Burrows letters #2.
Transcriptions by Jade's Gramma.
Letter
#1:
King
Sept 5" 1886
Dear
James
I
recd yours of the 12" July. the
great loss sustained by Wm Young reminds me of Geo Burrows all swept in a few minutes
no Insurance (Wm Young is ,
brother to James' wife, Joann. He
owned a sawmill at Wiarton, Ontario, and apparently it burned.
We think George is Fred's brother, but don't know what his loss was. EB)
I had a visit last thursday we(ek) in Herb and Geo Burrows both smart looking young men
the(y) went off next day in the noon train Herb told us Wm Young had 2 Saw Mills. (Herb and Geo are the
sons of his son, Fred Burrows and Lucinda Barrett, and are thus his grandsons.
EB) I hope your boys will not lose
by the fire (James' sons worked at
the sawmill. EB)
John
Burrows (another son of Fred, Sr. EB) and family is living in their new house
since the first of June Herb is very wasteful he
smokes 10 cent Cigars when here
they came to take a look at their Grandpa he
told me tom Burrows in Hamilton is worth over $50,000 does a great business. (Tom is Fred, Sr.'s brother.
He owned an auction house in Hamilton. EB)
we got in our Barly all first rate i
have no wheat this year our oats is
about ready to cut. John Burrows
cuts most of the grain with the old reaper I bought from him [illegible] pretty
good for a hot season but we had plenty of rain in the night time
our potatoes is excellent but have great trouble with the Bugs the last 3
weeks i used paris green and
likewise carried them off alive. John
began to plough the barley ground for fall wheat I have a good deal of manure to put on it
it is that field S.W. of where your little House stood
(James and Joann Young Burrows lived at King until between 1870 and 1872) he bought a yoke of large steers broke in color dark Brown
15 months credit at 80 dolls he
has worked them here drawing away stumps and stones and he says the(y) will do
all his work on his new place. He
thinks he can work my place too we
have no bargain made but i told him he will be paid in something
Shares [Shaves? EB] like if we can agree.
he does not get full possession of the new place till all the crops is
off i run the risk of endorsing the
note for the steers but that is all i intend to do
he works steady and keeps sober but i dare not give him money for if he
got to the tavern he is likely to fall into the old Habit.
he has more debt on the farms than can be paid in a long time but he has
a strong hope as interest is low and long time
he will do it. She (John's
wife, Abigail, and daughter-in-law of the author. EB) is not likely to have
anymore family. she works hard and
is very saveing She travels here to
milk morn an[d] evening. She does
my baking at the present time i was
not able to keep a man and girl as wages is high.
this spring I had to buy potatoes oats barley an[d] clover seed to the
amt of 17.50 last year the bugs
destroyed my Potatoes but I have a large crop now
some in hills about half and a piece ploughed last yer
i think i lost my Judgement when I look at things i bought
12 dolls worth of apple trees at the same time i had twice as many as i
can mind and trim and several other things i could well do without
i had to lay out this summer repairing the Kitchen roof 14 dolls
it was rotten where the summer Kitchen went on the house it took 8 dolls
for shingles 2.75 for Zink for
gutters i want a new chimney as the
bad bricks keeps crumbling down it is up 21 years {1867. EB]
the shingle nails you bought done Johns House and my job and I have near
half of them left. all our crops
are good as he gave them 2 and 4 harowings according to the state of the ground
our apple crop is small this year i think for want of trimming a[nd] too
much grass the[y] promised well but
fell off when small i once thought
i could make money out of a large orchard but now i see if everything is
considered there is little in it when
a good crop there is no sale as the country is full of orchards
last year i just sold 4 dolls worth.
as regards what you mentioned about arranging things if you come here i
wish i could see how it would do but i have some fears it would not keep so many
in a proper way and if so it would be a serious matter (James must have been
planning to return to King to farm his father's land. 'so many' refers to James
large family of 10 living children. EB) of
course it it worked successful it would be a relief to me.
we poor morals cannot look at the future
so much depends upon health and years of life and indeed everything is
uncertain i think a great change is now taking place
everything is likely to go low too
low to pay debts and things that people keeps buying.
