This is the last of these letters which were sent to me as I am fixated on research into the Eaglesfield families descended from Thomas Eaglesfield, who was a steeplepointer in Somerby, Leics in the mid 16th Century. These were sent to John Eaglesfield, initially in County Durham England , but now emigrated to the USA. All the other letters were written by his mother, but she died in 1871 and there are no other extant letters up to this one written in 1896. It is from his second youngest sister Susannah, usually referred to as Susan, who herself had left the family home early. At the age of 15, on the 1851 census, she was working and living in at a Grocers shop in Wymondham, but by the 1861 census was a servant to John Dunmore, and his sister Mary Ann. He was a fancy hosiery manufacturer in Eldon Street, Leicester. She was still there on the 1871 census, but by the 1881 census she was a servant to William Payne, a fishmonger and poulterer of 2 Richmond Street, Leicester. I cannot trace Susannah on the 1891 census, but by the time this letter had been written she had obviously taken a new position and address. Again this is typed as written. Like her mother there is no punctuation, nor capitalisation at the start of sentences, and she mixes up her their and there. Also, but not every time, she obviously didn’t know the rhyme – “i before e, except after c” Leicester 45 Oxenden Street June 14 1896 Dear Brother Neices and Nephews I hope that you are all quite well this leaves me but middling the weather is very hot I am writing to inform you that poor old Brother George passed away on Whit Monday at quarter to 5 in the evening was buried on the following Saturday but I could not go as I had not the means to go I do not know wether sister went as I never see her I dont supose Brother Bill would be thier as they did not intend to let him know as he never went to see him he was offended because they could not lodge him their he wrote to Leicester to Lizzy to know if she would she written back to say that she could not so he stayed at Derby he did go out waiting and set dinners out when he left London he brought up a lot of pictures took them to lizzys their was his wifes oil paintings what her lady presented her with when she started with her bill said they was to be devided but she sticks to the lot her son walter passed his examination for B a in November last what his year don’t kill yourself to keep yourself my best days are over I have no one to help me I cannot do as I have done but hope that I shall be able to pull through what little time I have to live I wish I had a relative to live with me you ought to of come & ended your days in Old England I hope and trust that you will write once more as soon as you can no one else as ever written to you but myself but the last time I had to write twice before I heard I do not let work take all the time we was not sent for that but to prepare heaselfs for another world we are here today & gone to merrea people go very sudden I was very pleased to recieve your photos it gives us an idea what you look like you seem to age a lot you are very much like poor George was when I received your photos they charged me 1s 1d because you sent the letter in the photos I must conclude with kindest love to you all your ever affectionate sister S Eaglesfield And now with punctuation. Leicester 45 Oxenden Street June 14 1896 Dear Brother Neices (nieces) and Nephews hope that you are all quite well. this leaves me but middling. the weather is very hot. I am writing to inform you that poor old Brother George¹ passed away on Whit Monday at quarter to 5 in the evening. was buried on the following Saturday but I could not go as I had not the means to go. I do not know wether sister² went as I never see her. I dont supose Brother Bill would be thier (there) as they did not intend to let him know as he never went to see him. he was offended because they could not lodge him their.³ he wrote to Leicester to Lizzy to know if she would.⁴ she written back to say that she could not so he stayed at Derby. he did go out waiting and set dinners out when he left London. he brought up a lot of pictures took them to lizzys. their was his wifes oil paintings what her lady presented her with when she started with her. bill said they was to be devided but she sticks to the lot. her son walter⁵ passed his examination for B a (Bachelor of Arts?) in November last. what his year. (I don’t understand these 3 words, but it is as written) don’t kill yourself to keep yourself. my best days are over. I have no one to help me. I cannot do as I have done but hope that I shall be able to pull through what little time I have to live. I wish I had a relative to live with me. you ought to of come (have come) & ended your days in Old England. I hope and trust that you will write once more as soon as you can. no one else as ever written to you but myself but the last time I had to write twice before I heard. I do not let work take all the time. we was not sent for that but to prepare heaselfs (ourselves) for another world. we are here today & gone to merrea (tomorrow). people go very sudden. I was very pleased to recieve your photos it gives us an idea what you look like. you seem to age a lot. you are very much like poor George was. when I received your photos they charged me 1s 1d because you sent the letter in the photos. I must conclude with kindest love to you all, your ever affectionate sister S Eaglesfield Footnotes: 1: Brother George lived in Derby, and by this time had retired from the Midland Railway and was a publican at the British Oak, Carrington Street, Derby. He was 68 when he died. 2: The sister referred to by Susannah was the youngest surviving daughter, Elizabeth who had married Alfred Hull in 1861. They lived in Leicester, and although they and Susannah had moved a house a few times, they were only a few miles away from each other, yet she never saw them. Elizabeth was widowed in 1892 but she didn’t die until 1931, at the ripe old age of 97. 3 & 4: Brother Bill was William, who had been living in London as a servant. His wife had died in 1877 but he stayed in London as he appears on the1881 census there. He then obviously tried to move back to Derby, by asking if he could lodge at George’s. He then tried sister Lizzy in Leicester, but she too declined him – even though she kept all of William’s wife’s oil paintings! William is then to be found on the 1891, and 1901 censuses at two addresses in Ford Street as a boarder and working as a waiter or butler. He was still in Derby on the 1911 census, and working as a caretaker although by then aged 77. He died a year later. 5: Alfred and Elizabeth Hull had 2 sons; Arthur born 1868, and Walter born 1871. On the 1891 census, Arthur was a teacher, and Walter was a clicker in a shoe factory. Walter must have been stimulated by his brother to take on a University course later in life. Perhaps his mother sold all those oil paintings to pay for it!! He, like his brother, then became a teacher. One of Walter’s children was named John Eaglesfield Hull. I feel really sorry for Susannah, all alone, yet in truth for the best part of 30 years only a few miles from her younger sister. She seems to have inherited certain traits from her Mother – an attitude to living by taking what is thrown at you with a deep religious conviction. Despite her saying in this letter that she hadn’t got long to live, she was still working as a housekeeper on the 1901 census, for Elizabeth Drake , Montague Street, Knighton. She died in late 1904 aged 68. She also inheriting her mother’s pleading for John to forget about America, but he never did. He worked as a farmer all his life there in Sandy Point, Pennsylvania. Whether as a worker or an owner I do not know. He died in the 1920s. I cannot be specific about exactly when, as the sender of these letters had not found out, and also I do not subscribe to the world version of Ancestry to find out myself, but this would still put him aged in his late 80s early 90s. Just shows what fresh air can do for you! Brian Binns Loughborough _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4791 - Release Date: 02/05/12