Josiah Parker Papers Letter 36

Wayne County Indiania 10th moth. 7th 1831

Dear Father Mother brothers and sisters I am at or in the settlement of Richmond have been to meeting every Day this week its now 6th day of the week the subject of abolishing the Slave trade in the United States was before the meeting was brought up by the meeting for sufferings and was refered back to them to petition General Government on their behalf and all the Yearly meetings on this Continent I exspect will be requested to aid therein, we hear alarming tales about the black people in your land which causes me more to want you in this land but I hope you will be preserved and all others both black and white now I will write something about the letters sent by Henry Magee which I never exspect to see I recd. a Small letter by J. Bales which was exceptable that was the first account I have recd. from you by letter since last fall, and unless you can get a good private conveyance you had better post letters to us I have thought long of the time of not receiving any accounts from you post them to Raysville in henry County we have had a great deal of rain so as to be to[o] wet for corn in places and is still raining this morning has rained nearly every day this week notwithstanding this our annual assembly has been large there are several traveling ministers in attendance from other yearly meetings Jonathan and Hannah Chatman Backhouse from Oald England, one of them was from Pennsylvania was at meeting last first day Isaac Bonsel by name his residence in the Ohio upper part of the State he was taken Second day morning near meeting time with an appoplectic fit he was at John Smiths most of the friends that were there were gone to meeting as I was informed by James Stanton when he was taken he come to after he was taken and spoke and told the friends that was with him it was time to be going to meeting and died away and was intered about 10 O clock next day its now first day morning 9th of the mo. its very muddy here away the meeting has adjourned to meet again the second day Charles Osburn has been liberated to go to England, Samuel and family were tolerable well when I left there not much complaint amongst uncle J Parkers children remarkable one of Penninah moore daughters are here our relations there away were tolerable well Mary Moore is her name She said give her love to you I have been to meeting several weighty testimonies were delivered David Stanfield spoke pretty lengthy he is from Tennessee I am in tolerable health at present Micajah Binford and wife were sick, had been very sick they were better not much complaint amongst the rest of you acquaintances when I left there. I dont know that I can crofs the mountains soon its a long journey and a troublesome one. I should be very glad to be with you the ensuing winter if I could get there in one week I would not mind it so bad if you could fix so as to move I should take to be along its now 12th mo 1st I have declined sending this to you on account of wating for a letter from you inpart, have had some notion of coming and fetching of it but could not well get off its now very cold snowed yesterday nearly all day had been several little ones before its about shoe top deep and the ground hard frozed under it I am in the neighbourhood of Richmond at the meeting house where J Parker used to belong was at Newgarden Quarterly meeting last 7th day James White and Benjamin Pritchard were there came down with them and came to this place to give my information of their being here to day th[e]y are in tolerable health and say our relations are tolerable well at old Blue R except Sarah Albertson and Penninah Moore who are weakly P M rather most so at present I was at Cader Woodards they and J Parkers in tolerable health also at S Pritchards his father Wm. Pickett has moved out they are all in tolerable health I left Blue R about a week ago they were in tolerable health there away then or most of them S. Parkers family were tolerable M Binford and wife has been sick but have got about again has sold hogs to the amount of $444 as I understood I think there was 80 in number pork sells at about $250 neit p hundred I came through Hopewell settlement saw my uncle J. P. they were in tolerable health at present or more of them John Halls wife has the fever or had it when I was in that neighbourhood as they informed me Isaac has married a girl by name Mary Stratton or was so they were married last spring Robert has got alarge barn up and covered 44 feet by 24 its a fraim J. Parker told me his land or that which has been entered since he sold at Elkhorn by the money he there got is worth double what he gave for it. J. Binfords wife’s Mother and two sisters and Samuel B Binford have got to our settlement Nathan thee knows him I think by what I heard of thee at the Western branch Q. meeting he allows you or all of our society in the lower parts of V. a. and N. C. are coming away in the ensuing spring its been a very wet fall so that the roades were very muddy before this cold spell set in some little streams of water were frozed over so as to bare a horse 3rd of the mo. 7th of the week it was Quarterly meeting to day held till knight snowed part of the day very fast and is now very cold mill