Where we see so much machinery to do what mens hands used to do
the markets will be gluted [glutted] with every kind of produce
my neighbours are on good farms getting self binders
all you have to do is shock up and draw in.
i am going to be very saveing now at the end of my life as i see i cannot
pay any unnecessary outlay as i have no money reserve to fall back on
i like you to see how things is here exactly that is my reason for being so plain and particular.
i have 25 sheep 17 lambs 1 good
cow 1 good spring calf 1 good
heffer i think may calve next spring. 2
good horses
the remainder of the letter is
missing
Letter
#2:
King
June 25th 87
[1887]
i
send you a jubilee
wishes
with this letter
Dear
James
I
see in looking at your last letter that it was written on the 21 of February
i suppose if anything happened with us of importance we would write
oftener Well to begin we are all
well down here the crops are
growing rappidly owing to the many fine rains we are getting in this month
the Potato bugs are in great force this time
we are busy picking them so that we may not have so many eggs on the
leaves. i sold on the 1st of this
month in Toronto 13 bags of Potatoes at 1.20 cts per Bag and 5 Spring lambs at
3.75 cts each i sold them on Yonge
Street on my way to the market. business
is brisk in Toronto there is a
large amount of Building going on this Summer wool
is going up i was offered 22 cts
here for it that is 5 cts more than
i got last year. John Burrows [his
son] is very busy on their new place this season
he has a good bit of crop put in and is now at a 12 acre summer fallow
Several Sunday mornings John Potts went over there and caught a lot of
fish it is very nice to have the
lake so near. (John Potts is his wife's brother and lived with them. EB)
he made a rode by daming the creek at the house and he graveled it over
and put fish in it as a fish pond he
got a team. he did not do more than
9 days work on my old place as he had so much to do for his own
George Burrows called to see me this spring. [his brother. EB) he was down at his friends funeral Walter Scott.
Alex Ferguson Tom's brother died in Misouri last winter.
Old Mag Segal died with Tom Ferguson last winter and left him 100 acres
and a large amount of money he is a
lucky man (Mag Segal is 'Sagal', lived 3rd concession. EB)
we have fall wheat and spring wheat about 9 acres, pease barley and oats
about 12 acres. Potatoes 11 bags
planted this is to all appearances
a good fruit year last year was
very bad i did not sell any we have heavy showers every day and the ridges is looking
well I did not vote last election
i am sickened with the conduct of Mowat's party on the Irish affairs for
the Romanist vote.[Catholic vote. EB] Lynch
the Romish Bishop can make Mowat do just as he wants
men are turned out of their offices to get some Romanist in their places. the Home rule resolutions of Mowats party and old Jeff Davis
Gladstone if carried out would Break up the United Kingdom just as Jeff Davis
tried to Break up the United States and left half a million of the men of the
States in their graves. these
rascals should be hanged for breaking up the government. for united we stand and divided we fall.
Union is strength. the Globe and Blake and Mowat act and talk like Fenians.
it encouraged that rascal O Brien to come from Ireland to get mobs in
Canada to degrade the Governor General who is known to be a good Land Lord.
they want to keep the lands in Ireland to themselves and pay no rent
the Protestants might go or be mobed [mobbed. EB] and murdered.
I
had a letter from Fred lately (Fred is his son, the father of Herb and Geo in
letter #1. He was a school
inspector and lived at Napanee, Ontario. EB) he is very anxious I should sell out and go and live with
him. i was near doing that one time
but it would be the height of madness of me to be depending on his kindness and
if anything happened to him I might go to the poor house.
i am master of every thing on this lot and i think i will die.
