Language of the Times

My great, great, great, great grandmother came from the hellfire and brimstone branch of the church, which apparently caused my great, great, great, great grandfather a great deal of grief. Although all we have to go by are letters, it becomes apparent that he didn't share Jennett's Christian zeal - nor her love for her family back home in Wales.

However, Jennett's sister Ann also lived in America, so they kept a correspondence going, although it seems that it wasn't terribly regular. But, as you'll see, they were definitely two of a kind.

I don't know how affected they were by the Second Great Awakening - it was certainly right around this time, but I had always assumed that my family was Catholic - my great grandmother was, which caused quite a bit of religious self-searching on my great grandfather's part, as he was a staunch Methodist (and I know that I have some letters between the two that discuss their religious differences - I'll get to them). I guess more research is in order.

As with most of the 19th century letters that I have, punctuation was non-existent. I've added periods where I think that they should be, but preserved the rest of the writing as-is.

New York, Sept 2nd, 1852

Myy Dear Sister Jennett,

Ive received your letter of Feb'ry last. I was glad to hear from you and family & intended then to have written soon to you but as you say time goes on. Steady I put it off from time to time till months passd away. I make so little use of pen and ink that it is hard to set about writing.

However as I am spared I make an effort to write a few lines. The Lord was pleased to visit me with sickness for about two months though I am much better than I have been a nervous complaint. I have always enjoyed very good health. I do not know how to apreciate it. May the Lord bless the present afflicsion that I may say with the psalmist. Before I afflicted I went astray. Oh for a closer walk with God a calm and heavenly frame a light to shine uppon the road that leads me to the Lamb. We shall soon be swallowed up in Eternity. Oh what reason we

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have to be thankful that we have seen a little of the evil of our wicked heart and the necesity of an intercescen to plead our case before the Father. I am so ready to cling to the things that perish but through the grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of yourself it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.

I was glad to hear that your health was in proved and your family comfortable. I hope you all enjoy the same blessings still. We always have ample reason to be thankful to the Lord for all his goodness towards us unworthy creatures. I am anxious to hear from you and of all your family much scatered as they are. It must cause you a deal of anxiety. It is such a source of trouble to see them hardening themsefs in sin and trampling the Lord Commandments. May the Lord enable you and me to cast ourself and children at the feet of Jesus the only hope of Salvation. It seems too much for you to work so hard. If you could manage to let the farm on shares you must take

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it more easy. It seems your sons are not incline to farming. It seems they are leaving as they grow which is very natural. The evil of this age is too much thirst for the things that perish. And now I must draw to a close. Don't follow my example. I feel anxious to hear from you. I sent a couple of copies of the N York Observer in may giving an account of the aniversaries to you.

Now I have nothing new to send to you about myself and family. The boys Wm and Jacob are very atentive to business setting their affection on the things that perish neglecting their only day of salvation. Their Souls are perishing for lack of knowledge. My youngest son though in the City I never see him. he goes on the same track. All I have is to hope against hope. It is griveous to see them grope their way in darkness and will not come to the light.

You expect hear a word from the girls. Mary is in the same place doing very well. Don't save much. I fear she is very complaning. Ann's health is very poor. She embraced religion last spring and joined the Baptist Church the same as Mary. I hope she has the right one. Wm has two children. Dont get along very well. They never hear from Thomas. They all send their love to you and yours. Accept the same from from your affectionate Sister, Ann Miles
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In a postscript written in the margin of the letter, Ann added:

If you hear from Thomas let us know in your next. Please to excuse both writing blunders and mistakes.
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At this time, my great, great, great, great grandfather, Christopher Cooper, had been dead for about five or six years. A couple of the boys were still on the farm, trying to keep the place going and Charles "Chris" Cooper, Jennett and Christopher's son (my great, great, great grandfather) was doing his best to help from St. Louis. Jennett did end up sharing (renting) most of the farm out. She died about five years later. The farm stayed in the family for another 35 or 40 years, until Chris sold it and moved to Idaho.
 
Reading these letters is something else! My GGGG uncle Charlie Crosby rode shotgun on the gold stage from Idaho City to the Boise Assay office. He is the reason I'm involved with black powder. I have his 1860 Army. Made in 1862, it's in great shape.

My family has been in Idaho since 1861, when my GGGG Grandmother's family moved here.

Thanks for the letters!

