I believe a Span is a pair or two horses as a yoke of oxen is two of them. I may have it wrong but have heard the term used in that manner from my aunts and uncles years back. As to the _ndy, I have no idea. Jeanne ----- Original Message ----- From: <Enosgen@aol.com> To: <NYJEFFER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 07, 2000 11:56 PM Subject: The Dewey-Penney Letters #9 > To continue, Asher and Harriet (Dewey) Penney have been in Wisconsin a year. > The following letter is significant because it tells us they moved from > Jefferson County to Wisconsin in the Spring of 1855. Uncle Rufus Penney is > getting better as he is "on the gain" as an expression of the day tells us. > Some parts of this letter were transcribed as written but do not make sense > to me, for instance, the expression "a span" is very clearly written, but > defies my understanding as does the term "andy". > > This letter also talks about a number of other people around Jefferson County > in 1856, maybe one of them is in your line. > > Sunday April 20th, 1856 > > Dear Brother and Sister: > I received your letter and was glad to hear from you all and to hear that > you was all well. The folks are all well as usual. They think the Uncle > Ruffus is on the gain. I am agoing to Cultavating tomorrow for barley. The > folks are just beginning to do the Spring work. Well Davy, I have traded off > my colts and have got a pair of iron grays. I traded with Uncle > Pilas[possibly Silas], I gave him my harness to boot between Span and he gave > me five dollars. I have got a Span of $250 dollar team. > You wanted to have me write what horses was worth. Such a mare as you > took off with you is worth here now 125 dollars. Old horses is worth just > about the same as they was when you left last Spring. Dried Apples is worth > from ten to twenty shilling per bushel. Corn is worth five shilling per > bushel. Wheat is worth from 1.25 to 1.50 per bushel. > Eber has gone on the [hint or pint] and I don't know but he has gone a > Sailing before now He is agoing with O. Hewitt he is going first mate. Bill > Frasier has bought that place where Uncle William lived. He gave $250 dollars > and Mr. Poine [possibly Mr. Poines, Paine?] has mort(gaged) all the land. > Mr. Hatcher [Hatches?] folks are all well. Davy, he thinks he has got the > smartest bay in town. His health is good. We have had one of the Winters down > here but we have all lived through it. Hay is worth 9 to 10 dollars a ton. > Harvay [or Harvey] Elnor has gone on one of Moses Elnor farm. He has bought 3 > span of horses and one yoke of oxen. Moses has bought the team and Harvey has > to give a mortgage on his crops and he has got a Hadley to work for him. So > you see he is a man of business. He is agoing one 100 acres of barley and > planned 40 acres of corn and some wheat. Enough for his own use and you can > _ndy[andy?] how much he wants. I must draw my letter to a close so good > regards > To Asher Penny from Charles Penny > > (letter continues) > Dear Brother and Sister > I am now agoing to write a few lines from Father, he is well as usual and > hopes this will find you all the same. He wants you should write whether you > are going to stay there or if you are acoming back here. The farm that > Jeffers left when he went away can be got for 20 dollars per acre, 100 and > two acres in the farm. As in regard to Uncle Williams land warrant he cannot > tell him anything about it. He consulted Godfrey Barney and he said if any > one could prove that they were on the ground 14 days he thought they could > get it but he cannot give him a decided answer. Father got his last Fall and > sold it for 124 dollars and no expense. He wants you to write him a letter > and tell him what you are adoing and what you are agoing to do and how Mr. > Jeffers, Uncle William and yourself get along hunting, how many deers you > have caught this winter. Mother says to tell you that she misses you all as > much as ever. There is hardly a day that passes but she thinks of you all. > She is very busy engaged making a rag carpet this Spring. Samantha(s)[Penney, > wife of Jarvis] health is very poor this Spring. The neighbors are all well > as usual here. Write us soon as you get this for we are always very glad to > hear from you all. I will now draw my letter to a close for this time. Excuse > [torn] bad spelling so good day one and all. > From [bug eaten] (to Har)rit Penny > [written by Elizabeth A. wife of Charles Penney] > > Transcribed by Jim Enos Enosgen@AOL.com. Corrections, clarifications or > comments are solictied. > > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ > >