These are the transcriptions of two letters that are in my possession. Does anyone know the outcome? Did Sidney return to Brownville? Does he have any descendants? Enjoy!!! Larry Corbett Mrs Abagail Hardy Brownville Jefferson County State of New York May 25th 1844 Dear father and mother I send you these lines to inform you that i am well and likely to do well and I hope this letter will find you in the same sircumstances and also all my friends in Jefferson County and I suppose that by this time you all want to know whare i am and what I am about well I do not choos to tell you exactly but I will inform you that I am in one of the seaports of Massachusetts and now i suppose you will wonder how i came here. well i will tell you. i went directly to New York with the intention to get a birth in a murchantman or a man of war but all told me they would take none but seamen and finding agents for whale ships i agreed to come here and ship for a whaleing voyage and I now expect that John and I will sail in about a month on a whaleing voyage in the Tacitus a fine large ship of 4500 barrels formerly a merchantman now fitting up for a whaleing voyage. the captain appears to be a verry fine man and i hope the voyage will be a prosperous one. The stamp on the outside will tell yhou whare the letter started from and i hope you will take no pains to detain me. this letter requires no answer and i hope i shall find you all well when i return which will be in three years at least. tell mr skinner that all will be well I hope and if i have made any damage to him that i will endevour to make it allright when i return. give my best respects to all my friends in hopes that i shall clear enough in the voyage to help my parents. farewell all. Sydney W Hardy Mrs Gideon Hardy Brownville, Jefferson County New York State United States of America On board the ship Liverpool At Sea March 21st 1846 My dear father and mother i write you these few lines to inform you that i am well and hope will find you the same I wrote to you from New Bedford which letter if you did not get was my carelessness in directing it I wrote i had shipped in the Tacitus which ship i did not sail in but sailed in the Liverpool June 27 1845 on a whaleing voyage. the 4th of July we were laying to in a gale of wind in the Atlantic. in about a month we arrived at the western islands in about 2 weeks after wards at the cape verds from thence we sail for Indian Ocean where we arrived in two or three months. In doubling the cape of good hope we lost a man overboard one night off the flying jib boom in furling the sail. we crossed the Indian Ocean took six whales off St Paul's Island and made Vandemansland on our way to the Sandwich Islands bound into Moue (Maui?) which we are in sight of. the ship will stop here a few days to recruit and then sail for the northwest whaleing ground you would like to hear how i like the sea i tell you if i ever get home again i will stay there. tell mr skinner i cannot pay him for my time i have gave that up long ago tell Louisa and Louvina that I have found it too true what they told me that i would be sorry for this and wish myself back i cannot help thinking how ungrateful i have been to my parents in leaving them when they most needed what little help i could afford them to think how my mother watched over me in my infancy and my father's exertions for my future wellfare and then my leaving them so abruptly has been the most of my thoughts a long time i have been in most all kinds of weather and got enough of the sea gladly would i went home again when we were at the western islands if i could if i come back in the ship i shall come directly home right off i shal wright again as soon as convenient in coming to sea it has determined me what to do hereafter and i am determined to mend my ways if i get home again espetialy my conduct to my parents give my respects to my friends and relations Tell John Doland if you see him that he was wise in not going a whaleing voyage I cannot thing anything more of any use to write now save that i have sang all the psalm tunes that i know until i have worn them out i must now bring this to a close for we had eight hours on deck last night and it is most four bells and i want to get a little sleep before dinner Farewell all, Sidney W Hardy