as i can go to the post ofice so i can start them right of i will send you 4 or 5 diferent kind and will go in about one week fromnow i sent you a newspaper i tell you Mother had 2 half Dol in her silver butshe never would tell me what she wanted to do with and when i wanted her tospend them for sumthing she needed she would say oh no but never would sat whatshe wants and if ever i got a chance i will send you one but cant send it bymail i wont spend it if i can help it iam going to have her a toum stone but not a very expencif one for i cant work asi used to and i want to quit weaving for it is very hard work and you know i amvery near 60 years old and have worked hard all my life i shall get it inseptember
itwill be Italian marbel and cost 12 dol i had the virce that is on Ellens carvefor them on hers was more than they would put on for that me with but i thoughtit was all could do
moreand Mothers hiar
welli will conclude with my love to you all from your sister, writ soon CB.
DOCUMENT REF : A/36
From Carrie Bimson Jr to cousin Potters, Mary is in fact 14, Carrie’sdeprecatory reference to her looks is probably referencing her hump backdescribed in her grandmother Margaret’s letters. She is primarily writing toCarrie and Mary (Polly) Potter, Ellen died in 1874. William is working elswhere.John is still at home. The factory she mentions is probably Walton Cotton Millwhich is within walking distance of the Potter’s home, by 1881 Census, Carrie(18) is a ‘Cotton drawer’, Mary (14) a ‘Cotton reacher’ while John (21)is a ‘Cotton presser’. Richard is a ‘Fisherman’ one of many occupationshe lists.
Beverley,Ill. November 21 1880
DearCousins, I received your very welcome letter on Friday last. I have always heardit said that Friday was an unlucky day but I assure you I did not think thatthen. We thought the pictures very nice Mother was almost tempted to keepJohnnie’s picture she thought it was so nice Mother says to tell him if he wasto wear his hair parted on the side he would look still better everybody thathas seen your picture says that you look much like my sister Ann but I dontthink so. I do think though that Mary is a little the best looking but I thinkthat I have some very good looking cousins. I dont say so merely to flatter butbecause I think so, were you dressed in silk, Mother thought you were but I didnot think so, so she told me to ask you. I thought the card Mary sent me wasvery pretty and thank her for it. I have quite a package of cards that has beensent me from England the most of them from you, I have a little neice calledMary Elizabeth, they call her Mamie, since I wrote last I have been on a visitto Missouri, the state adjoining ours, it is a hundred miles from where we live.I had a very pleasant visit and enjoyed myself very well, my sister Ann livesthere, her name is Stauffer, if she does not write you must excuse her for afarmer’s wife has a busy time of it, it is like that poetry,
Man works from sun to sun,
But woman’s work is never done
Shehas three children, the oldest one is thirteen years of age, they are all girls.It has been a good year with us this year we have had plenty of fruit andvegetables, we had about 2 hundredweight of grapes we have three large vines, wedid not sell any, we canned the most of them. Mother says they dont can inEngland they only preserve, do you? I never saw a harmonium, I do not know whatit is like, is it like a meloden, do you all play, I knew you had some kind ofinstrument for I have heard it said that Aunt Julia was a great lover of music,as for a hand bell, I have no idea what that is only that father tells me theycan ring very nice peices with them. I would very much like to hear them and Iwould like to spend Christmas and New Years day’s with you. I showed yourpictures to a man here today and I asked him how old he thought Mary was and hesaid he would take her to be the eldest, and he said she was about 18, or 20.That is encouraging for you isn’t it.
Thatplant Mother sent is called a cactus, turks cap it is commonly called and if youbreak them little ones off it will blossom much sooner, it has one of the mostbeautiful flowers I ever saw, it is a pure white bell about three or two incheslong, Mother says she will send you a rat tail cactus in the spring if they dontfreeze this winter, it has a red flower and she said to ask you if you have anyof that plant they call a prickly pear if not she will send you some seeds. Youwanted to know what sister Julia’s name was, it is Preach and her husband keepsa very good store and does a thriving business and my sister Libbie is teachingschool at a small town about twenty miles from home so she will not get homemuch until school is out which will not be until May or June, she gets thirtydollars a month. I am going to school this winter, gracious I dont know what youwould think if you had such teachers as we have sometimes.
