This letter is from Emily’s sister Ellen Maria Johnson Proctor (1826-1889). In prior letters she has been referred to as Maria, which is her middle name. Ellen is married to the previous letter writer, Daniel Proctor. In this letter, Ellen refers to Emery Smith dying of bilious fever. Bilious fever was a medical diagnosis of fever associated with excessive bile in the blood stream and tissues, causing jaundice (a yellow color in the skin or sclera of the eye). The most common cause was malaria. Viral hepatitis and bacterial infections of the blood stream (sepsis) may have caused a few of the deaths reported as bilious fever. President Abraham Lincoln’s son William Wallace Lincoln was said to have died from bilious fever. She also refers to a Cousin Hart which is Hart Taylor. She tells Emily that she doesn’t think he will live long. Fortunately for Cousin Hart, he recovered and lived until 1880. Note that Clarissa cannot walk without crutches.
Father – Josiah Clemmons Johnson (1781-1856), Ellen & Emily’s father
Mother – Betsey Elmer Johnson (1785-1870), Ellen & Emily’s mother
Betsy – Betsey Johnson Wood (1812-1889), Ellen & Emily’s sister
Clariss – Clarissa Johnson Taylor (1818-1885), Ellen & Emily’s sister
Ellen – Ester Ellen Taylor (1845-1911), Clarissa’s daughter and Ellen & Emily’s niece
Laura – Laura Stewes, lives with Clarissa and helps with the household chores.
Mrs. McKisson – will become the housekeeper to help Clarissa after Laura leaves.
Well – Wellington Johnson (1815-1888), Emily’s brother
Matthew Wallace – Family friend. Related to the Wallace family of Brandywine.
Carlos – Carlos Hawley Johnson (1802-1855), Ellen & Emily’s brother
Lucy Ann – Lucy Ann Johnson (1837-1924), Carlos’s daughter
Eunice – Eunice Johnson (1841-1898), Carlos’s daughter
Josiah – Josiah Johnson (1848-1925), Carlos’s son
Melvin – Melvin Johnson (1831-1871), Carlos’s son
Cousin Hart – Hart Taylor (1799-1880), Cousin
Emery Smith – unknown
Sylvia – Sylvia Johnson Buell (1810-1857), Ellen & Emily’s sister
Emma – Emma Proctor (1846-1903), the author’s daughter
Flora – Flora Proctor (1849-1892), the author’s daughter
Julia – Julia Proctor (1850-1905), the author’s daughter
Julia Elmer – Unknown at this time
Homer Fuller – Unknown
Mr Coon – Unknown
Mr Dehoren – Unknown
Mr Mathews – Unknown
Mr Duncan – Unknown
Mr Ozman – Unknown
Robert Graham – Unknown
Postmarked Northfield 0hio 18 February
addressed to Mrs. Emily Dwight Shelburn Falls, Franklin Co Mass
Northfield Feb 15th, 1852
Dear Sis
It has been a long time since we have heard from you. We are all well how do you do? I hope kind Providence has been merciful to you in sparing your ones(?) in health and providing you with food and rainment. The winter so far has been very cold with good sleighing and some severe cold weather I have often thought of you and if the weather there will compare with Ohio winter you have had a freezing in good ernest I should think I would get all the sweets of tatemount in a short time Father is quite well this winter He still follows his old routine tending to the gates and everybodys business but his own. Mother has had one sick spell this winter which has broke her a good deal she has been with Betsy a good deal this winter Clariss is quite comfort she gets along this winter with Ellen help and lets Laura go to school, she cannot walk without crutches Laura time is out the first of March they have hired Mrs McKisson for a year. Well lives in the old house yet Matthew Wallace was married the first of Nov and lives in their back room this winter. Well has got to leave the first of Apr he has not decided where to go his mind is as unsettled as the wind and roams about like the waves of the sea. Carlos is keeping house with Lucy Ann Eunice and Josiah he says sis makes a good housekeeper and gets along well Melvin came home in the fall he has not been able to work this winter he has a cough and pain in his side. We was out to Warrensville last week they was all well but cousin Hart his health is about as it was when he returned from the east I do not think he will live long. We had a letter from Wisconsin the first of Nov which brought the news of Emery Smiths death he has attacked with bilous fever he only lived eight days the Physician thought he had some disease in his head. We have not heard from Sylvia this winter. We live in our old house yet our new house is up and enclosed but the inside is not finished we shall not get into it before another fall. Our house has cast a great deal of hard work and money. and I think if I ever live in it I shall know low(how?) to prize it for the floor in our old house is as sidling as brick mountain to say nothing of other inconveniences. Emma has got to be a great girl she is quite handy to work and is learning very fast this winter I can tell you it needs one smart hand to keep Flora and Julia out of mischief Julia talks very plain if you could see her black eyes you would think there was some meaning in there I wish you could see her standing in her chair looking over this letter and jabbering you would say she lovely(?)
Flora is in Ridgway this winter teaching Julia Elmer is married to Homer Fuller
Write soon and you tell Elizabeth I want to hear from you much love to all Ellen M Proctor Emily Dwight
When you have ciphered out the first page read the third if you please, I have made a mistake and a mistake is no hay stack you will see, there is about to be a great change in the inhabitants in this place Mr Coon has sold his farm for six thousand five hundred dollars ($256,750.00 in today’s dollars) he is going to Cleaveland to live on the interest of his money Mr Dehoren Mr Mathews have also sold their farms and old Mr Duncan and Mr Ozman and Robert Graham and a number of others you do not know real estate is in great demand hear since we have so many rail roads the cross cut railroad from Hudson to Akron is max(?) completed The Car whistle greets our ears with its unerthly sound a good many times a day there is a depot at Macedoni a so when you come to see us you can come within 2 miles of us ??? with railroad speed I cannot think of any news to write so I will stop for I am tired of scribbling and I presume you will be of reading. So good by Ellen
The next letter is from Carlos’s son Melvin. It was not mentioned in the prior letter, but Carlo’s wife Lucy Coffin died on 28 February 1851. Melvin talks about his future stepmother. He finishes on a somber note about not knowing the fate of his uncle Josiah Johnson who was reported to be on the steamer Atlantic which sank in Lake Erie on August 20, 1852 with a loss of 300 lives out of 500 passengers.
