Wyoming County PA Archives History - Letters .....PHILLIPS, Abraham to brother David : 1856 - 1875 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Jerry Huggins jerhuggins@aol.com St. Charles October 30th 1856 Mr. David Phillips I received your letter to day and $50 in cash with it. I am getting better. I shall stay a few days yet to settle business. You may ceeap them things until I come. Charles McCrackin has ben chopping 4 ft wood at 62 cents per cord, but the timber is so hard that he cannot make enough to pay his board. He has to pay 3 dollars per week. Otis McCrackin is to work in the Foundry at St. Charles. The west is the Hardes place that I could went to you. Cannot find anything to do. The water is damned poor that it would kill the devil, and the Land too. They can raise from 10 to 25 bushels of wheat, and it verys from 50 to 55 lbs to the bushel. Stay where you are and let the west alone. I have got 600 grow receipts in full of all demandes up to this date Aug. 19th 1856. I will rite and let you know when I start. Old Leonard Phillips have some money to buy a yoke of oxen. I sent to him to send it to me but I have not heard from him yet. I werenít to hear from him before I start, you shall have your money with interest. Yours with Respect. Abram Phillips Additional Comments: Letter from Abram Phillips in Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA to his younger brother David Phillips. Punctuation has been added to this transcription for purposes of clarity. ============== Nicholson Jan 14th 1863 Mr. David Phillips Dear Brother I received a letter from you dated Oct. 23rd 1862 and I wrote to you some two months ago and I have not got no answer as yet. I heard from Laura Vail she said she heard from you about the last of November and you had ben sick about 2 monthes and you was in the hospital but did not say what the name of the hospital was. We have had some very heavy battles a short time ago. Elijah Squier is in the army. Hiram is at home to work on the farm. He is geting along firsorabt. It is very sickley here this winter, the folks are dying off very fast. Some days 3 & 4 funerales. The most of them have the diptheria, and they have the small pox in Seranton. I hope this wicked rebellion will soon be brought to a close. Leonard Phillips is in the army, he was drafted in Wisconsin & Daniel Thurber. Wages are very low here this winter, not much of anything going on. Grain fetches a good price. Oates 52 cts per bushel. Corn 75 cts. Buckwheat 75 cts. Potatoes 50. Beanes $2 per bushel. Hay $11 per ton. We have had very unsteady weather here this winter. Not much snow yet. One day cold enough to freeze one to death and the next rain. We are all well as usual. Charles has not ben very well. He has not ben able to do anything since September 1862. His lungs are effected but I think he will get over it if he is care full of himself. Father health is not very good. Jacob Quick was up here in Sept he was well then. I have not heard from him since. No more at present. For I do not know as you will get this. If you do, write as soon as possible for it has ben a long time since I have heard from you. With Respect from your Brother. Abram Phillips Additional Comments: Letter from Abram Phillips, Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA to his younger brother David Phillips. Punctuation has been added to this transcription for purposes of clarity. ================= Nicholson Jan 14th 1863 Mr. David Phillips Dear Brother I received a letter from you dated Oct. 23rd 1862 and I wrote to you some two months ago and I have not got no answer as yet. I heard from Laura Vail she said she heard from you about the last of November and you had ben sick about 2 monthes and you was in the hospital but did not say what the name of the hospital was. We have had some very heavy battles a short time ago. Elijah Squier is in the army. Hiram is at home to work on the farm. He is geting along firsorabt. It is very sickley here this winter, the folks are dying off very fast. Some days 3 & 4 funerales. The most of them have the diptheria, and they have the small pox in Seranton. I hope this wicked rebellion will soon be brought to a close. Leonard Phillips is in the army, he was drafted in Wisconsin & Daniel Thurber. Wages are very low here this winter, not much of anything going on. Grain fetches a good price. Oates 52 cts per bushel. Corn 75 cts. Buckwheat 75 cts. Potatoes 50. Beanes $2 per bushel. Hay $11 per ton. We have had very unsteady weather here this winter. Not much snow yet. One day cold enough to freeze one to death and the next rain. We are all well as usual. Charles has not ben very well. He has not ben able to do anything since September 1862. His lungs are effected but I think he will get over it if he is care full of himself. Father health is not very good. Jacob Quick was up here in Sept he was well then. I have not heard from him since. No more at present. For