DoesMary go to school yet? is she going to teach school, I always fancied I wouldlike to teach, Carrie, I dont believe I can answer all of your questions youasked me so many, well I suppose you are not as inquisitive as I am, you mustexcuse my mistakes for we have company tonight and the folks are talking and Iget bothered and forget what I am writing, do you get work in the factory?
Mary,I dont suppose you are much behind your cousin Johnnie in being tall, I wasexpecting to see a little girl and was much surprised to see such a tall younglady you must be taller than Carrie is, you will have to put a rock on your headI guess I dont know what you will do. I wish I were as tall as you as I will beeighteen years of age in April on the 16th.
Iwill send you my picture as soon as I get them taken and you can put it down thecellar to scare the rats away Iwould like to come and spend Christmas month with you as well. Mother and Fatheroften tell me about how Christmas and other holidays are kept in England, areyou going to have a tree at your church you must write and tell me all about itif you are, there is nothing going on here that I know of unless it is an oystersupper at Kingston and I dont expect to go to that, well Carrie that is all Ican think of to write and tell me if you can read it (I am such a poor writer)if you have time I wish you would tell me everything you can think of for everything from England is news to me, so write to me both of you whenever you can,
fromyour affectionate cousin,
CarrieBimson
Beverly,Illinois, Adams County.
DOCUMENT REF : A/37
Carrie Bimson Jr to Caroline Ann Margaret Potter, they are about the sameage both born in 1863
BeverlyIll. June 6th 1881
Mydear Cousin, no doubt you think me very unkind in not answering your last letteras I received it in December, but I wanted to get my pictures taken so I couldsend you one and when I got this chance to go I had the measles and so I did notgo till my birthday then I went to town and we sent a letter with the dollar init and I have been waiting for you to write ever since. I hope you got it, wellI hope you are as well as this leaves us at present, we have a great deal to dothen spring came on so late it has thrown all the work together. We are havingan addition to our house, a room and a porch, so we have had work hands to soyou must excuse me this time and I will do better after this.
WellCarrie, how many festivals and picknics have you been to this summer. I hope youhave been to more than I have for I have only been to a strawberry festival atKingston, thats all the places I have been and I didnt have a bit good time,people dont have much fun when they have to be wallflowers do they.. I want togo to a picnic at Baylis, a town about 8 miles from here but I dont know whetherI will or not. One of my cousins Nellie Salthouse is staying with us now and wewant to go and have our pictures taken together, if we do I expect we will breakthe camera, do you ever see Annie Hibbert or are you aquanted with her. You dontlive very far apart surely unless Preston is a very large town, how far do youlive from Preston anyway, do you often go there, what has become of Willie, hashe got married or not, he never writes to us any more. First thing I know knowyou will be getting married then who will I write to. How is your garden doingthis summer, ours is doing first rate yet, we have some nice radishes and we hadour first mess of peas today, they tasted pretty good too, we have not had anynew potatoes yet have you. Nellie Salthouse says to send you her compliments andsays to send her one of your pictures and she will be really pleased with theobligement. She is teaching school and is the same age as myself, well I willhave to finish this sometime else for I have to get supper. Evening. Carrie youought to have been here this evening, we have fun playing croquet dont you liketo play? We play nearly every evening. Mama wishes you would send her one or twoof grandmothers cards if you have them to spare. Well I will have to quitwriting for my candle is giving out and father is going to start to Barry earlyin the morning so I will close and write a longer letter next time, so good bye,write soon from Carrie.
DOCUMENT REF : A/38
Carrie Bimson Sen. to William Potter – Aug 1881 , Richard Potter will diein December this year i.e. in about 4 months but there is no reference to anyhealth problems
A note written in large hand over the address top of letter says,
CROCUSBULBS
OURPRESIDENT IS DEAD (PresidentGarfield assassinated 1881)
Beverly Adams County August
Dearnephew, we got your letter in dew time and was glad to hear from you after solong a time and that the box of cactus got all right for i have not got anyreturn from the Post ofice yet
wellwe are all well but my self but amaround i think it is the hot wether and I shall be alright when the weather getcold we have had a terebele hotsumer it was whet a while but now it is as dri that things is sufring farmers cant plow and corn will be cut very shortthere was a good prospect for corn but late corn cant make anything it will makeit very bad for there was not much wheat i am afraid there will a good deel ofsufring this winter we have plenty of old wheat to do us and our corn is fine wehave 12hogs to fatten and a fat cow Williamsold three calves for 25 Dol he hasgot another stear to sell yet that will leave us only 4 head 2 milk cows towinter 4 head of horses 14 sheap so we shall not want thank God for if he takescare of his peaple and may we ever be thankful.