Andy Baker
 
That's pretty interesting, Andy - Charlie would have stopped at the Minehaha stage stop that my family ran back then! It's kind of funny how this stuff ties together. It sounds like the Crosbys and the Coopers showed up here about the same time.
 
Intresting string!
I have not yet seen the new True Grit, having saved it for the home version I have ordered. I am really looking forward to seeing it!
I have always had a knack for decoding the paragraph and sentance structure of the times and I really appreciate it when writers put the extra effort into "periodising" the speech in a film.
I truely enjoyed deciphering the speech in Deadwood (once you got past the attempted "shock vulgarity"). The old Victorian English was very thrifty, it sometimes used one word to convey an entire thought. It is truely like Shakesphere, as you must find the alternative terms used then translate it into todays more complex language.
It's hard to explain how to decipher the language but once you get it , it becomes simpler.
ZVP
 
My great grandfather, William McNeil, homesteaded in the southern end of Long Valley in Valley County, Idaho in 1899. He and his brother each bought 120 acre parcels adjacent to each other.

It's one of the most gorgeous places that I've ever seen and certainly would have been one of the most brutal in the winter. My great grandparents were married in 1901 and I think that my great grandmother made it through one winter before she put the kibosh on the homestead.

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It had a dirt floor back then and that never changed. In the late 1960s, when my dad took this picture, it still had a dirt floor. The difference was that the current owners were storing farm equipment in it.

I remember seeing the old cabin every weekend in the summers when we went up to our "new" cabin at the lake. Sometime in the mid-70s, the heavy snows and lack of maintenance finally took its toll and the old place collapsed. It's long gone now.
 
Idaram - 1860 Colt Army from 1862

Reading these letters is something else! My GGGG uncle Charlie Crosby rode shotgun on the gold stage from Idaho City to the Boise Assay office. He is the reason I'm involved with black powder. I have his 1860 Army. Made in 1862, it's in great shape.
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Would you be so kind as to post a few pics of the gun? I'm sure everyone here would love to see them!
 
I'll sure try to get a few pic's up this weekend. Hey Hardcase - I was getting a home re-finance at the Home Federal Bank on 8th St. in Boise a few years back. The loan officer (a lady) told me her relatives ran the stage stop between Idaho City and Boise. Any chance you two are related?

Will try to post some pics soon guys!

Andy

PS - Hardcase - You ever hear of Uncle John McClellan? Ran the 8Th St. Ferry in the 1860's -70's. His sister was my GGGGrandmother, married to Charlie Crosby's brother Fayette. (My GGGGrandfather)
 
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Could have been a cousin, idaram, I've got a few that have been in and out of banking.

I haven't heard of John or Fayette. But I'm not so up on Boise history as Boise Basin.

I'd love to see those pictures, too.
 
I thought that this one was very interesting. It tells a little bit about the discovery and naming of Sailor Diggins, along with some of the trials and travails (at least financially speaking) of running a business and of mining back in the day.

It is to my great, great, great, great grandmother from her son William (my great, great, great grandfather's brother).

Of note, Sailor Diggins was considered to be in California, but it's actually just over the border in Oregon.

Sailor Diggins, Illinois Valley, Cal, Aprl 16th/53

Ever Dear & Affectionate Mother,

I hasten to answer your letter of March 12th/52 which I have just received along with 10 or 12 others. (Which I perceive by the date has been written thirteen months ago). One from Christopher dated June 30th/52 - and one from Henry dated Feb 12th/53 which gave me both joy and sorry.

Joy to know that he was still alive to see and read a letter of his own hand write (for I had apprehended the worst). Sorrow to lean the death of our dear brother Joseph. The painful intelligence overwhelmed me with grief and sorrow. Oh if there was one brother I loved, admired or thought more of than another it certainly was Joseph. I never knew how vastly I loved him until now. When I think of the moral and social influences (always imparted to me when in his company) and goodness of heart, it makes me shed tears of bitterness to think I lived within a few hundred miles of him for a number of years without going to see him, although purposed it many times.

This is the first letter I have received from Henry since I left Oregon about sixteen or seventeen months and he writes but very few lines in this, only half a side, the rest blank. But he informs me where he is, what he is doing and refers to many former letters he sent me. I also learn that Frank is with him but where or how he came he don't inform me. He merely says Frank is with me and we are both well and hearty

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although he says Frank will write to me in a few days. Henry informs me he has been keeping store and intends going home this summer, which I hope he will. If he has made out as well as I infer from his letter, it is quite likely he will. I have also been thinking of going home this fall, but I have had such a set back this last winter that I will have to postpone it until spring or fall next.

