1853: Letter from Rebecca Cree to her brother Joseph H Cree | |
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[Outer reverse side:]
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[Inner:] Manchester Dec 21st 1853 |
This is the first letter addressed to Joseph Cree in Upper New York State, some hundreds of miles north of the family's pervious home in New York City. We do not have an address in the 1852 letter from Thomas Jefferson Cree so we can only say for sure that the family moved between 1849 (since Letter 3 was posted from England on 4th December 1848) and 1853. However the letter from Robert Hogbin of New York (Letter 7) suggests that he and Joseph have not met since before the Fall (Autumn) of 1849 so we might reasonably deduce that the Crees moved from New York in 1849. Cazenovia, in Madison County, is now described as a village of population 2612 on the shores of Cazenovia Lake. It's about 20 km (12 miles) SE of Syracuse. 21st December 1853 was in fact Joseph and Martha's 24th wedding anniversary. Joe was now 47 and Martha 53. The family now consisted of Haber 21, Sarah 17, Mary 15 and Elizabeth 11. The eldest child Eliza is now 23 and married and Sarah's twin sister Hannah had recently died as we shall read in the first paragraph. |
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My Dear Brother & Sister
We received your letter about the 18th of last month. We were glad to hear from you, especaly Father and Mother. We began to think my letter had miscarried and Mother began to think she should not hear from you again wilst she lived has [=as] she has been rather poorly of late. It is what we must expect. Father and Mother are a great age. Thay & Frisby join me in sympathy for you in your loss of poor Hannah. She was always a thoughtful child and I hope she is better provided for.
I hope Eliza has got a good husband and that they will be happy and prosperious [sic]. You did not mention the tow youngest children. Mother wants to hear about them all. |
We have no other record of Eliza's marriage and no knowledge of her husband's name so we lose sight of her here apart from a brief mention of her having "gone west" in Will Frisby's note in the 1856 letter. The "two youngest children" are Mary aged 15 and Elizabeth 11. |
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It has given her and all of us great satisfaction to hear you are all comfortably off in worldly matters. I hope you have almost got over your losses of last winter and that things may go better with you this. Times are very hard and will be herre this winter. There [deletion] has been a general [...]ent[?] in the Manchester trade and now, owing to the war between Prussia and Turkey, trade is at a stand still and their is nothing now for them to do. It affects all trades now and many of the oldest established tradesmen in the town has had to compromisse to carry on. It affects me considerably in my business. It makes people careful until things take a turn. |
We still have no real idea about what Joe did for a living. Clearly he is doing well and the mention of seasonal losses suggests that it is at least linked to agriculture.
Rebecca must mean Russia not Prussia as the only war she can be referring to is the Crimean War (1853-56) |
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My Dear Brother your kind offer of sending a little money toward the suport of our Parrents relieves my mind of a great load of anxiety that has preset [=pressed] heavily upon me some time. The feeling of being responsible and every thing depending upon me, it is tow much for a woman to have to do and I feel it now trade is so bad. It takes nearly all I get to keep house and I have got nothing towards this quarters rent. I believe Mother would be in a sad fidget about it only for the prospect of you sending some. I sometimes wonder wether it will allways be so with us just able to live and that is all. I know you will say why not come to America and not drag out a miserable existance herre but you do not know what it is. At least you perhaps have not given it the consideration what it is to remove old people from old asso[ci]ations. Besides Father and Mother does not seem has though thay could make up their minds to cross the sea. Besides I have not given this a fair trial yet, and if the old established tradespeople feel it, it is likely I should. So you must not expect us to come out to you at present. Whatever we may do at a future time I cannot tell. |
Clearly the modest prosperity which Joe has achieved in America is not matched by his relatives in Manchester which was barely starting to recover from the depressed years of the 1840s. |
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Mother wishes me to say she does not approve of your scheme of going up the country to Farm. I think she is affraid you will not be happy in those solitudes at your time of life. I cannot help thinking your age is against you going to a fresh way of life but you should know best what to do in the country you are in. I should feel very much gratified to think I had one brother that was a landholder. |
This indicates that Joseph still has the ambition to go "out west" and acquire land. We may deduce that he is not in fact a farmer at present, so his livelihood must be in some trade related to agriculture. |
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My dear Brother, Frisby will write to Haber in course of a month or so. I am very glad for I should like them to keep up an intimacy by corispondence so that thay not quite forget [deletion] each other when we are no more. |
Haber Cree is now 21 while his cousin William Frisby is nearly 23. |
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I sent your letter to the Park and we have just receved one from them. It does not say anything particular & nothing about you or of writing to you. I dare say she has no idea I am writing to you so soon. She is not aware of our pressing nesisity. I know she has not the means to help us so it of no use troubling her with what she cannot remedy. I believe their [=they're] all well and all employed with the exception of Ben and thay are rather undecided what to do with [him]. Thay want to get him from the Park. He has got companions there that is no good to him. I wanted him to come to Manchester & go apprentice to a joiner but thay think of him going to Preston to John Riley to be a Mechanic. It is perhaps all for the best although I feel rather disapointed. I had set my mind upon it but it would have been a fresh source of anxiety to me. |
Rebecca must have forwarded a letter from Joe to their sister Elizabeth who had married William Frisby's father Tom. Their mother had mentioned in the 1848 letter that Tom and Betsey were living at the Park, presumably Codnor Park where the Butterley Ironworks were situated. It seems liklely that Ben is Benjamin Cutts, now aged 25, son of Elizebeth's brother Benjamin Cutts to whom she referred as Uncle Benjamin in both of her letters. However 25 seems rather old to be taking up an apprenticeship. |
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My Dear Brother & Sister it is within 2 days of the new year. There is a great deal of festiveties arround us but we are very quiet & I dare say quite has happy. Father & Mother have no relish now for gaiety and I feel I am doing my duty & that is my compensation. Has for Frisby he never seems to have any desire for amusement. He is a strange youth but I must not find fault. He never gives us any trouble. He keeps his s[i]tuation & does not spend his money. Tell the boy to write to him in your next letter. |
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I must conclude. With Father & Mother, love to you both & to all the children respectivly & Frisby joins me in love, good wishes to you all, your truly affectionate Sister
Rebecca Cree.
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My Dear Martha
Father desires me to state about the books. He does not seem has if he would like to part with the encyclopedia just at present. He wants to look at them sometimes has he has nothing else to do, but he says you are to have them when he has done with them & the other books we will send the first oppertunity. |
James Oakes Senior was a major industrialist owning Riddings Iron Works, which he opened (with others) in 1800, and several coal mines. I believe James Oakes Senior died in 1845. The 1851 Census shows James Oakes aged 35 as the Head of Household at Riddings House, a "Magistrate... Iron Master & Landowner" so this will be "young James Oakes." |
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It is the 29 of December and snowing very fast. The cabs & coaches can scarc[e]ly make any way at all. I must say goodnight & a happy New Year.
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All the transcriptions, notes and commentaries on these Letters to an Emigrant web pages are copyright © Mike Spathaky 2009. |
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