Welltell me how much you get wages we dont know anything about the place you live in at all i have most forgot all aboutevery whear i dont know whether i should know preton (Preston) ornot i think sum times i should like to see old place again but i dont think iever shall well give my love to all of the famaly and tell your Mother that ishould like if she could send me sum crocus if she has any and would like tohave them this fall before the frost i never got one seed to grow of them seedshe sent cowslip i hope they will have good luck with them cactuses i will sendsum more when i get sum diferment kinds well i must conclud with my kind love toyou write soon
(upside down )
andtell your folk to writ from yourAunt C Bimson
DOCUMENT : A.39
Carrie Sen. to Julia and Richard By reference to ‘our President’ probably President Garfield’sshooting by Charles Guiteau and death two months later in Sept 1881. RichardPotter dies in Dec of this year.
Beverly,Adams Co Nov 25
DearSister and Brother i got your letter 2 weeks ago but no box or paper tillyesterday just by axeant (accident) i got them from Kinston or Fairwether the box and paper had stoped thereand it was a great wonder that i ever got them for the post master wont tellanybody about anything and we hardly ever go so dont never derect my letters toFairwether any more for it is a great chance if i get them well we are all well as i hope this will find you all we are having very strange wether it has been so wet and muddy all thefall that Farmers could not get there corn gathered in and there is lots groingin field and thousand of acrs under water good for nothing corn is now seelingat 50 cents it will be very hard on poor folk this winter for there was no wheathogs is seeling at 540 per 100 and is going up i wish you could see my flowersbut i am awful afraid i shall get them froze we have had 2 or 3 very cold nightsthis fall we went on a vesel to sent louis (St Louis) andgot some more cutins (cactus ?cuttings?) i tell you there is sum fine gardens there Ritchard and Ben both lives there we had a nice visit idont know whear the next visit will be it was the forest (furthest) Carrieever was from home and she enjoid it so much
Anncame home again this fall and Carrie has goin home with her to stay all winterto go to school if she dont get homesick she will be pleased with them picturesyou sent i sent the letter to her so she may writ to you she has got a very nicescrap book to put pictures and verces in Libis at home this winter so there is just 3 of us i have not seen Julia for sumtime the roads has been so bad she has got a little girl they are doing verywell they keep a store and have the post office at Fishhook Mary Ellen lives in house that Mother (oldMargaret Clark) lived in her husband rents of William(Bimson, Carrie’s husband) they are well she has just got a little boy i will send one of therepapers and one of ours well ibelieve i have told you all i can think of
tothem cards you sent was all right and Carrie said she would lik Wille (Willy- William Potter) to send his ladey (lady’s)picture to did you get Libs i think shesent it
ithink the things in the box was all right and i am very proud of them i haveplanted them and put them in the cellar and in the Spring will sink the box inthe ground till the fall it has been a good wile since i had any well good bywrit soon from your Sister
CBimson
nowdirect to William c/o Beverly Admas (as written) Co Ill North America andshall be shure to get it dont you think it was just awful about our President
DOCUMENT REF : A/40
From Caroline Bimson Sen. to nephew William Potter letter undated except July 3 but refers to the execution of President Garfield’sassassin which was in 1882, William, at this time is about 24 – 25 and is,according to the 1881 Census a Police Constable in Clitheroe, Lancashire.
Beverly,Ill. July 3.
Dearnephew we got your letter last week and was very Glad to hear from you i beganto think that you had forgoten me i was sorrey to hear that your mother was sickand i do hope she is well by this time and that all the rest is well and thatPolley as got quit better as well we are having teruble wether it is so very wet so much rain it will be hard work to take care of the wheat our folks will finish cuting wheat tomorrow if it dont rain but it lookslike we should have more rain
wheatis very good if people can take care of it but it is awful wet and warm ots andgrass looks well corn dont look much the spring was so warm and wet that farmerscould not get it in and what they did get in is very weedy for they cant work itand harvest it i am afraid cornwill be short and there was hunderds of acrs not got in at all and so much thatspolt last fall with the rain and i dont know what people will do it is nowselling at one Dol a bushell as high as wheat well we outh to be more thankful for what we have there will be more frut than last year but it will not be good on a countof the rain.