I am in very good diggins of our own discovery. While prospecting this coast range last spring, we gave it the name of Sailor Diggins on account of a majority of sailors being in the company. I have been here about a year now. Last summer we had no water to work with, so we threw up dirt (every man holding as much as he can throw up). I have secured a good lot of dirt which will pay from half ounce to 12 dollars a day which is considered tolerable fair diggins. The winter has been so unaccountably bad that nobody has made anything like expenses. This winter provision has been very high from on to two dollars a pound and very scarce - but provision is coming down in price very fast. I bought one hundred pounds of flour for thirty five dollars yesterday. There is a new harbor or bay discovered about 80 miles southwest of us which will be a great benefit to this country. There has been one vessel up with provision and gone back for another load. I think we can get provision for about 20 cents a pound this summer. If provision gets cheaper, I shall keep a years on hand. My own board since the first of Oct until April hasn't cost one less than five hundred dollars.

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I have been cutting a race about three miles long to bring water into the diggins which cost considerable time and money. I hired hands very cheap but their board cost three times as much as their labor but however I have got my race in and at work. Our race is so long and the ground so open that we can't run but one machine but if we can keep at work all summer, we will get very well paid for all our trouble. For we can work 3 or 4 machines in the fall and winter. I have but one partner now, James Coutie by name, a sailor, but a working man. I have quit trading and turned my attention to mining. Me and McKinley dissolved some time ago. He went back to Wyreka and took a house that we had built and abandoned. He tried very hard to have me go back with him, but I rather chose to make 7 or 8 dollars a day than run the uncertain chances of trading as you have to trust any and every body that comes along and ten chances to one you never see half of them again (I had enough of that while I was in the business). Although Mc was a good partner and had plenty of money, but I didn't think he knew how to take care of it. I heard he had lost a good deal by selling his goods on credit and nobody having money to pay him in the spring. Besides, his pack train perished in the snow.

But excuse me, I have been running away with myself here writing things that you know nothing about and cannot interest you. I have filled this up without perceiving it, but I shall write soon again. I shall write to Henry this morning and next Sunday I will write to Chris. Direct your letters to Salem, Oregon Territory. I see you put Houses Springs on the back. Tell the boys to do the same and I shall be sure to get them.

From your affectionate son, Wm Cooper

My love and respects to all. You shall soon hear from me again.
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Now, it turns out that the "sailors" that William mentions were a group of mariners who had deserted their ship when it docked in Crescent City, CA. They heard about the big gold strike on Jackson Creek in what is now southwest Oregon. They left the ship and hotfooted it up to the headwaters of the Illinois River. Somehow, William Cooper joined their company and the rest, as they say, is history.

Incidentally, William did do pretty well in both mining and sales. He sent several thousand dollars back home and eventually moved back to Houses Springs to live out the remainder of his days in relative comfort.
 
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I love the language uses of the day.

My grandfather was courting my grandmother. He wrote a letter to her and one of the sentences was:

"May I expect that you will save your Friday evening next for me?"
 
In 1831, my great-great-great-great grandparents were fairly well established in Wheeling, Virginia. Christopher had been working in the iron foundries, but probably, by this time, had left that business to start a grocery store. He was in his mid-40s and not in the best of shape - the iron business was extremely hard back then (it's no picnic today, either!)

I'm not sure what Jennett was doing at this time - probably working in the store as well, along with being very active in the church.

In this letter, one of Jennett's old friends from Wales, Mary Batten, has come to America. Although she addressed Jennett as "sister", they aren't related.

The names are a little confusing - keep a close eye on the different Jacobs, Benjamins, Anns and Marys. Good luck with it!

What interested me most about this one is that Mary Batten talks a bit about apprenticeships. Also, there's a brief mention of the start of her sea voyage. Of note, the vessel "Cosmo" that she sailed in was a 490 ton, single deck sailing ship. I'd roughly estimate that it was, maybe, 150 feet long. Having crossed the Atlantic in a 450 foot, 4000 ton frigate, I can't even imagine just how miserable a copper-sheathed, wooden sailing ship would be.

Like I keep saying, those folks were a lot tougher than us.

