Brady Bend Armstrong County He has received William's letter of 25 October. He...

Brady Bend Armstrong County

He has received William's letter of 25 October. He must bring his family with him but not come until the spring. They can live better in the U.S. than in England Beef is 2½ per lb. He repeats an account of the difficulties he had after landing. He gives new of his farm. Rebecca milks the cows.

He cannot spare the money to send for Mr Davies, but if he comes will try to give him a job. The rolling mill is at a standstill. He feels he should help Mary as he feels sorry for her circumstances

In William's letter of 23rd he told John he could not come until spring so he cancelled his passage.

He advises Alban to be contented if he is making a comfortable living until he can raise enough to go to the States.

He knows little about prospects for engineering but several new rail roads are being built and many bridges, aqueducts and locks in canals. He wants information of farming, draining, chemistry, particularly geology, cheese, curing bacon; he wants William to bring some plum stones, hawthorn, mangle wurzel, flower seeds and vegetable seeds; also gooseberry roots or cuttings, currant and apricot stones and pears. Information on threshing machine and drills, etc. He want their father's Bible.

Continued on 15 December He continues his request for information, on farming & He will send William newspapers which he asks him to pass on to Mr Jabus Morrel, boot & shoe maker, Swan Bank, Bilston.

Signed: John and Rebeca Barnaby and directed to Mr W.W. Barnaby, Markett Space, Shrewsbury.

[Transcript in Appendix]

Transcript of 4543/5/3

Brady Bend Armstrong County Pennsylvania

November 24 1850

My Dear William

I received yours of the 25th of Octr. yesterday. I have not time to write so many and such long letters as what you have but I will try to advise you to the best of my ideas. I have not answered either of your other letters yett but will answer them in this 1st I would not recommend you to come without your family you being so far away you would not be content without them therefore dont come till Spring and by that time get all your business brought to a close if Isabel wants to go into the business here she can do that and make more money than she can in England that I am quite sure off. tell her that if she comes here then you can support her better here than both of you can do together there. Now you can buy beef here for 2½ per Ib if you will look to my former letter you will see how much cheaper you can be here than in England. so dont come without your family when you come here you need not be afraid of being sold out for Rent for if you have not 300 Dollars in property the law will not let you be sold out for Rent or any other debts another thing you will live for one half what you as there but you cannot pick money up in the streets you will have to earn it before you get it neither do I want to deceive you in regard to the country it is as I have told you before a new country but and I will tell you that of you and your family come on you shall not want for anything while I have my health and strength that is if you are satisfied to live and fare as I fare. I will tell you in a few words what this country is and I will leave you to judge for your self. The day I landed in New York of the vessel I had to borrow a shilling to go to the shore with and then I pledged my watch and guns and some clothes for 10 Dollars and then I paid back the shilling that I had borrowed the 10 Dollars paid my board 2 weeks and I traveled miles from one work to another and then it carried me to Phillidelphia I could not succeed then and I left Philladelphia and started the walk 310 miles with one shilling in my pockett and that paid for my supper bed & breadfast & then traveled the 310 miles and begged every meal that I had and slept in barns and anywhere that I could get.and now I have property that as cost me some 2500 Dollars and I would not take 5000 Dollars for it now as I have had difficulties to encounter with and I had no one to advice me nor to help me if you come and your family you will have a friend and a home to come to see the difference between you and me when I first started and I was here one year in the worst times that ever was known and I did only earn 12 Dollars in the first year and that I traveled 400 miles with till I reached Bradys Bend when you come here you must not expect to find this country like England settled, it is principly wooded land here and I have 140 acres all wood but it is my own and if you come and like to farm as I farm you shall be made as comfortable as I am You shall have an house to your self and a situation to go to work at in some way so that you can make an honest living and be out of debt this is my motto I have strove very hard to get a long and have not much ready money by me at the present because I have been laying it out and the works are not doing much just at present nor will not do much till the next month and then I shall be very busy you had better settle up all your affairs by spring and prepare to come out then and bring your family with you. this is a very healthy part of the country and it is pleasant here to my Ideas. I have plenty of coal in my hills and have had 70bushels dug to last me this year I have plenty of iron ore and limestone to burn lime with I have burnt about 100 Bushels this fall and intend to burn 300 bushels more this winter to put on the land in Spring. I have 4 fat hogs in the sty and a fat cow in the stall, and a large breeding Berkshire sow that I expect to pig in a week or two. My Dear Brother I have said all that I think is necessary about this matter. Again I would say bring your wife and family with you and dont come without and you shall fare as I fare if that will only make you and your wife contented My wife send her kind love to you and Isabel and says that if you will be satisfied with doing as we do she will try to make you as comfortable as she can and she says that she would not like to live in England again any more than to see her friends We cannot afford to keep a servant but we both work hard rebecca milks ?2 cows and makes Butter and does all her own work// and I am at the Rolling Mill from Monday morning till Saturday night working hard. I have put out all the money upon the place to improve it and to buy stock impliments & c I am working hard now to build myself a Barn next year and then I want a threshing machine. I have to pay 2£ per month to the man that farms for me and board and wash for him and in the summer £2 10s per month on Board & washing and the 1 third of all the grain and the(?then) he does all the work.) I find team and implements this is this country rule so that the farmer has not to go to markett before he can pay his dues. this is what we call letting a farm out upon ?the shares Mr Davies I have not the money to spare to send for him but if he can raise enough by spring to bring himself out I will try to give him a situation if I should be able by spring to find him the money I will. The Rollg Mill as been standing for the last three months and I am rather short of cash now but I am expecting a good winters work if nothing more happens than what I know off but I will let you know hatever and then how matters stand with me I must do some thing for Mary before him

