Ohio History Journal

Reviews, Notes and Comments.           153

 

A PIONEER LETTER

The letter here presented was written by Miss Rachel

R. Lockwood, great aunt of George R. Lockwood, Edi-

tor of the National Republic, published in Washington,

D. C. She emigrated from Sussex County, Delaware,

to Preble County, Ohio. In 1845 she moved with other

members of the family to Miami County, Indiana, where

she became the wife of Jonathan Potterfield.          Dr.

Dingle, to whom the letter was addressed, was a mem-

ber of the State Senate of Delaware. The letter was

written "from New Paris, Ohio, on the Cumberland

Road." The envelope indicates the point from which

it was written and the cost of postage, twenty-five cents.

The letter is a good description of Pioneer Life in Ohio

and is worthy of reproduction here in full.

 

FEBRUARY 24, 1834.

Respected Uncle:

I embrace the opportunity of writing to let you know that I

am well, and also the rest of the family, and I hope when

this intelligence shall reach you that you will enjoy good health.

This is the first time that I have availed myself of the privilege

of writing you, but the long silence that has prevailed between

us I hope will be considered a sufficient excuse. It is probable

that you wish to know where we are and how we are doing. We

live in the same neighborhood in a house of our own. The site

is a handsome one; it lies in sight of a new town that is located

on the Cumberland Road within three miles of Paris (New

Paris). Mother has bought two acres of land for forty-five

dollars and the present prospect [is] her situation in old age will

not be as uncomfortable as some anticipated, for she now has

a home of her own that she can dispose of at her own option

and no person, were they disposed to, can turn her out of doors.

Mother is well satisfied now. I do wish you could come and see

for yourself our circumstances and things as they really are, for

unless you do it it is impossible to believe the advantages which

this country does possess. The limit of my paper is too con-

tracted and the power of my pen is too weak to convey any

154       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

correct statement of it. I am prepared to say at any rate that

our trip to the highly favored Ohio has done us no harm. It is

surprising to see the improvement which has taken place since

we arrived here. Certainly this is the country for the poor. The

prices paid for work are good in consequence of there existing

no slavery. Our people are held more upon an equal footing with

each other. A person of moral habits and respectable character

joined with industry and economy and frugality is not considered

inferior to the most opulent, popular citizens of Ohio. The pros-

pects of the farmer are still more flattering owing to the egress

of western production by means of canals, railroads and other

great works of internal improvement.   Notwithstanding Ohio

continued to be the abode of uncivilized men and ferocious beasts

of the forests until a few years prior to this present time, she

bids fair to become a rival to the greatest commercial states of

the union. Not only of our commercial advantages have our citi-

zens reason to boast; we possess advantages in regard to gaining

knowledge and information which the settlers of many older

states are destitute of. There is a section of land in each town-

ship appropriated for the use of schools. The prejudice enter-

tained by the people of many of the early settled states induced

them to believe that the western settlers were left in a state of

ignorance and are without any intellectual improvement, but an

impartial observer will at once admit the idea to be erroneous,

from great patronage of the press not only of our district of

country but of the most interesting journals throughout the union.

Our winter has been mild particularly for the last month, we

have had no sugar weather of account and if the weather remains

as warm a week or so longer the trees will put forth leaves and

if this should occur then the water will not make sugar in conse-

quence of the sap being up. It has been healthy throughout the

winter, remarkably so at this time. All vegetation indicates a

very early spring. In common the winter does not break until

the first of March and some times the middle.

I am very desirous of hearing from the country in which you

live. I think the last letter we received from you was in the

commencement of last year. I saw some weeks ago in the Eaton

Register copied from the Georgetown Luminary an account of

the severe storm of wind that visited your part of the country.

According to that statement several lives were lost and a great

quantity of property. We should be very glad to know who the

individuals were that fell victims of the violence of the storm.

The country and neighborhood has no doubt greatly changed

since we left that place and would wear less the aspect of home to

us than this our adopted country. How very strange it is that