New York, September 16th, 1831

My Dear Sister,

It was with great pleasure and afforded me great happiness to receive your letter by Wm. Jordan. My husband left England on the 27th day of April 1830 and arrived on the 4th day of June in the same year. I followed him with my two daughters (Ann and Mary) on the succeeding voyage. After we arrived, we were on the look out for some likely prospect of doing some service and we took a house in Hudson Street in this city. Where we found it not quite convenient and we moved to our present residence, No. 153 Bowery, corner of Broome and as far as I am able to judge at present, can make a comfortable livelihood. We are offered a lease of seven years or more at the expiration of the six months, from May, provided we find the business answers.

My sons William and Thomas have been here for some years. William has served his time to the currying business and is now working with his late master as a journeyman and is very comfortable. My son Thomas is apprenticed to a coach and wheelwright manufacturer in wh ich place he is very harshly used, but I think it better for him to spend his time out, when he may be his own master. My daughter Ann has been apprenticed to the dress making and milinery business and will have eleven months from this time to serve before she earns anything for herself. My daughter Mary is in school. My brother Benjamin is gone to England since the 1st January and he

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intended reminaing there if he could, but I find that he thinks of returning on the first day of October next.

We find by all accounts received from our native home that things are going very badly, but that they have prospects for the better. My mother lives at Merthyr at my brother William and you may rely on her doing you the utmost justice.

I was under the necessity of leaving much quicker than I expected in consequence of my passage with that of children. And as I was crossing the channel toward Bristol the ship Cosmo, which I sailed with, was coming out of the river. And consequently, I came off in a hurry. We came out to the lands and obliged to put back, where we remained a fortnight.

Jacob is very unwell and obliged to walk on crutches and is not likely to get better. His wife has lately been confined of a still born child. He has got one about 13 or 14 years of age. Benjamin has been married between three and four years to a young woman from North Wales. He has no family and has given up his business for some time. He has two chapels to superintend at Utica.

My sister Ann has been here for four years and has been in comfortable situation in Stueben County with a gentleman and his lady. Her son William that came here about 8 years ago is learning the currying business and is very steady. Her son Thomas is leaning the cabinet business. His son Jacob is with her and getting so much a month with I don't

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know. Her son Benjamin is with my brother Benjamin and is about 10 years old. This is the youngest. Joseph is the same situation in Liverpool as when you heard last. He has got three living children and two died.

To explain my mother's situation (understand that she keeps her own house and William lives with her) - she lives with Merrick as chief clerk. I heard about 2 months since that she enjoyed her health as well as could be expected from a woman of her age.

You may rely on Benjamin's returning the particulars of your affairs. And on his return I shal be able to hear the news from the Old Country and my own prepects.

I should have written sooner, but that I expected my Ann whom I have not seen for the last four years. Yet I hope to receive a letter from you soon.

I must conclude with my respects to your husband and children. Believe me to be your

Dear Sister

Yours Affectionatly

Mary Batten

Swan Tavern
Corner Bowery and Broome St.
New York
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By the way, it's worth taking a look at 153 Bowery on Google Maps. It's definitely not what it was 180 years ago!
 
Back around 1863, the townsfolk of Idaho City got together and built a Catholic church, the first one in Idaho (not such a tough record - Idaho became a territory that year.) The church made it through the first fire in 1865, but didn't survive the second one in 1867. It was rebuilt that year and got through fires three and four in 1868 and 1871.

It still stands today. Mass is celebrated every Sunday.

Here's a photo of the congregation, probably sometime in the early 1890s. I recognize my great grandmother, Mary, all the way in the back in the middle, along with my great, great grandfather, Frank Cooper.

st_joseph_church.jpg


I don't think that the church ever had a full time priest because the population was always in such flux, even during the peak of the gold rush. Thus, in 1901, when my great grandparents were married, it was by the justice of the peace because the circuit priest was not available. When he arrived, he told them that they had been living in sin and would have to be remarried after they had lived apart for a while. According to family lore, that's the last time a priest was ever allowed into their house.

It probably didn't help matters that my great grandfather had been a member of the Loyal Orange Lodge for all of his adult life, either.
 
It's on my bucket list, WA. I'm still sorting through all of the material. In fact, I've got all day Saturday set aside for another trip to the state historical archives to get copies of 60 or so court records. It's interesting - we talk about how litigious society is today. I have no idea if my family's legal finagling was commonplace, but they were so bound up in the courts it's astonishing!
 
