Brought to you by the Historical Society of Old Northfield
To maximize the paper, the next correspondence to Emily was written by her mother and two of her sisters on two sheets of paper. Clarissa Johnson Taylor (1818-1885) married Hooker Taylor (1811-1884) in 1837. Hooker Taylor is the son of Levi Taylor who moved at about the same time as Josiah Johnson from Buckland, Massachusetts to Northfield, Ohio. These are the Taylor’s related to Lemuel Taylor who propagated the apples talked about in the last letter.
B. J. – Betsey Elmer Johnson (1785-1870), mother
Sylvia – Sylvia Johnson (1810-1857), sister
W – Wellington Johnson (1815-1888), brother
Betsy – Betsey E. Johnson (1812-1889) – sister
Ira Brittons – Ira Whitney Britton (1813-1840), brother-in-law, Juliette Johnson’s (author of first letter) husband.
Father – Josiah Clemons Johnson (1781-1856), father
Elmer & E – Gad Elmer Johnson (1819-1901), brother
Lucy – Lucy Coffin Johnson (?-1851), sister-in-law, wife of Carlos Johnson (1802-1855)
M – Ellen Maria Johnson (1826-1889), sister
Clarissa – Clarissa Johnson Taylor (1818-1885), sister
Clarissa’s son – Levi Webster Taylor (1839-1854)
F – unknown
Julius – Julius P Brittan (1835-1912), nephew. Juliette’s son.
M & Maria – unknown. Possibly a helper for Betsey
Uncle B – Uncle Brainard – unknown
Lucyann – Lucy Ann Johnson (1837-1924), niece
Cousin semira – Semira Johnson (1826-1918), cousin back in Buckland, Massachusetts
Josiah – Josiah Johnson Dwight (1837-1902), Emily’s son
Carlos – Carlos Hawley Johnson (1802-1855), brother
Br. Josiah – Josiah Johnson (1806-1881), brother. Stayed in Buckland with Emily and Festa Johnson (1803-1828)
Flora – Flora Ware (1826-1854), niece, the daughter of Festa Johnson.
Aunt B. – unknown
Maxims – unknown
G – unknown
H – unknown
Tow – broken flax or hemp fiber; a continuous untwisted bundle of inferior fiber used for sacking; hence the term ‘tow sack.
From: Mother, Ellen, Clarissa – Note: Adamsville is part of Colrain
Addressed to: Mr. Rhoderick Dwight Adamsville, Franklin County Mass.
From: Northfield, 0hio 25 (cts)
(On the inside two pages)
Northfield May 10 1840
(Written by Betsey Elmer Johnson – mother)
Ever dear children I now seat myself and longe neglected pen and try to scribble a few broken lines hopeing they will find you all enjoying helth and prosperity we recive your tract may I was verry glad hear from you you want to know about Sylvia I cannot tell you any thing for we have not herd from hir since jan W recived a letter his helth was then very poor thare never has been a paper sent from ohio with hir name as we now of Betsys helth is as good as it commonly is we are all enjoying comfortable helth Ira Brittons helth is verry poor he has not been able to labor for most a year we fear he has got the consumption I suppose to know what we ar doing if I could see you i could talk much faster than I can write Father has got his land deed so that he raises plenty for the family and some to spare Elmer works at home this year has bought five acres more land has been chopping and fencing it we have got a yoke oxen two cows three yearling 13 sheep 10 lambs it has been a forward spring grain and grass look promising frute trees in blossom in apreal we shall have pecches a nough and som plumbs five apple tree that had a few blossoms thare was a frost on the nights of the [??] and 6 injured flute so we had 62 pounds flax I have got thee lining spun except a few runs Lucy is spinning to pay for weveing the tow is all carded M can finish it in a week I have just commenced my weveing Carlos and family are well W was married last June to Elisebeth Wallace lives half a mile from us Clarissa had a son born December 16 uncle Brainurd has come to thee Ohio lives in the town of Chester 28 miles from us uncle and aunt and children have visited us F has built a nice house maved into it last fall Julius is well he is a fine child can read and spell verry well i canot tell how much i want to see you and your children i live in hope for years of seeing you a gane the distance betwen is so grate it is not likely i ever shall if not may we be prepare by grace divine to meet in that world to come whare we shall part no more I should be glad to write more but M is a huning me so i must draw to a close by subscribing myself you affectionale Mother. B. J.
