Group of 9 letters, 1848-1879 from friends & family to William Dickson of Meadville & Hayfield, PA & Allens Grove, Wisconsin
Meadville, PA: 1864. We could not find out much about the recipient of these letters, William B. H. Dickson. He came from Meadville and was apparently engaged in mercantile activity and owned some real estate, and a newspaper clipping accompanyiing the last letter mentioned here discusses the background and geneaology of the family. Dickson's parents were from Dumfries, Scotland, and the family emigrated to the US in 1786, settling first in Pittsburgh, then moving north to the Meadville area in 1794 (other records date this 1793), eventually settling into a farm in Hayfield, 4 miles north of Meadville, in 1796. William's brother Robert lived most of his life in the original Hayfield homestead. William was friends with the Shryock family, prominent businessmen in Crawford County, and Shryock's partner, Gill, also shared genealogical connections to the Dicksons. William's brother, R. F. Dickson (possibly different from "Robert" who stayed in Hayfield?), moved from Meadville to Quincy, Illinois and became engaged in mercantile activities there in the 1840s, and sometime later (before 1864), William moved to Allens Grove, Wisconsin, but it's unclear what he did there or the reason for his move. The letters are interesting for their details of Meadville and Crawford County life, as well as the economics of mercantile activity in the heartland, of the Civil War's impact on Meadville, especially conscription issues, and for their countrified grammar and spelling. We will describe each letter, arranged chronologically. Most of the letters have their original mailing envelopes and are in very good condition. 1) Feb. 2, 1848 letter from R. F. Dickson in Quincy, IL, to William. 2 pp., good with some wear and damage, but complete. Most of the first page is criticism of a lot of clocks that William had sent his brother for resale. They were apparently inferior and practically worthless. "...so that I will have to sell them for a grate deel less on that account, in fact there is not five of them a like there clocks that they could not sell to enabody else so they put them on to you and when they com here we would not know enny better for this is out of the wirld and there is no person here but heathens and it is so far that we will be obliged to keep them and do the best we can the clocks that I fetch with me is worth twice as much as the ones that you sent and they cost thirty dollars a doz. ..." The second page asks about the price of salt in Pittsburgh and the freight costs to Illinois. He then suggests that William inquire into possibilities of sending other products to Illinois, such as corn, oats, pork, etc. because "whi cant we make som thing on one or the other or on all these articles this summer. I want you to make some inquiry and let me know what can be don, and how the times is there and how the fite [fight] that you had with Wash Watson and how bad you got licked and how Robert gits a long since he licked Coon Watson and how the girl gits a long and whether Wash brags a bout whipping you or not..." (sounds to us like a typical big brother's teasing). At the end, in typical big brother fashion he writes, "N. B. this is the way to fold a letter." 2) Letter from R. F. Dickson to William in Meadville, from Elmwood, IL, dated Feb. 24, 1856. 2 pp. (Elmwood is about 120 miles NE of Quincy). The first page details plans to run a railroad into Elmwood. "Mr. Gilson told me that when the track was laid as far as my place that there would be the depo for it was all the place that they could have and I mite depend on it, this morning I have been told that they have run out of money but I do not know the cirtenty of it for the road is more and half grade there and I have been told that they have got the Iron for the track there, the cars came into Elmwood day before yesterday, so you can see that we have the cars within 4 miles of here..." He then asks about the health of the "folks" back in Meadville and inquires about prices of things, "and what dried apples is and whether there plenty or not and the price wheat is worth 1.30 cents per bushel corn is, 30 cents per bushel, oats is 25 cents per bushel, butter is 20 cents per pound, eggs is 10 cents per doz." 3) Letter from D. G. Shryock of Meadville. Shryock was a merchant, businessman, farmer and part of one of Meadville's most prominent and richest families of the time. Dated August 12, 1864 it reads, "Friend Bill, your favor of the eighth instant came to hand. I was glad to hear that you were improving in health and hope you may continue to do so. Since you left, there has been no change here of any account. Your folks are all well I believe at present. I suppose you have heard of the death of Mr. Woods before this time. I have received the rent for last month and gave the tenants a receipt up to August 1. Mr. Reed is working for the railroad company, he has charge of a gang of mine filling up the grounds around the shops. Mr. Fraser has not made his appearance yet with the deed, nor has anyone called for taxes. The weather has been very warm here for some days, yesterday and today we have had rain, which was very welcome, James McHenry is expected here in a few days, and the central board are going to meet him at Salamanca about going through to St. Louis on the Broad Gauge, which be the longest run ever made in this country without change of cars. We are all well and doing as well as we can. Hoping this will find the same, I am yours respectfully D. G. Shryock" With original envelope. 4) Letter from H. Hartman in Meadville, August 15, 1864. Interesting contents. 3 pp. with original envelope, addressed to Dickson in Allens Grove, Rock County, Wisconsin. "Dear Sir yours of 8 came to hand in due time and I am sorry that I put you to so much troubel to go and find Bakers folks at Beloit -- I supose the reason was they left Beloit about the first day of August and went back to Indiana where they lived before I got a letter from them the next day that I wrote to you stating that they are likley to louse [lose] all thare fairm they sold thare Farm in Indiana for 4500 Dollars and put it in a Metical Collidge neare Chiago the [unreadable] and by the name N. S. Dodge and he turned out to be a raskel and is trying to cheat them out of it all But I got a letter since they thought that that they could get thare Farm back again by moving on it again...there is nothing new here at present here but considell excitment about the coming draft the Coperheads say that they will resist the draft this faul. Mrs Henryeta Smith died on Saturday morning last. Sheriff Creek was arrested for Conspiracy on Saturday last for harbring Negrows in the Gale [jail] and hiring them out for subistuts fraudlently in company with other men they have warnts out for a number of others the turnkey of the Jale has run a way, D. A. Finney & G. W. Howe have took the mater in hand and have Creek arrested and others I will tell you more about it some other time..." 5) Letter from D. G. Shryock from Meadville, August 22, 1864. 