Collection of Letters Following an English Immigrant Family from Massachusetts to Iowa, Discussing Economic Conditions, the Civil War, and Hardship on the Frontier where “a fellow cant get eny work”.
Iowa, Massachusetts, and Florida: 1855–1889. 35 letters: 27 dated between 1855 and 1889, five undated, and three partial. Totaling appx. 98 pages. Generally excellent. Item #List3736
A collection of letters sent to members of the Busby family of Iowa and Massachusetts, mainly between family members, particularly Anne Busby Whitcomb (1828–1864) and William Busby (?–?) to their parents George Busby and Hannah Petifer. Half of the Busby children were born in England; around 1839 the family immigrated to the United States, ending up in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with some members then moving to Iowa.
The letters often discuss life and developments in Iowa, especially comparing it to Western Massachusetts. Anne Whitcomb writes from Marion, near Cedar Rapids:
“sleighing was never better in old Mass then it is here now [...] Five weeks ago Calvin & Joel [Whitcomb] started to go & see there Fathers land they were gone two weeks [...] it is 200 miles from here they like the country very well but will not go there to live as it is some six miles from any house at present Probably some time it will make a fine farm as there is a road laid on one side of it, & 10 miles from the county seat, 60 from Fort Des Moins the capital of Iowa, & 10 miles from a contemplated rail road tho it is not certain where that will go yt.” (January 11, 1857)
William Busby attempted farming, writing to his father that “you could make money here by the rising of the land then you can there after you got some under cultivation you could get 15 dollars per acre [...] there is so many that come here that wants a farm that is improved some” (1855). William seems to have been an odd young man, writing in the same letter “Mother what would you do if you was out here & should step onto a snake about 100 [lbs] 12 feet long [...] I have not seen eny such yet”, and later making a strange, vulgar, and racist joke about his sister Martha:
“do you think of getting married yet does Martha think of sleeping with enybody or Jane or Thieza you had better come out here if you want to get anybody to sleep with for there is lots of little negro boys here”. (January 26, 1858)
He later wonders why Martha “has not writen to eny of us” in Iowa (March 10,1861). Moreover, he has a difficult go of work, writing in 1858:
“the times is so hard that a fellow cant get eny work to do without taking store pay for it & that is something that I dont wont to do so I have not earnt one dollar since the first of december I dont know but I have but have not got my pay for it & that is worse yet & I guess that the times are not much better with you you wanted to know how much I had made this summer I dont know yet because I have not got my pay for it all yet & dont know that I shall but I have got a note that calls for one hundred & twenty four dollars & 17 cts and two year heifer & a rifle [...] so you can see that I have [?] round some the men that I have work for the last two years he thought he would sware at me a little one day so I told him to go to the D & I would go in whare I [p]leased so I settled with him & left”. (January 26, 1858)
Though these financial woes could have been related to the Panic of 1857, a good portion of William’s work troubles seem to be personality-based. He writes later in the year:
“old Twigler was here fo[a]ming about the horse & wagon they say that I have have not eny right to the horse and I shall not have them the square [sic, squire?] says that I have made my self liabel for taking them he says that I have not a right to tach them without a riten agency [...] the old woman demanded the horse & wagon and if i did not let her have the horse & wagon she would Prosicute me to Morow morning & I told her that she could not have them till I got my wheat finished that will bee to morrow”. (April 24, 1858)
William served during the Civil War, likely in the 20th Iowa Infantry. In a partial and undated letter, he writes:
“lovel nelson is well out on picket guard today I came off of pickit today have to stay out from camp 24 hours the talk is now that we leave here in three weeks, for Brownvill whare our old Col is he is Provo General of the state of texas so I think our marching has plade out will have to guard prisoners next A plesent job but will be whare we can live well or keep [?] not be coverd with Body lise as long as he haves offis we shall be with him henry H from Iowa has not come to us yet [...] I guess that we will have some lite bread have some flour [I] am bilden a oven to bake some [...] I am getting as fat as a hog [...] the health of the rigament is good now”. (N.D.)
He may have been killed in service, as this letter, likely from 1863, is the latest dated one from him in the collection. Many of the later letters are addressed to Edward Busby (1836–1912) from non-family members, often discussing business propositions in Berkshire County. One letter, from A. W. Chesbro of the Adams, Massachusetts-based firm Bowen & Chesbro, describes a booming time in the mill town:
“Mr Anson has bought the old skating rink, and is selling lumber, and he is making M. J. Holden fret considerable, Mr Anson is having quite a large trade, I dont think M. J. will be able to build another $10,000.00 House very soon, there has been a great deal of building here this season, and there is quite a number of Houses that are not inclosed yet; Greylock has been white for nearly a week which tell us that winter is near.” (November 16, 1887)
Overall the letters provide a look at life for Iowa settlers and in then-prosperous Berkshire County.
Price: $1,250.00