Thereis a great prospect for blackbrres ohdear we have just had the bigest rain you ever saw that is the second to day andi think it is not done yet wellhow does the cactus grow mine looks well I have got 4 difernt kind to them isent home and a very nice musk plant and the other seeds your mother sent allcame up nice i have got like them we call it Candytuft it is very nice you wanted to know if we was going to viset england but i dont think thatwe shall ever shall cross that bigcreeak again but I am shoor that itwould be a great plesure to meet you all again but i expect everything haschanged so i would not know anything but i would like Carrie and her Father tocome but i dont think that the rest of the famley would hear to it but we would like to see you if you ever can come any of youor all i will send a pape with this and you can take it home when you go and i will send thenext weeks paper to your Mother itwill have the execution of Guilleau in the murder of Garfield give my love to the famley and tell them to writ when ever they can my health has not been very good all spring, the rest is verywell Carrie has the sick head ake agood deal well… (offcopy used) this time, with my love to younow writ soon and tell me all the news, from your Aunt Caroline B.
DOCUMENT REF : A. 41
Carrie Bimson Snr to Julia circa1882 as she doesn’t mention Richard Potter her brother in law who died in 1881. Carrie refers to the ‘Guild’. This is the PrestonGuild, originally a political function but by the 19th Century a mainly socialevent. It is held in early September every twenty years, records accessed showthe Guild was held in 1822,1842 etc helping date this letter.
Sept17
Beverly
AdamsCo
dearSister and all of you we got your letter and was glad to hear from but i havehad so much to do and the most of the time have not been very well that i didnot feel liking writing but and better and the bust time is most over for wehave not much fruit this year but more than last year i have got about 36 quartsof Black Barres 10 of graps onegallon of graps butter 4 qu peches and will make sum peach butter and about 3galon of peach pickels and have drid about 2 bushel of appls and have somecheres(?) and tomato 12 qurts and i milk 3 cows and have got about 20 pounds ofwoll to spin so you see i have got a good deel to do William has sold the sheep and knows wether he will getany more or not since the wether has drid of it has been very faverble for thecorn but it will not be more than half a crop.
Wellby this time the Guild will be over i hope you had a good time i would haveliked to have seen it for i never saw one i rember one but did not see it and itis not likely i shall i thinkin about 3 weeks we shall go to see Ann if all keeps well i think they arecoming home so she has 3 children they are well Julia has 2 Mary elin 1 andlives in Mothers house julia lives at fishhook post office lib and Carrie is athome lib will commence her school about the first of Nov she gets 35 Dol a munththis winter she will teach about 7 miles from home so she will not be much athome this winter i saw Margeat Cutner about 2 week ago she is well and sends herlove to you and she is Marge yet she looks like she did she dont change any norlook much older she has got 5 childran yet at home and is doing very well. AuntBetsy is at Kinston yet but have not seen her for a long time.
Wellto well just this time i have told you all i can think of and i expect thechildran will say they never saw such a letter tell them all to writ and give mylove them for i would like to see you all i have not heard any thing from cussonjhon for a long time i expect he feels to big he has never been the same sincejonathon went i would like to hear from him but i wrot the last and i feel asgood he is he may have a little more but i dont care for that he might writ
wellgood by writ soon from your sister
CBimson
Iwill send you some yucca grass seed blackseed i dont know how long itwill take to bloom
andspare us
DOCUMENT REF : A/42
from C. Bimson Sr to JuliaPotter probably 1883
Beverly
30thMay
DearSister
iwill try to writ a few lines this moring we are all well at present and i hopeyou are all the saim we are having cold wether yet for hear but things islooking well i have got a good garden our pototas looks fine William is plowingcorn but wheat is badley hurt all over the cuntry i have not heard from Annfor a long time they are thinkingof moving to Arkenso in the fall and they willbe ferthe off they can sellany time and Gorge thinks he will gave better health south i have not seen Libfor quit a while Julia was home Sunday tellthe Girls that Carrie will writ next time her school will be out in four weeks and i shall be glad for i tell you it keeps me on thetrot to do all the milking and tend to the chicking i have about 75 and 15turkis at present 7 ducks and onlymilk 2 cows this summer butter is onley 10 cents at the present it has been 20cents eggs 10 c well i cantthink of any thing more for i must get up and make dinner i wish you was hear tohelp eat it but i dont know what to get so maybe you would not get much sogoodby
eas soon as you can so good by give my love to all the childran from yourafectnat sister C Bimsonwith this i will send you our picturs
andwill register them and when you get them I want you to writ
DOCUMENT REF : A/43
both Carries to Cousins.