2 pp, with envelope. "Dear sir, as the price of Timothy is very high here at present, we would like to have you buy about 200 bushels of Prime Seed if you can buy it at three or four dollars per bushel. You may have it put in bags or Bernees [?] which ever would be the least trouble. If you can buy any, please do so and advise us of the same and we will send money and directions how to ship. Also give as the price of clover. We are all well, also your folk are I believe. Sel [?] is try to set up a Company for one year to Commence today and I am all alone in the store. There is considerable excitement about the Draft, every township is trying to file its quota before the fifth..." 6) Letter from William's niece, H. E. Wilson, October 7, 1864, from Hayfield PA (Crawford County), 3 1/3 pages, in original envelope. "Dear Uncle, I rect yours in due time, which I was very sorry to hear that you had been sick, but I hope that you will get well again. Uncle Robert says that you can get the apple butter and apples that is all that he knows about, mother has been over to aunt Isabell and Ann Shoemaker is sick. She has some kind of a fever. She has been down sick about three weeks. And Mr. Yokum and Henry and Ma Yokum are all down with the fever. Henry has got so that he can set a little. Dr. Best has been a comin out there for about five weeks. Charlie has got a good many chestnuts gathered he goes out I guess about every morning and he has a great time watching them too I guess. That I have about half a bushel uncle Simon and aunt Emily Dickinson are back on a visit. I got a letter from uncle Dan about two weeks ago and he says that he bets that he can beat us a raising chickens for he got 18 hens in the spring and they had all the eggs they wanted to use and have raised about 100 chickens so we may beat that if we can. How much a bushel is chestnuts up there. Pa and mother has got about 2 bushels of chestnuts. Uncle Jim got a note from Gill & Shryocks that he had got some flour from them and he says that he never got a pound of flour there and Mrs. Gray never got any but what she paid and will send you the note and if it is any other farmer Dixon, why he wants you to explain it to Gill & Shryock. Levi Morris was in the army and died and they brought him home. Emma Dixon is married to Mr. Robert Andrews and he has enlisted for one year. I was in town going to school and I got sick and had to come home which is a going for to beat for president Lincoln or McClelland. I send my best respect to you and all requiring friends right soon from your niece HE Wilson." 7) Letter from Ann Jones, Meadville, October 23, 1864, 3 pp. with envelope. She is sorry to hear he is still sick and interested that he might come home to vote in the election. Mainly the letter is about farm life and local details, the problems getting rid of weeds, that they have 400 heads of cabbage; pigs on the farm, how their numbers of chickens have dramatically dwindled, and how one of William's old friends had taken up fishing and came home with twenty of the "nicest fish you ever seen and he says he feel furst rait but dont no how long it will last." 8) Letter from E. B. Jones, Meadville, November 9, 1864, 3 pp., with envelope. Written the day after the presidential election, it is unclear from this letter how Crawford county voted, but she writes, "Evry thing passed off quietly yesterday and not withstanding the incesent rain there was a heavy vote polled but we have carried the town by a majority of 145, 110 in the NW, 35 in the SW, and mead by 14, and as far as heard from all is right..." Later in the letter: "In 3 months I expect to commence work for the A. & G. W. I saw Mr. Cummings and such was the talk. The pig grows finely, and we hope to share it with you." There is an additional note from Jones's wife (?), Ann Jones, who in the last letter gave details on the heads of cabbage and in this letter continues discussion of cabbage growing. 9) Letter from solicitors in Palmyra, MO, Jan. 16, 1879, inquiring about details of Robert Dickson's estate, with accompanying newspaper clipping detailing the Dickson family's interests and history in Crawford County. The 1876 Crawford County atlas gives this information about the Dicksons in Hayfield: "The history of this township is furnished by Joseph Dickson, now in his eighty-sixth year and the oldest early settler in Crawford County. The township was organized in the year 1830. Its situation is northwest of the centre of the County, and its surface embraces an area of twenty-two thousand six hundred and forty-one acres. French Creek is the eastern boundary, and Cussewago flows through its lands in a southward course. James Dickson was the pioneer settler of the township. In the spring of 1793, he left his home near Pittsburgh and traveled on foot to Meadville, then a hamlet of two or three small log cabins; thence he went up the creek till he found a satisfactory location on the west side of what are known as Magoffin's Falls. Here he made a tomahawk improvement, as the early settlers were wont to do,—that is, he deadened a few trees and marked others by cuttings in the bark. This act gave no legal rights, but was respected by the settlers as establishing a priority of claim, with which it was discreditable to interfere. These "rights" were bought by purchasers of favorite tracts rather than quarrel with the claimants. Dickson worked in company with a man named William Jones from east of the creek, and raised a supply of corn and potatoes. As winter approached he returned to Pittsburgh, and passed that season in preparation, and, in the spring of 1794, brought his family up French Creek in a keel-boat to Meadville. Dread of the Indians prevented improvement; but in 1796 that fear was removed, and the family of seven persons moved to the future farm. By kindly aid, a log cabin was constructed, the clearing was enlarged, and upon a portion a young orchard was set out." In sum, a fascinating set of letters around a family that has claim to being among the first non-native settlers of Crawford County. Very good. Item #h42843
Price: $350.00