| Madison County Letters©
- 24May1850 Copyright 2000 Fredi Perry In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data and images may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or for other presentation without express permission by the contributor(s) Troy, Madison Co., Illinois, May 24, 1850 Dear Caroline, It is some time since I have heard from your region, and I suppose you do not often hear from the land of your nativity. I am in tolerably good health. Your father, and family, were well when I last saw them. Little Adeline and Henry Clay are likely to fall heirs to a part of the Kingston estate, as Wm. Wesley Kingston is dead, and his heirs are his mother, Lawson (?), Adeline, and Henry Clay. The Caseyville Rail Road is not likely to be completed as soon as were expected. It is suspended for want of funds; and and Lt. Gov. Casey has gone to the East to raise the wind. Another Rail Road, further south, is in full blast, and supplies St. Louis with coal at a cheap rate, say 3 or 4 cents a bushel. Plank Road. - We are to have a Plank Road from Illinois - Town (?) via Collinsville and Troy to Highland. Pacific and Atlantic Rail Road. - This will inevitably pass through this neighborhood. Troy and Collinsville are gradually going ahead. Rev. Samuel Wood, your old neighbor, died on the 20th inst. It is said he went to Edwardsville in a wagon and came home intoxicated, and badly bruised, but could not tell how it was done. It was supposed that he fell out of the wagon, and that it ran over him, but if so how could he get in again? His age was about 74. A very good sort of man, except in the way of whiskey. Old Granny Wood still living. Most of the old settlers in this neighborhood are gone. Wm. F. Purviance and Jubilee Posey are still alive. Polly Posey married M. F. Zink (?) last fall, and died soon afterwards. Mrs. Sally Gaskill, widow of David Gaskill, died at Alton in Jan. last. The family had removed to Alton. When a child, under nine years, she had her mother, 3 sisters, and 1 brother killed by a party of Indians, and she was carried into captivity, and remained with the Indians 15 months. The massacre took place in Monroe Co., Ill on the 26th Jan., 1795. Her father, Robert McMahan, Esq. Was also made captive, but escaped from his captors two days afterwards. Miss Betsey Gaskill is also dead. She died since her mother's death. Mr. E. B. Lockwood, whose first wife died of cholera last year, has married again. His new wife was widow Hart, daughter of Rev. James Lemer. (?) I learn from the papers that Mr. Jonathan Bentley is dead. Norman E. Gates is dead, and his widow is married to Rev. James Hadley. Old Doctor Gates is still alive, and grunting at Troy. Your uncle Levi is still alive and as indolent as ever. He sticks close to the little house, which I built for his occupancy. The Spring is very backward, cold and wet. Winter wheat looks well. This is fortunate, for last year was a disastrous one to the farmers, and as we live near market, the country has been drained of its eatables. Night before last, we had heavy rain. The prospect is fair for a tolerable Peach crop next September. That will be a good time for you to visit Kingston Bluff, if the cholera does not rage, and I hope it will not. W. W. Louis folks have learned by experience that it's best to keep up a strict quarantine. There will doubtless be occasionally some cases of cholera at St. Louis, but I do not think it will rage, as it did last year. Henry T. Bartling, formerly of Edwardsville, died of cholera, this spring, at St. Louis. Galesburg. - Charles B. Weeks has gone to California for gold. Horace has married widow Shannon (?) and ??? Hannah A. Perrigo is a widow - has rented out her farm, and living with her father in Galesburg. She has lately lost one of her children, viz: Nancy Amelia. Wm. W. Weeks has also rented out his farm, and moved to Galesburg, and built a house. He is going to lean to be a carpenter. Miss Emily Amelia Churchill is soon to marry Rev. James Henry Warrang (?) and go with him as a missionary, via Panama to California. George is in College. Angeline McCray, only surviving child of Calvin McCray is married to Dr. John S. Dewey of Troy. The heirs of Horatio McCray are trying to prove that Angeline is the daughter of Henry Johnson, and not of Calvin McCray, so as to make themselves heirs of Calfins. Report says that Jubilee Posey will swear that Calvin told him that the child was not his; and that Granny Wood says that old Catherine said the child was Johnsons. On the other hand, old Catharine has sworn before a J.P. that she and Calvin were married before they lived together; and we all know that they were married afterwards, and that Calvin raised and educated Angeline as his own child. Please write a letter to your father. Tell the old man to preserve the letter for me to read when I visit Kingston Bluff. Respects to Mr. Bingham, and all other friends. Truly yours, George Churchill. PS. Mary C. Weeks has become school marm, and is teaching at Dodville, Macdonough Co., Ill. John L. Weeks married and dead, last year. We had snow 7 ½ inches on a level, April 14, 1850. The roads are getting better, but the mail still coming in a "mud wagon." |