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Subject: ANDERSON, STEPHENS, WOODS, NEWELL, CUNNINGHAM, McMILLAN, BROWN, CAMPBELL, WOODROW, McCIBBEN, MINOR, SNOWDEN, MELVIN, CLARK, CRAWFORD, HOFF, STUART, SPROULE, LANGFITT, BOB, STAUNTON, PARSONS, PETERSON
Date: 19 Oct 2004 17:19:54 -0600

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.

Surnames: ANDERSON, STEPHENS, WOODS, NEWELL, CUNNINGHAM, McMILLAN, BROWN, CAMPBELL, WOODROW, McCIBBEN, MINOR, SNOWDEN, MELVIN, CLARK, CRAWFORD, HOFF, STUART, SPROULE, LANGFITT, BOB, STAUNTON, PARSONS, PETERSON
Classification: Query

Message Board URL:

http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/TCC.2ACE/789

Message Board Post:

Transcript of ATEN 1844 Letter - ANDERSON, STEPHENS, WOODS, NEWELL, CUNNINGHAM, McMILLAN, BROWN, CAMPBELL, WOODROW, McCIBBEN, MINOR, SNOWDEN, MELVIN, CLARK, CRAWFORD, HOFF, STUART, SPROULE, LANGFITT, BOB, STAUNTON, PARSONS, PETERSON, & more

(The following is copied from the EBay site - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5528089960&fromMakeTrack=true)

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This stampless letter has manuscript postal markings for Fairview VA, Sept 17, a handwritten 25 cent rate, and is addressed to William Aten & Richard Aten, Astoria, Fulton co., Illinois, and is a three page letter written by 'your affectionate Brother'. I don't see a name, but maybe a good genealogist or historian could figure it out. The headline is Friday Sept 13th, A.D. 1844.

If I'm correct, the Atens came from Fairview, Hancock county, VA (now West Virginia, in the panhandle) to Fulton county, Illinois. There's some online biographies for the Atens in Fulton county.

Some abstracts:


"After going to the Post Office weekly for the last six weeks expecting a line from the sucker land, I have resolved to write again to see if I can stir up the stupidity that may exist."


"Our friends also as far as we know enjoying like blessings except Grand Mother Anderson has been in very ill health for some time, better at last word. W have to record the death of Brother Johns Rebecca, departed this life August 13th of kings Evil and fever, Died of Flux three of Joshua Stephens family, Lindsay Woods Consumption, Mrs Newell."


"Will seed 36 acres if get our buckwheat stubble sowed which is sheep lot and part of meadow."


"Abel Cunningham has bought Joseph McMillan place at about $8 Dollars per acre. Jacob Brown gets Roberts Cambell place back. Married Otho Woodrow to Miss McCibben, Absalom Minor to Nancy Snowden, Alex Melvin to Jane Snowden, Mary Clark to Mr. of Rockoon. Bed Rabbett to Miss Crawford of Ohio, Jack Hoff to Miss ____, John Stuart of Joe to Miss Cunningham of James, Margaret Sproule to an old Turk of Raccoon congregation old enough for her lady and a large family. Lawyer Langfitt [?] has entered suit against Jackey Bob, Staunton is employed .."


"... when you are a coming home whether to stay or not, if that Doughhead is on my place yet or not ... how you came on collecting proceeds of my school ..."


"Elisabeth Peterson is just recovering from an attack of Billious fever ...David Parsons child very bad yesterday morning, David Snowden sends word by this letter that he and family will in Illinois by 15th October ..."


More names mentioned. Condition of the letter rates average, tear in the seal area, and separation along a fold or two; the tear near the seal area looks like it was mended with a piece of stamp 'waste', you can just see the word under it. As usual with stampless letters, after writing on one or more sides of a sheet of paper, the letter was folded several times and mailed. An interesting letter good for genealogy and history research.

This thread:

• ANDERSON, STEPHENS, WOODS, NEWELL, CUNNINGHAM, McMILLAN, BROWN, CAMPBELL, WOODROW, McCIBBEN, MINOR, SNOWDEN, MELVIN, CLARK, CRAWFORD, HOFF, STUART, SPROULE, LANGFITT, BOB, STAUNTON, PARSONS, PETERSON by