Sorry I've been so long in getting this posted. Hope this works!
Here is Charlie Crosby and his '60 Colt Army.

Andy
 

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those are very articulate letters- particularly if the spelling hasn't been corrected. A lot of 19th century writers were very good with words and sometimes, grammer but creative and inconsistent with spelling. I have heard that the formal language used in the series "Deadwood" was not all that uncommon and it certainly did show up in written material
There is a popular conceit that cowboys did not use vulgar language. They probably didnt when talking to their mom. I have heard Deadwood critized because of the frequent use of the Queen Mother Of All Curse Words and its derivations. Some have even said that that particulary word-having to do with procreation, (and a current hip-hop standard) was not in use at the time. A perusal of Eugene Fields' " Ode To The Old Fashioned Harlot" will put an end to that idea. It was based on the Old Oaken Bucket and delivered by Fields to a men's club in 1888. He also wrote a lyrical poem about Socrates and Alcibiades that Oscar Wilde might have liked.
 
I've tried to leave the spelling and grammar as-is, but sometimes I think that my fingers automatically type the right word. The one thing that I did add is punctuation. Almost none of the letters have any - they're one vast run-on sentence. No periods, commas or correct capitalization. It usually takes a while on the first read to parse a letter. Also, penmanship varied from very, very good to very, very bad.

Sometimes I feel like a forensic proofreader.
 
I don't have kids, but I have a niece and some nephews. And I remember some pretty rambling telephone calls when they were 9 or ten years old where there were a lot of subject changes, ums and uhs and some of the most mind-boggling run-on sentences you ever heard.

I guess it's a kid thing (although I'm pretty sure I was quite astute and well spoken at age 10. That's my story, anyway).

When my great grandmother's sister, Essie, was ten, she wrote her grandfather and her aunt a letter. She lived in Idaho City, they lived not too far outside of St. Louis. Here we go...

Idaho City Idaho
Sept the 27 1893

Dear grandpa and aunt nettie we are all well hope you the same aunt nettie I was glad to heare from you I like the ribbon and the picture I hope the Dr did grandpa eyes good O grandpa Madie and I had a picnic trying to make another if Papa gold mine turns out good I think we will come back Warren suffers with the toothake aunt nettie yestrday was warren birthday he was 4 years Mama bake him a cake aunt nettie geneva and I had lots of fun the bath tub we can see lots of snow on the mountains I will close for this tim hope to hear from soon

Essie A Cooper
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Here is the original letter:

essie_1.jpg
essie_2.jpg


By the way, although "Papa's" gold mine turned out pretty well (Papa was my great, great grandfather Frank Cooper), they didn't go back. Instead, they brought "Grandpa", who, in real life was my great, great, great grandfather Christopher Cooper, out to Idaho City, Idaho the next year.
 
I'm transcribing a pamphlet that's long out of print and copyright called "Idaho City - Queen of the Gold Camps". I'll put a link to a PDF version of it here when I'm done. It has some most excellent information on the gold rush there during the Civil War and, although it's specific to Idaho City, much of it could just as well be a generic history of gold mining of the day.

One thing that kind of made me chuckle was a brief summary of business activity in September of 1865. There was a list of the number of various establishments within Idaho City (or Bannock, as it was called back then). Here's a sampling

Newspaper: 1
Saddle Shop: 1
Photograph Shop: 1
Paint Shop: 2
Church: 2
Tailor Shop: 3
Jewelry Store: 3
Tin and Stove Shop: 3
Hotel: 4
Drug Store: 5
Cigar Stand: 5
Billiard Parlor: 5
Barber Shop: 6
Bakery: 9
Chinese Laundry: 10
Blacksmith Shop: 12
Restaurant: 15
Dry Goods and Clothing Store: 20
Law Office: 23
Grocery Store: 36
Saloon: 41

Now, that was at the beginning of the year. In May, most everything burned down. Of interest, all of the saloons burned. None of the churches did (although they did burn in later fires.)
 
Here's a link to a PDF file of the little book that I mentioned in the previous post. It's a transcription of a pamphlet that came out in 1958 about mining and other events in early Idaho City, Idaho history.

From what I know about local history, most of it's true. Even if you're not as wound up in southwest Idaho history as I am, it's an interesting read about a pretty typical mountain mining town of the mid to late 19th century.

As far as I can tell, the copyright has long since expired and it's been out of print for decades.

Idaho City - Queen of the Gold Camps (about 96KB)
 
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