I do not know as you will get this. If you do, write as soon as possible for it has ben a long time since I have heard from you. With Respect from your Brother. Abram Phillips Additional Comments: Letter from Abram Phillips, Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA to his younger brother David Phillips. Punctuation has been added to this transcription for purposes of clarity. ================== Nicholson May 5th 1863 Mr. David Phillips Dear Brother Your letter of April 20th 1863 is received. I was glad to here from you. We are all well except Charles, his health is not very good. He does not do much of anything. We have had very nice weather in May. The farmers are sowing their Oats, and some of them have planted their potatoes, but everything looks very backward. The grass has not started much yet. The trees look as dry as they did last winter. Leyman Squier has ben up about a weeak and he went back this morning. His health is not very good this spring. His time will be out next April. About the last of the month he is coming back here as soon as his time out, and then he is going west. The times are very hard here now. Wages are low from $10 to 14 per month, but I can make more to work by the job. I am going to peealing hemlock bark. I shall comece next weeak. Flour is from $8.50 cts to 9 dollars per bbl. Corn one dollar per bushel. Potatoes 50cts. Rye $1. Oates 65 to 75 cts. Pork $18 to $20 per bbl. Butter 20 cts per lb. Egges 12 cts dz. Clothing is very high. Coates that they use to sell for $7 and 8 dollars, now they fetch 15 a $16. Wolin pantes from $5 to $10. Cotton pantes from $2.62 to $4. Shirting from 31 to 48 cts per yard. Shugar 17 cts per lb. Tea 1.75. Coffee 30 to 38 cts per lb. In fact everything is about three times as high as it use to be when you was here. Labor is lower than it use to be, but wages will be higher after a while for there is not many labours in the County. They will haft to pay higher wages, or let their work go un done. I have not had any letters from Isaac Phillips since I wrote to you before, nor I have not heard from Thurber town since I wrote. Ales Driggs has sold his farm and is going west in June. George Stephenes is going west as soon as he can sell his place. I should like to go to Oregon, but the times is to hard. Think of it now, Leyman Squier sayes in 2 year from now he is going to Wishington Teritory that lies north of Oregon. Oregon that is if he lives & has his health. Charles McCracken is in Washington. I have not had any letters from him since he has ben down their. It will be too year in August since he went. The last time I saw him, he said he would pay you sometime. Write when you get this letter & let me know how you are getting along. Youres with Respect Abram Phillips Additional Comments: Letter from Abram Phillips, Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA to his younger brother David Phillips. Punctuation has been added to this transcription for purposes of clarity. ======================= April 13th 1875 Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA Mr. David Phillips Your letter of March 21st 1875, I received March 27th. We are all well at present, and I hope these few lines will find you all the same. I have ben wating for the snow to go off. It has snowed to day about 8 inches. Their is not much farming done here as yet. This spring is very backward. We had two floodes in March. One the 3rd, 4th the very cold and about 2 ft of snow, and one about 16, 17, 18th then very cold, and 10 or 12 inches snow. If it had not turned cold, the flood would have swept everything along the river. I here different reports about the Blackhills. One is that their is any quanity of gold their, and one report that their no sirinty of any gold their, and one that the government of the United States forbides any Person or persons going their. And they are going to send troops their to drive out all parties from the Blackhills. They say the Blackhills, as far west as Big Horn River belongs to the Sioux Indians. According to the treaty they made with them in 1868. I donít think it would be very safe place to go at present. Perhaps if their is gold they will make arrangements with the Indians. For it will be imposable to ceap all parties going to ding gold, if their is gold their. Flour is $6.75 cts to $7 per bbl of 196 lbs. Corn meal 1.85 cts per 100 lbs. Potatoes 50 to 60 cts per bushel. Oats 55 to 60 cts. Rye and Wheat none here. Butter 25 cts. Egges 24 cts per doz. Hay $12 per ton. Pork 15 cts per lb. It is snowing now 3, oclock 30 minutes the 1875 Apr 13th. No more at present. Yours with respect Abram Phillips Have you got your lands all paid for and how many acres have you got. Additional Comments: Letter from Abram Phillips, Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA to his younger brother David Phillips. Punctuation has been added to this transcription for purposes of clarity. ==================