This letter was not signed, and the author is an educated guess. It is postmarked LeRay with no mention of the state. Examining the possible candidates, Josiah Johnson (1806-1881), appears to be the likely author. According to the census, he, and his wife Jerusa live in Jefferson County in New York state. LeRay is a town in Jefferson County. If this is Josiah, he and his brother Elmer have the same problem with spelling and grammar. The author provides a good update on the family including a matter-of-fact statement on the tragedy that struck Elmer’s (Gad Elmer Johnson 1819-1901) family. He also included a non-family related story of two gruesome events.
When reading about the cost of items mentioned in this letter, bear in mind that in 1852 $1 equates to $39.62 in 2023.
Brother – Roderick Dwight (1802-1863)
Sister – Emily Johnson Dwight (1802-1886)
Carlos – Carlos Hawley Johnson (1802-1855), Emily’s brother
Father – Josiah Clemmons Johnson (1781-1856), Emily’s father
Mother – Betsey Elmer Johnson (1785-1870), Emily’s mother
Proctor folks – A possible reference to sister Ellen Johnson Proctor’s in-laws
Clarissa – Clarissa Johnson Taylor (1818-1885), Emily’s sister
Betsy – Betsey Johnson Wood (1812-1889), Emily’s sister
Wellington – Wellington Johnson (1815-1888), Emily’s brother
Elmer – Gad Elmer Johnson (1819-1901), Emily’s brother
His boy – Frank Johnson (1850-1852), 1 year and 7 months old
Hart tailor family – Hart Taylor (1799-1880), friends from Buckland, Massachusetts. Interestingly, Hart Taylor’s sister Abigail married Hezekiah Palmer whose son William built the Palmer House.
Melvin – Melvin Johnson (1831-1871), Emily’s nephew
Leander Johnson – Leander Johnson (1787-1852), Emily’s uncle
Lee and tailor Johnson – obviously more relatives but unable to identify at this point
Flora – This could be Flora Ware (1826-1858), Festa Johnson Ware’s (1803-1828) daughter. Festa was a sister of Emily’s and died before Josiah Johnson moved to Ohio.
Leray (New York)
Nov 24, 1852
Respected Brother and Sister
I seat myself this evening to wight a few lines to you we are enjoying helth and are serrounded With ther blessings and comfort of Life and Our friend here are enjoying the same Blessing I receiv your letter in Due time perhaps You have look for an answer as long as i Did We started for the ohio the first monday In october at four oclock in the morning and got to Carlos tuesday noon stage it 30 miles the rest of the way by railroad father and Mother and Procter folks was as well as usual. Clarissa helth is good for her Does Her hous work alone talks and appears quite Natural she sent to mishagan (Michigan) last spring
the climet and water agreed with her First rate when she left home she went on Cruches she lef her cruches in mishegan and Came home as smart as a cricket Betsey helth Is poor but is better than it has bin Wellinton baught him a farm when we was Thair 54 acers paid 23 dollars per acer it lies near Masacoma I had rather it than all of Catamount hill for me to live on but every one for a notion
Elmer buried his boy two weeks before We got thar died with the disetary The rest of the family are well Hart tailor family are well Carlos Family are well eunice has gone to live With Betsey. Carlos was maried while we Was thair he married a widow 42 years Old has four children three of them Have come to live with him his wife Is a eastern woman very smart looking quite dressy and cittyfide she was Brought up near Lowell Mass Melvin is clerking in a store near home uncle leander Johnson died last june We stopt to Lee and tailor Johnsons all Well Flora has not got back yet & some expect she is married have not herd from her since june We have had a very cold dry summer And warm plesant fall thair has bin snow On the for two weeks but to day it Has rain hard with a south wind the snow is gone to knight crops come in a bout midlin here except hay it worth 10 to 12 dollars per Ton corn 63 cents oats 46 cents potatoes 25 wheat 100 Pork 7. 00 per hundred cows are worth 10 to 16 dollars per head oxon from 50 to 75 per team Thair has bin great excitement for a month Past here a young man by the name of Clark Went into a tavern in the evening kept by One freeman he has not bin seen nor herd From since it is suppose that he was Murdered and flung into black river his horse Went home the bridle rain was gone that Rain was found in fremans tavern and a Ten dollars Bill was found on feeman that was Paid to Clark that day he had four hundred Dollars in his poket ($15,840 in 2023 dollars) thair has bin hundred A hunting for his boddy but have not found As yet thair was blood found under the horse Shed and a club with blood on it three men Have bin mersemaris (merse, examine the shoreline, maris, by a body of water), and they say that he Was murdered and three or four hundred pounds wait is strappt round his boddy And lies wege under some rocks in swift Water this affair happen to the great bend And again a girl in this town by the name of Converse 24 years old left home in the night with a blanket on her hed it was Reported that she was insane and was in The woods it was juge that fifteen hundred Men was hunting for her some of the time In a bout ten days she was found Drownded In a pond about a mile from whare she Live the cause was disapointment by a young man she expectted to marry I must close this blotting for it is now Ten o clock it has rain here all the Evening and the water is commin into my Letter I shall haf to lug out fifty pails Before I can go to bed good knight
Wright soon
The next letter is from Melvin Johnson, Carlos’s son. He was in Chesterland, Ohio when he wrote his last letter. Now he writes from Wisconsin. Somehow, he managed to keep up with what was happening within the family.
