Thank you so much for sharing these letters Brian - they have been fascinating. So far as the phrase "if you do go I hope we shall be decived" is concerned, I think she means that she hopes their fears for their son will be proved groundless/wrong. (That they have been deceived into fearing for his safety) Regards Thelma ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Binns" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 2:07 PM Subject: [LEI] Victorian Letters 5 > This is the last of these letters written By Elizabeth Eaglesfield from > Wymondham, Leicestershire to her son who was working away in County > Durham. These letters were saved by John, and copies were sent to me from > a descendant of his from New York State. I should point out that there is > a distinct gap with no letters between 1858 and 1868, and I presume that > these must have been lost over time – I can’t imagine that there was no > correspondence between mother and son for 10 years. > > John had been working in County Durham from the late 1850s and had married > in 1861 to Mary Ann Allan, nee Porter, a young widow. They had by this > time had 3 children; Mary Ann born 1862 – presumably name after her > mother; Elizabeth born 1864 – named after John’s mother; and Isabella born > 1867 – perhaps after her maternal grandmother, though I can’t trace her. > > This letter was written in 1869 and follows on from the one written in > September 1868 where John had obviously informed his mother and father > that he and his family were planning to emigrate to the USA. He must also > have told them that he was intending to have a studio photograph taken of > his family to send to his mother. She commented in the previous letter > when saying that the elder brother George had turned grey, “I hope you > will not disappoint us with your likeness.” > > > > Again the letter is reproduced as written. > > > > Jan 26 (1869) > > > > Wymondham > > > > My dear son daughter we recived your leter an portrets an sory to hear you > had such illness in your house I hope you are all beter it leaves me beter > than I have been your father his very stricken betimes with his water dear > son we was in hopes you had haltied your minds and staid in your owen > contry your father thinks their would be a liveing to be had he says he > thinks you do not know what you are going to throw your self into but if > you are bent of going it will be know use to say anything but we both > would rather you did not go if you do go I hope we shall be decived an we > hope an traust you will get safe over so I must leave it with you to jug > for your selves we never see nor hear nothing of the Rudkins your father > says the letter from amraca did not go to stainby your aunt his living but > your uncle tom Eaglesfield died on chrismes eve at Birmegim William > Beecraft his Maria an lives in one of the Mill Houses your aunt parker his > had 2 strokes an has not spoke since the last you brother George an his > wife came to see us in October dear son we have not heard anything of your > brother William it has worit me George Rudkin has so much a weack to live > on from the trustees or elc he would braught his Mother to the uinen well > I must draw to a conlsuan another word about you going before I would com > home your wife looks ill I must conclude with love to you both an children > from your affactnate Mother E Eaglesfield > > susans address just the same as before > > Nom Miss Dunsmore > > 6 Eldon Street > > Leicester > > > > Across the top of the first page of this letter is written > > We had at first direct James Street we now direct what I have sent you > > > > > > Now with (most) corrections and full stops > > > > Jan 26 (1869) > > > > Wymondham > > > > My dear son daughter we recived (received) your leter an portrets > (portraits) an sory to hear you had such illness in your house. I hope you > are all beter. it leaves me beter than I have been. your father his very > stricken betimes with his water. dear son we was in hopes you had haltied > (altered) your minds and staid in your owen contry (own country) your > father thinks their would be a liveing to be had. he says he thinks you do > not know what you are going to throw your self into, but if you are bent > of going it will be know (no) use to say anything but we both would rather > you did not go. if you do go I hope we shall be decived ( deceived? but > still can’t make sense of this line) an we hope an traust (trust) you will > get safe over, so I must leave it with you to jug (judge) for your selves. > we never see nor hear nothing of the Rudkins.¹ your father says the letter > from amraca (America) did not go to stainby.² your aunt his living³ but > your uncle tom Eaglesfield died on chrismes eve at Birmegim (Christmas Eve > at Birmingham)⁴ William Beecraft his Maria an lives in one of the Mill > Houses.⁵ your aunt parker his had 2 strokes an has not spoke since the > last.⁶ your brother George an his wife came to see us in October.⁷ dear > son we have not heard anything of your brother William.⁸ it has worit > (again that dialect word for worried) me. George Rudkin has so much a > weack to live on from the trustees or elc (else)he would braught (brought) > his Mother to the uinen. (Union).⁹ well I must draw to a conlsuan > (conclusion). another word about you going. before I would com home, your > wife looks ill. I must conclude with love to you both an children from > your affactnate Mother E Eaglesfield > > susans address just the same as before > > Nom Miss Dunsmore > > 6 Eldon Street > > Leicester > > > > Across the top of the first page of this letter is written > > We had at first direct James Street we now direct what I have sent you > > > > Footnotes: > > 1, 2 & 9: “The Rudkins” refers to the family of George Eaglesfield’s > sister Susannah who had married John Rudkin, a farmer in Stainby, which > was just over the border in Lincolnshire. John had died in 1861 and at the > time of this letter, the farm was being run by Susannah and son George. > This was 153 acres and employed 2 labourers, so shows that other members > of this Eaglesfield branch were not as poor as George and Elizabeth in > Wymondham. I do not know what the reference to “a letter from maraca > (America)” means, unless it was a request for a reference for John prior > to his emigration. I also do not understand why George Rudkin was talking > about “the union” with respect to his mother. They appeared to be quite > well off. > > 3 & 4: Uncle Tom who died on Christmas Eve refers to George Eaglesfield’s > eldest brother, Thomas, who at the time of his death was a Coal and Lime > Agent in Birmingham, again showing the differences in fortune/wealth in > this family. “Your Aunt is living” I think refers to his second wife, who > herself died later in 1869. > > 5: Another of George Eaglesfield’s sister, Maria, had married William > Beecroft (spelled presumably as spoken as “Beecraft”) who was a shoemaker > and cottager of 7 acres, in Market Overton, just over the border in > Rutland. > > 6: I have no idea who “Aunt Parker” is. This is only a side branch of my > tree, so there is a limit for my research. > > 7: Brother George, the eldest sibling, was a Railway Signalman in Derby. > > 8: William was the youngest brother still living and had left Wymondham to > work in Harby, Leics. (census 1851) where elder brother George was also > living, having married there. Co-incidentally he was working for the > Vicar, as was John at the same time, but in Little Dalby. William then > moved to London via Berkshire (see a previous letter) where he worked as a > servant/butler. He also married in London > > “Susans Address” refers to sister Susannah who was working as a servant to > John Dunmore, (a “manufacturer of fancy hosiery” in Eldon Street, > Leicester) and his spinster sister Mary Ann. > > > > I find this letter quite heartfelt as Elizabeth keeps breaking off from > family news to plead with her son to stay in England. It’s saddening to > see that she starts every separate entreaty with the words “dear son”. I > would also guess that the reason she thinks that John’s wife “looks ill” > is probably due to the way photos were taken in those days. With the long > exposure needed, many people in these Studio shots certainly did > unintentionally look unhappy and ill, having to hold a set pose for quite > a long time. > > > > However, John did emigrate, in April of this year, 1869. He settled in > Pennsylvania as a famer, and had two more children there; Susannah in > 1870 – named after his sister; and George in 1874, named after his father. > His mother died in 1870 about a year after John emigrated, and his father > died in September 1873. They are both buried in Wymondham churchyard, but > on the one time I “walked” the churchyard I couldn’t find them. > > > > There is just one more letter extant, written by sister Susannah (Susan) > to John in 1896 bringing him up to date with family matters, and I will > publish this on Monday. > > > > Brian Binns > > Loughborough > > _____ > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4789 - Release Date: 02/04/12 > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message