June the 6 A.D. 1886
Saline Co. MO.
To C.D. and J.A Jacobs
From G.W. and J. Baley
Dear Children one and all. This day I meat with the pleasure of answering your verry unexpected letter. We was alful glad to hear from you all but sorro to hear of the deth of your sister and brother. But we was glad to hear you all was yet alive and well. We are all well as can be expected . Pap and I are very frail. Billa, Eliza and Angeline, that is Eliza dauter is well. Hope this ma fiend all well. Juliann You never said whitch one of the Boys was ded nor when him nor Elizabeth died. We want you to tel us when tha died. It is a grate greaf to us all. Tel us why Liza left hur farmin Pendleton. Did she marri Again
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How many Children did she leave and whare ar tha? Let us hear from all and ho Jake married. Is Charleys mother Aliving yet?? and Gilligan Wash and Betsa and Mary Hastings. Tel us all the news. charley what Jula cant think of you think of as we cant speak face to face let us talk by pen and paper. It is a grate pleasure to hear from you but a grate deal more to see you all. Gave all our love to all of your children. I can look back and see all of you that I ever seen as you was when I saw you last. You dont have no idea how glad we would be to se you all. Tel me your childrens age and names. We hant recevd A letter from you sens the year of 80. Jake rote to Ann in 81. John sent..
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That is the last word we ever got from any of you. I cant tel you any thing of John and Ann. I rote to them in April - hant got any answer yet. As for poor Ben we no nothing about him and Tilda. Ben was so troubled with fitts that his mind was nearly gon. He cant rite his one name. Tha was in very lo circumstance. They have 2 boys a living as far as I no. Two girls ded. tha oldest and youngest Mazzana and Arradell Mazzana livs in Davis Co., Gallatin P.O. Tha have 5 children a livin, 1 ded - 4 boys and one girl year old last march. She is a grate pet. As for Margaret, she left three children. Tha ar all ded but the oldest Marietta. And the last Acount we had of hur she
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was in Dacota if she is A living. Hur father is married Again and livs in Prinsen, MO. Eliza is a Widow and livs with us. She has one child. Angeline Elliot will be nine years old the 23rd of this month is A goin to school, learns fast, can read and rite and as hansom as a pink, has hazle eys, fare skin, black curley hair and smart in Maners and work - can drive the team any place hawl anything for hur uncle W.M. She is a grate pet. She goes 2 miles and a half to get to school ever day. She says she is a goin to lern and be A school Miss. Here is some verses she sends to your youngest daughter. Bud livs eight miles off. He maried Rebeckey Jackson. Tha have two children, Luca Oleva and Floid Tilmon. The older one is ded. Jessa Cornelus tha boy was born the 1 day of last May.
RETURN TO: Bailey Migration, Part 2
Showing posts with label Saline County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saline County. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Bailey Migration to Missouri - Part 2,Old Letters Home
I consulted the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Census, and was able deduce that more than a dozen extended family members left Kentucky around 1868. Only two of the Bailey children stayed in Kentucky - older daughters, first born Julia Jacobs (my great grandmother) and Elizabeth (3rd born), but six others accompanied George and Jane Bailey - four of those were adults. Their daughter, Mazy Anna (2nd born), was accompanied by her husband, John C. Blythe and their two small children. Two male children, Ben (A Civil War Veteran) and (Bud) went with the family. One of their younger daughters, Margaret, made the trip, but married a fellow named Obediah Moon in about 1871, moved to Minnesota, but returned by the late seventies. The father of Jane (Harrison) Bailey might have gone with them or he had migrated earlier and they joined him later.
The following are a few excerpts from the letters (The links are to each letter referenced):
Jane‘s 1874 letter:
The following are a few excerpts from the letters (The links are to each letter referenced):
Jane‘s 1874 letter:
"Beloved Children, one and all, Throu thee Mercy of God I am Permitted to Answer your kind And welcom letter that we Recevd thee 30eth of May (1874). My reason for not answering sunner was I had no paper.“
“As Comon pap is A getting so he can work Again we hope this will fiend you all well and doing well. Times is hard hear, money scarse and wages lo. ”
Obediah Moon's 1874 letter about his recent visit to Missouri was written at about the same time as the one above from Jane Bailey:
“father Baley often talked about Old KY though it seamed as though they would not leave old MO. father would say some times he had allmost A notion to go back to old KY. I would tell him if he would that I would go with them. I could not keep them in A notion long Enough to start though. Father says KY is A far better Place than MO. he would talk about the good times he had in KY. And then to see the hard times he has in MO. it would bring the tears in a childs Eye.”