BeverlyIll. Aug 83
TuesdayEvening.
DearCousins,
Wereceived your letter and were a little surprised to hear that you not got myletter explaining why we did not write. But you have surely got it before now. Ithink the presents are real pretty and am much obliged for them. The letter wastorn open on two sides its a wonder they were not lost out. Yes Richard Crozieris here. He arrived about two weeks ago. You ask about the floods, they havebeen pretty bad in some parts of the Missippi valley but you know we do not livenear a river so there is not much danger for us. Once this summer we had quite aflood though for a creek it washed away one field full of corn. I mean the cornnot the field and we lost not less than 1,300 rails. You must excuse this blotfor when I left this room a moment ago Karl got the pen and when I came back hesays look where me writed Carrie.
Wehave not sufferred much from heat and drought yet, the rain has just come as itwas needed. We have not got muchfruit this summer it was winter killed a great deal of it but I am trulythankful for what we have as many poor people have no bread. We received aletter from Johnnie about two weeks ago also his picture have not answered ityet but will do so as soon as possible. We are busy cleaning house now and willhave thrashers tomorrow if nothing prevents.
Isuppose that is work you do not have to do. We would like the picture of yourhouse first rate, have you always lived in it? We all went to camp meetingsunday, I wish you had been here to have gone with us, there were about twentytents there, I should not like to stay all night in one.I dont think They weresanctified people. I think some of them are the best people I ever saw. Have youever heard any of the Salvation Army preach? If half a person reads about themis true they must be very peculiar people indeed. I hope you will excuse mywriting for it is such a miserable pen and I am somewhat in a hurry. It is verywell for me to lay my poor writing to a poor pen isn’t it? Well I believe Motherwants to write a little so I will leave this for her to finish, Carrie.
DearSister,
iwill try to writ a few lines but dont feel much like it for have got a very badcold we got your letter and one from Jhoney and i will answer it as soon as ican i have had so much to do and have not been well i wish you could we the restas eat? well i have a tralis crocuswill be in bloom in the morning i wish you could see it well as Carrie wants totake that to the office i must quit with my love to you all Carrie thinks herpresents are nice more next time if i can get a pen from your sister C Bimson
writesoon
goodby
DOCUMENT REF : A/44
From Caroline Bimson Sen. tonephew John Potter letter undated except Sept 4 1883 by ref to Carrie Junior’s letter re Richard Crozier, CarrieJr is now 20 years old which accounts for the ‘good laugh’ re Julia possiblysending her a doll with Richard. Her reference to ‘Willey and his wife’indicates William was married circa 1882, in the 1881 Census, William was aPolice Constable lodging in Clitheroe.
Sep4
BeverlyAdms Co
DearNefew we got your welcome letter in due time but i have had so much to do, ithas been a very strang spring and summer, in the spring it was very cold andwet, it was hard work to get the corn in and there came big frost and cut it alldown and as soon as it got started again, thire came a big rain and just washedall out we lost about 15 hundred rails and one field of corn slick and clean butothers lost all
itwill be very hard on poor folk this winter as it was to late to plant over againbut we shall have some good corn our wheat was good and ots and grass was verygood and as we have not got much stock we shall have enuf thank God
wellRichard Crozier came the next week after we got your letter and i believe helike very well i have not seen him for 2 week but he has gone to work i think hewill get along ho we had a good joke on Carrie when he caim i was asking aboutyour Mother and he said that she had been to see him and want him to bring her adoll so we had a good lauf i told her her Aunt Julia thought she would be alittle girl all the time but we got a letter from her and a very nice presentand Carrie is very proud of them we answerd her letter right off and he said youwas all very comfortuble wich i was very glad to hear i wish i could see you allagain but i think that I am geting old very fast my health is not very good
imust conclud this time for i want to send this with the mail give my love to allthe famley and receve a good porchen yourself
whathas become fo Willey and his wife i dont hear anything of him,
wellgood by writ soon your Aunt,
C.Bimson i will send a paper with this
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