Mary I certainly feel very sorry for her circumstances I feel it my duty to try to do something for her as she any furniture or any means to come out here with if not I will try to do my best for her by spring so that she may come out with you and when she gets here I will see her taken care of if Isabel does not come with you I am afraid you will not be content yourself without her and if any thing should happen that the Rolling Mill should stop for a month or two you may not be always able to raise what money you may want to send to her and the thing of leaving her behind will not do or Mary might have bonded you and me at the Mill if she was here theres no fear but what she can live I will try to provide something for her by spring so as to make her comfortable.

In your 23rd letter you tell me that you cannot come till spring also give me the state of your affairs I then withdrew your passage till spring as the Mill stopping so long I needed the money and I thought that it was not right to give Train & Co the use of my money till spring so long that I wanted it myself and indeed I thought it to late for you to sail in December or Jany. I do not want you to come without your wife and family because when you come here I want you to try to make yourself at home and to settle down upon a place of your own so that you may raise your family in a more easy way and without half the trouble of mind I agreed with you in drawing the money and have paid the five per ct I received the money one Friday 1st.

Alban remember me to him and if he is making a comfortable living he is very well off and I would recommend him to be contented till such time that he can raise money enough to bring himself over and buy that time I may be able to get him into something Say in your next if he is steady and what pay is he getting and how many in family. tell him to write to me and give him my address.

Engineering & Co I am not much acquainted with Engineering but to the best of my Idea I think that is a very good business in this country the only difficulty is in getting into situations there is severald New Rail Roads being laid down and some of them are now waiting contractors but in a general way the Yankees are fond of these Light Jobs or ocupations but the English surpass them for practics & Skill in their Business and sometimes get the prefferance before the Yankee, because they are more practical, also a great many Bridges are being Built, acqueducts, locks & c in the canals.

Farming I wish you to gain all information possible upon this

Letting of N Farms this does not fetch much rents because people have their own but the rent is one third of the Grain in the shock as it stands in the field and half of the Hay.

Draining I should like all particulars about making drain tiles with this machine as it (is) expensive I have a most beasutiful vain of yellow clay. it is very pure

Chimestry upon the soil and Geology this will be useful but dont lay out to much of your money

Cheese You may give me some good information upon this

Curing Bacon & Hung beeff give me some information but we can cure it to keep as long as we want it

Plum Stones please bring a variety of the Best Kind

Awthorn these will be envaluable if they will grow for our fences are all ?woven fence with Rails - thus they are laid and each fence takes up 8 feet wide and the wind blows them down

Mangle Werzzel this seed will be valuable I have none but intended to get some in the spring there is plenty in the eastern part but the farmers just about here dont use them.

Flower Seed please bring a variety particular polyanthus Dahlias and any other small seeds that you may think a few vetches and Garden seeds bring a few good garden peas and some colliflower Brocales some red onion seed if you can bring a few choice goosberry roots or cuttings a currant also bring a few apricott stones and the large size pear ?choice

Thrashing Machine and any other say drills for turnips or beans hand drills I mean get a Drawing of also Reaping Machines and mowing machine //

Bring our Fathers Bible with you

December 15th Sunday night I intended to have posted this before this time and to have had an answer back I hope you will excuse me not writing before but I am away from the farm all the week and when I am at home on Sunday I have my farming matters to attend to this week we killed the cow which is as good meat as you ever eat She weighed about 600 Ibs we took some 70 Ibs of tallow out of her

Potatoes the Raising of these from the seed I knew nothing about untill your letter came to hand.

Chimestry of Soil & Geology the best work that can be procured of this kind will be of great value to particular upon the analising of the soil and upon Iron Ore & c the work of this would be invaluable to me

Laws of our Land. the land is my own the deed is a warrantey for ever to defend me and my heirs: and I can will it to whoever I please

Climate this Climate is something like England it is a little colder and a little warmer than England in the summer it is very healthy hoever I have had very good health and it is generally healthy.

You will please gain all the information up anything that you possibly can particularly a good work or upon Chimestry will be very valuable upon Iron & Ores and the Soil and all kinds of Grain.

A good Work upon Farming will be useful Thuesday December 24 '50

These Works I think are likely to carry on much Steadyer than what they have done for the last 2 year they have done very little I shall send a Newspaper to you every 2 weeks after this and you will please when done with send them to (Mr Jabus Morrel Boot & Shoe Maker Swan Bank Bilston We are in good heleth and Christmas Wether appear in the severe cold winter air) Yesterday and this Morning is very severe at 5 oclock I write these few lines I am so very suby I have not time to write but will commence another letter to you next week and will not say quite so much in them My Farm seems to be doing Well this year) I wish you and your family when here in a good circumstance as what we are and they you could raise your family without so much trouble You must expect some trouble here though but such as to be sold out for rent unless you have over three Hundred Dollars and then the sum allows you that much that cannot be sold for any debt

Your Affectionate Brother & Sister John & Rebeca Barnaby

Directed to Mr W.W. Barnaby Markett Space Shrewsbury J.E.B.