ponds are places for boys to play on people here away have plenty of apples I have not seen a peach blossom this year they were all killed last winter and people thought though the trees were killed also some were so sure of it that they cut them down but those that let them stand to put out found them to be alive though some were nearly so/wheat is worth 75 cts per bushel corn about 25 I am in tolerable health at present I am very desirous of a full account from you concerning the insurriction in your Country its the 13th of the moth. has been very cold all last week turned a little warm last knight I am at Benjamin Albertsons I came down here in company with B P as he returned home from Whitewter Q Meeting I have been to Benninah Moores they are tolerable well P M is weakly the Drs family are pretty well at this time I have taken considerable of cold by riding down here in the cold The Rivers and Creeks are frozed over its said the Ohio is also frozed over so as to stop boating. I was at Salem yesterday heard from black Isaac he has bought him about 30 acre of land and is doing pretty well yesterday was the coldest day thats been this winter except it. corn in these parts is yet in the fields thousands of barrels of it at this time 14th snowed some this evening though its too cold to snow much I have been at Phinehas Albertsons and P Moores to day they were all well except P M who is pretty much confined to her bed her sister Sarah went to see her yesterday; Respecting your fine Country informed by your temperence society fear it will not long last if it yet has life I exspect that friends are troubled more on account of muster fines there than here I have not been troubled on the account in this land and none of the Binfords that I know of no fines of a military nature has been taken from any friend in Walnut ridge settlement since our No Hampton friends went there infact there was not much complaint brought unto our last yearly meeting on that account that I remember of 15th I have been to meeting to day its the coldest day thats been this winter it lacks 4 degrees of being as cold as it was last winter Dr Albertson has an instrument for telling how cold the weather is it was twelve degrees below a year this morning perhaps you may learn the difference between here and there last winter was severe but this appears like being more so it set in so early. I am tolerable well though quite a hard coughf 17 its still very cold I staied with Jno T White last knight he is in good health his wife weakly thy have two children 21st I am at James White’s they are in tolerable health my health is pretty good I weighed 162# this morning I dont exspect any of you can beet it fairly its very cold weather yet too cold to snow much, what is on the ground dont melt much if any I am at Penninah Moores She is still weakly the rest of the family are tolerable well except colds John and wife lives with his Mother they have one child Lemuel the next oldest is bound out to the black smith trade they wish to be remembered to you and say they would be glad of a letter from you: B and Sarah Albertson desires to be remembered to you also; Edmund Peelle Albertson is teaching school he__ both grammer and latin schollars commenced yesterday had about 40 students friends have a brick school house with two rooms and two fire places a passage in the middle its about 50 feet by 20 or 18 I dont exactly [k]now the size its not fully finished: they have also built a meeting house since the separation. I think its 30 feet by 50 feet they cost something like $500 or $600 a piece we have but one fraim meeting house within the verge of our monthly meeting 50 feet long 30 wide neatly cealed or they will soon have to build at Walnut Ridge if they dont run wild or if they keep their places: they are building schoolhouses at all the preparative meetings and have built or nearly so these houses are built entirely by friends P Moore desires to be remembered to R Copeland 21st quite moderate to day 22nd cold and clear and pleasant 23rd snow again to day turned warm enoughf to melt all night 24th the wind blows cold this morning I exspect to return in a few weeks to walnut Rid[g]e settlement people here away are very kind to me I have been sometime writing of this letter is partly worn out but its likely you will get to read it a few times therefore I guefs it will not matter much in that score my health is pritty good at present I have wrote perhaps enoughf for the present and so conclude and wish to be remembered to all my relations and acquaintances I have heard of the death of Eli Copeland by a letter to Benjamin Pritchard

Josiah Parker
Wm Parker

27th very snowy to day begins to be good slayriding I have made one Dr Albertson and me rode here in it I am in Salem its about 4 miles from his house I still have a cold and cough I thought I would transcribe this letter on account of its been so abused but perhaps you can read it well as if I was to transcribe it I am mostly busy where I stay I generally try not to be expencive to my friends so conclude

Envelope:

Salem In.
Dec 28

Nathan Parker
Northampton Conty
North Carolina
Murfreesborough
Post Office

By the way of the City of Washington
Received the 7th of 2nd month 1832 By Nathan Parker