Newberry Library - Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, to Eliab W. Metcalf (brother), Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1848, 1851

Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, to Eliab W. Metcalf (brother), Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1848, 1851

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Open book Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, to Eliab W. Metcalf (brother), Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1848, 1851

Title Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, to Eliab W. Metcalf (brother), Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1848, 1851

Creator Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, 1822-1898

Date 1848, 1851

Place United States

Subjects Bowdoin College, Brothers and sisters, DuQuoin Coal Company, Illinois Central Railroad Company

Format Business records, Correspondence, Diaries, Genealogies, Invoices, Manuscripts, Personal narratives, Records

User-Contributed Transcription Perry Co Illinois, Aug. 15, 1851
17, 1851
Dear Brother Eliah
Your letter of July 29, 1851, dated at Woonsocket R.I. reached me nearly two day ago.
I wanted very much to dispatch a letter at once to Westfield, hoping it might meet you there; but it was almost impossible. I should not have minded stopping the Party while I wrote it, but the expense of sending a man off to Post office express 8 or 10 miles with it would have been perhaps $2. or 3.00, and add to this the extreme probability that if it arrived at the P.O. that evening it would get started before tomorrow morning. In short, it was best to wait.
You expected a letter from me at Woonsocket. Well, you do not yet realize how far out of the world I am, nor the difficulties in the was of the rapid transmission of intelligence to certain portions of our country. I did not receive your letter requesting me to write to Woonsocket until Aug. 9. 1851, more than a week as you perceive after you left Woonsocket. If I had written immediately to Woonsocket, it would probably have arrived there sometime early in September. Again you will perceive (if you ever have a chance) the great improbability of your ever receiving this letter in Westfield As it will probably reach there sometime in September.
The first letter I received from Maine, the first I heard from there after I left there in May last, was I think Aug. 6 or 7 when I received one from you, enclosing one from Alabama, and merely stating that you had all written week or two before. Moreover that you hoped Lucy was a little better than she had been. Well I did not know whether to think she was very sick or not. But two or three days after came other letters written a week or two before, and I have got one written by Lucy just after you left Bangor.
You can hardly imagine how much better I have felt since. I believe I have written to Anne twice since I came here, but have not yet received any thing from there.
To Bangor or Milo I have written or intended & intend to wrote about every week.

Transcription Status Needs review

Transcription Note This document was transcribed by volunteers as part of the Newberry Transcribe crowdsourcing initiative.

Archival Collection Title Isaac Stevens Metcalf papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection

Link to Catalog View finding aid | View record

Call Number Midwest MS Metcalf Box 7 Folder 189

BibID 821787

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 3248px × 4954px 92.11 MB

Filename 998217878805867_mms_metcalf_box_07_fl_189_004_001.tif

Unique Identifier NL11FK2K

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