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Dear Brother, Mother and
Susters,
I take this opportunity of letting you know that we are still in the land
of the living. This leaves us all well. Magdalen excepted. She has been
very bad with tick dolorow, that is a pain in the head. It came on at 9 at
night and left her till morning. The time that it lasted she was in great
pain but she is much better and is moving about again. I am in good health
but I dare not go out to work. I am throng weaving. I am never off the
farm but at the church on Sundays so you see that I am afraid of getting
my feel wet for fear of a vist of the gout. We have go a young minister
placed here. His name is Gavin. He is about twenty one years of age and
one of the cleverest preachers I have heard this long time. He preaches at
St. Mary's onehalf the day and the other half to us, that is about six
miles he has to ride betwixt the churches every Sunday. The last winter
was one of the longest in the memory of man. The snow lay to May so that a
great many cattle died for want of provender but we had plenty and to
spare. We gave away four load of straw to keep our neighbour's cattle from
dying, but our lambs came too soon and we lost fifteen with the cold but
we had twenty nine sheep left and we have seventeen head of cattle, one
mare and colt and thirteen swine. We had sixteen bushel of fall wheat
sowed last fall but it is mostly killed out in the winter. We had five
bushel of spring wheat. It did well. We had thirteen bushel of oats,
midling good, four bushel of barley which did pretty well. Our peas was
good but the potstoes was a complete failure. We have about eleven tons of
hay so that we have plenty of provisions for man and beast. We made about
four hundred of sugar and eleven gallon of molasses. We have summer
fallowed ten acres and has got in fall wheat. We put it in the middle of
Sepetember. It looks well as yet but the winter is the trying time for it.
We have our orchard set out, 28 apples and one cherry and one plum and I
am raising a lot of more. Fruit is very cheap this year, apples one
shilling per bushel. Our family has kept together till now but John and
James was bound for Australia this fall but John could not get his place
sold so they have given it up till the spring and in the meantime John is
away to Michegan to the timbering to make as much money as he can. He has
fifteen dollars per month and board. James is at home to attend the cattle
and chop firewood for our chopping is done here. We have about sixty acres
cleared and the rest is for fencing and firewood so if they go in the
spring they will give you a call and see all their Paisley friends. They
are very fond to see their grandmother and Uncle Wm. and Thomas Brown.
Really we felt keenly for him. I would be very fond to see him and you all
but I doubt if we will ever meet in this world. I would like if you would
let us know how Matthew Brown got quit of the soliering and if James Brown
is well-doing and all about the family and how Nell is getting on. Tell
her that I am quite an old man and cannot read without my specs. Last year
we had seventy four pounds of wool and made it into cloth and druggest and
blankets, this year we will have as much to make so you see that we keep
ourselves warm in our own manufacturing. Magdalene dyes and Margaret spins
and I weaves it into cloth. I will give you some description of our
family. John is a good workman and very steady young man. He left word to
send his compliments to you all and if you would let him know the price of
a passage from Glasgow to Australia he would like to go that way and see
you all. James is about the same height and make as myself. He is a good
carder and weaver and chopper and fiddler and as steady as you wish a son
to be. He likewise send his compliments to grandmother and you and Aunt
and Elizabeth and Agnes and all the rest of his friends. MArgaret is a
little fat lass and is going to join company with a lad about six feet
high in the name of John Thomson, a comrade of John's. She send her love
to grand-mother, Aunt and all the rest of friends. Ann is a healthy stout
girl. She cooks and milks and knits stockings and spins. I think she is
like my mother. She send her best prespects to granny and all her friends.
William is growing very fast. He is a good ploughman. He would like to see
his granny. Magdalene is a very light made girl but quite healthy. Robert
is quite healthy and handles the axe well. He wonders how you do not know
him for you named all the rest in your last letter. Agnes is a brunette.
She is a stout little gabie girl. I do not know how I would have been if I
had been in Paisley but I think it would not been so well with me and
family for we have almost all we would wish but money that we have not.
Our tax at first was 8 and 4 pence. Now we are taxed for three hundred
pounds of property which comes to £2 12/- of actual tax. It is coming too
high for a Canadian farmer to pay. I send my kind love to mother and Agnes
and yourself and Nell. Magdalene sends her compliments to granny and Nancy
and yourself and Mrs Morton and Elizabeth and to her sister Bell and she
would like well to know how she is getting on and she like to see her
here. Give my compliments to Mr Shaw and J. Hutcheson and wide and Mary
Shearer. I have not got a newspaper but two this twelve months. I would
like some times to hear what news is going amongst you. No more at present
but remains,
Your loving Brother,
James Good. |