In 1879 letter by Jane:
“Bens helth is gon and his Mind Almost gon. he hant bin able to keep house by them selvs for over two year. It is over two year sense he had thee first fitt. He takes foolish spells that he Dont no what he is About. He has to be watch al the time. He has no warning of thee fitt A toll.”
“We have had a very worm winter with the exception of About 2 weeks. But A cold backword spring. Thare has bin two hevy frosts. This week ice froze in the Kitchen. Wheet crop ante very good. What corn was up the frost has kilt. We got a letter from bud. He is well. He is in Pettis Co. MO. Tamonta P.O. He talks of comin home this sumer on a viset. John (Blythe) got a letter from Ben. Tha was well. Tha live in Hickory Co., Whitley PO. Ben is a Triing to get A pension.”
“We got a letter from them a few days ago. Ann (Blythe) rote tha was all sick with the chills. We dont expect tha ar A doing vary well. John (Blythe) depens on working by thee day .... Mutch.”
In 1880 Jane wrote:
“As Comon pap is A getting so he can work Again we hope this will fiend you all well and doing well. Times is hard hear, money scarse and wages lo. ”
Obediah Moon's 1874 letter about his recent visit to Missouri was written at about the same time as the one above from Jane Bailey:
“father Baley often talked about Old KY though it seamed as though they would not leave old MO. father would say some times he had allmost A notion to go back to old KY. I would tell him if he would that I would go with them. I could not keep them in A notion long Enough to start though. Father says KY is A far better Place than MO. he would talk about the good times he had in KY. And then to see the hard times he has in MO. it would bring the tears in a childs Eye.”
In 1879 letter by Jane:
“Bens helth is gon and his Mind Almost gon. he hant bin able to keep house by them selvs for over two year. It is over two year sense he had thee first fitt. He takes foolish spells that he Dont no what he is About. He has to be watch al the time. He has no warning of thee fitt A toll.”
“We have had a very worm winter with the exception of About 2 weeks. But A cold backword spring. Thare has bin two hevy frosts. This week ice froze in the Kitchen. Wheet crop ante very good. What corn was up the frost has kilt. We got a letter from bud. He is well. He is in Pettis Co. MO. Tamonta P.O. He talks of comin home this sumer on a viset. John (Blythe) got a letter from Ben. Tha was well. Tha live in Hickory Co., Whitley PO. Ben is a Triing to get A pension.”
“We got a letter from them a few days ago. Ann (Blythe) rote tha was all sick with the chills. We dont expect tha ar A doing vary well. John (Blythe) depens on working by thee day .... Mutch.”
In 1880 Jane wrote:
“Well I must tel you of the death of your Dear sister Magga (Moon). She died before you got my last letter. She died the 23 of January and her second child Rebecka did three weeks from the day Magga died the 13 of Febrary. Magga was willing to di. She cald us all to the bed and told us the hour had come. The lord had told hur she was A goin to hur little Boy. She welcomd deth. She had suffer ever sence the April Before. You never daw A poorer corps. She was beried the 25. I will send you some of hur Beriing Close. Tha cost twenty Dollars Coffin and the rest of hur close. She is beried by her Grand Father (Harrison) in Harrison Co.”
I found a young couple named Harrison listed (on the same page) in the 1870 US Census with John Blythe and Ben Bailey families. The grandfather must have been Harrison, the father of Jane (Harrison) Bailey.
In June of 1886 Jane wrote:
"Dear Children one and all. This day I meat with the pleasure of answering your verry unexpected letter. We was alful glad to hear from you all but sorro to hear of the deth of your sister and brother. But we was glad to hear you all was yet alive and well. We are all well as can be expected . Pap and I are very frail."
That was the last letter Charles and Julia Jacobs received from Julia‘s parents. I suspect that George Washington Bailey died within a year or two, though I was not able to find any info on his death. His wife, Jane Harrison Bailey, may have died in Indiana in 1896 after moving back east with one of her sons.
I found a young couple named Harrison listed (on the same page) in the 1870 US Census with John Blythe and Ben Bailey families. The grandfather must have been Harrison, the father of Jane (Harrison) Bailey.
In June of 1886 Jane wrote:
"Dear Children one and all. This day I meat with the pleasure of answering your verry unexpected letter. We was alful glad to hear from you all but sorro to hear of the deth of your sister and brother. But we was glad to hear you all was yet alive and well. We are all well as can be expected . Pap and I are very frail."
That was the last letter Charles and Julia Jacobs received from Julia‘s parents. I suspect that George Washington Bailey died within a year or two, though I was not able to find any info on his death. His wife, Jane Harrison Bailey, may have died in Indiana in 1896 after moving back east with one of her sons.
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