Rhodric and Emily Dwight Please to give my love to your Mother and sister Maxim and to all enquiring friends
(On the front page – written by Ellen Maria Johnson Proctor)
Dear sister
I now seat myself to finish this letter I am enjoying good helth and I hope these few lines will find you blest with the same. I suppose that you would like to know what I am about I am spining have spun 33 runs of tow have some more to spin I think I shall work out some when we get done weaving I think that mother has told you nothing about our gees we have got 10 and five goslings. I should like to see your children but it is not likely I ever shall Lucyann is a very fine girl Brother and sister come to the west and live with us here on the land the land is the richest and best that man ever settled upon I must draw to a close as my pen is very poor and it is growing dark I visited uncle B folks winter before last thay like ther place very much I expet that josiah can write better than I can write with out fail as soon as you recive this
yours with love Ellin M Johnson give my love to you and to cousin semira
(The following was written by Clarissa Johnson Taylor)
May 21st, 1840
Dear Sister
Having just returned from Fathers this evening I seat myself to write a few lines to fill out this sheet as Mother thought she could not write any more as you will have to pay as much for a sheet of white paper as one scribbled over I thought it best to improve the privilege as I have no other means of conversing with you dear Sister I am now blest with comfortable health and the rest of our family. I have a babe as mother has already told you he is now over five months old & a fine boy he is he weighs nearly 20 lbs. he dont look much like our folks fer he has light blue eyes and red hair we call him Levi Webster. My health was very poor all winter I took cold when my babe was 3 weeks old which settled in my breast it had to be lanced it was about 3 months before I was able to do my work I have suffered a great deal with it and it has not got entirely well now I am not quite as healthy as I used to be I have had some flax to spin this spring I got it most done my last web is in the loom I have about a yard to weave it is diaper for towels some over 30 yds I expect to weave a piece of table linen for Mother I have been home today found mother alone Maria is out to work she has been gone most two weeks the folks are well except Mother had a very bad cold I expect every day when she will be down sick she works so hard she ought not to spare M a day Elmer says sometimes he shall go away in the Fall if he should you and brother must come out and live with Father for I dont know what could do if E should go away without you could come and live with him I am sure you would get along well enough father is not so fretful as he used to be he has got to be an old man we often talk about you coming and think if that would bring you we should soon see you and your little ones. I have not much more room nor time either to write my babe has just gone to bed and I feel I must go soon I am so tired
(written in the left and top margin)
Brother Carlos folks have but two children sisters health is not very good xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx (a long section carefully inked out and unreadable) you must not let anybody see this part I thought it no harm to tell you after you read it you can take a pen and scratch it out I must stop Clarissa (she is speaking of herself in the third person) I have not wrote half I want to for want of room to write I am ashamed of what I have written but you must know it is as it is I write with an old pen that wont make a mark half the time C. (written on the back page, around the address ) Sis Mother have begun their letter rather awkward I have to end it so I suppose you will find where to begin to read you wanted to know the worst about Sylvia we know nothing but what she has one of the kindest of husbands and a good home she always writes so the last we heard was in Oct. instead of Jan. She is sick most all the time and will be I think as long as they live where they do now we dont know why she dont write I wrote to her last fall but get no answer we sometimes think she is coming down this summer. We had a letter from Br. Josiah last week & Flora the folks there were all well we some expect him out to make us a visit this summer I wish you would come too why not, you come and see us Be sure to write soon and tell all about your affairs and all you know about Buckland folks we dont hear from there in a dogs age wonder what Aunt B is about she never writes give my respects to sister Maxims? folks tell G. I was glad she wrote to me we hope she will write again if she has a chance you must not wait for me but write often and give Br ? an invitation my love to all I want to see your children very much I sometimes indulge he hope that we may again see our native land but how soon I know not Betsey talked of our band of going down this spring to spend some time with her sister but has given it up The report of H having the consumption originated I presume from her having a very bad cough last winter in consequence of cold her Health is poor much as it was when she went her journey not much likely it will ever be any better her complaint such. You said you had a sore in your breast but did not tell what it was when you write again please tell us more particulars about it what caused it I must stop excuse crooked lines and bad writing for I have to write with my babe in my lap Clarissa
In the next letter we will hear from Sylvia and why she hasn’t sent any letters in a while.