So i have 38 fleeces and 5 sheep skins to take to Toronto next week
i intend to sell all my old sheep and get yearlings
i have fifteen now and they shear well
some of the fleeces weigh 9 lbs. i
hope all your family is well and helping you to get along in the struggle for to
live there is only too tollgates on
Yonge Street for me to pay at the
2 were knocked off 1st of June last
the rest of the letter is
missing
Letter
#3:
King Sept 16th
1888
Dear James
I recd yours of the
3rd of Sept. you say the harvest is
near done we got in our last load
on the 11th all our work was done
the old way cradle and syth(scythe.
EB). the old Fleury reaper and
mower i offered to John (his son. EB)
he tried the mower and brought it back
he says it wants new parts put into it so i made a foolish buying of it
from him as i only cut a little Hay with it
he bought a light reaper that was used one season and cut all his grain
with it i heard he gave 40 dolls
for it. i have the north mow near
up to the plates [flats? EB] filled with the grain
the South mow holds Pease and hay.
other years i had to stack the pease from some neighbours that thrashed
i hear the turn out of grain is good for the bulk of straw
i intend to thrash the first chance i get when the[y] are going round
(he will mean a threshing outfit that services the area).
Some of the farmers has got at their fall ploughing.
the crop of apples is heavy on some of the trees i have lots of early
apples rotting on the ground the
fowls and horses eats some of them but there is no sale for them here
if a man had a large family he could use them or make cider of them.
there is little cash in apples
they are too plentiful and perishable
i have to hire a man every fall to do fall ploughing and that annoys me as i
cannot have things done as it ought to.
if the ploughing is not done i may quit farming.
the rest we do the best we can. ("we" is he and John Potts, his
brother-in-law. EB) i am in my 72nd
year (he will be 73 in December, and thus born 21 Dec 1815 Sligo, Ireland. EB)
my health is good but i may drop off any day
that is the reason i said i wish you were living near me.
of course if you done anything for me you would be rewarded
i have to leave this place to someone or sell or rent and these times are
bad for either John Potts
(brother-in -law, brother of Fred's late wife, Martha Potts. EB) is a good
worker yet. he does all the real
hard work. i raked the shaves
(sheaves?) stacked it and drove the horses that took it to the barn
i get his meals and does some washing that must be done.
Fred (another son. He is a
school inspector and lives in Napanee, Ontario. EB) called to see me 2 weeks ago he was to Hamilton (Ontario)
he told me Thos Burrows (brother to Fred, the author of this letter.
Has an auction house in Hamilton. EB) used him well and does a large
business that keeps 4 houses or families
2 sons married and one daughter that made a bad marriage he has to keep mostly.
he thinks tom is well of[f] by appearance of his house and business.
that he said he owned. tom
(same) called here and at Johns about the end of July
his wife and a young daughter about 12 years old
he said it was 16 years since he was here
the wife was sick and had to go home so the[y] did not enjoy their visit
he sent Johns children some nice presents after he got home.
Charley (identity unknown. EB) called here in August
John and he went to Aurora (Ontario) and had a drunken spree
i do not want to see him again here.
i consider drinking the cause of great trouble and misery in this world.
the drunkard is hardened and has no sense of shame and begary and want
follows it. Our potatoes is first
rate and a great saving of bread
they are large mostly the[y] grew
in hills. as bad as the season was
we will have plenty if i had rent
to pay or a family to keep it might be different.
You did not mention about your oldest boys but it looked as if farming
with you did not pay as i suppose the[y] are away yet
i do not know how many of a family you have at home i can reckon Ida, Wm, Anna and the girl that was born here
(Ellen 'Nellie'. See later letter
written by James Burrows. EB) i
forgot James the 2nd (and Lucinda, born 1885, my gramma. EB)
when Fred (author's son. EB) was here we talked about what i should do as
i was getting to a time of life that i could not work as i do now
he thought John Potts was a difficulty in the way of me getting a person
to carry on the business he
mentioned you as the right person but i said i knew nothing of your
circumstances in Keppel nor if my place could keep so large a family meaning us
both thats here (he and John Potts. EB) and that the place must remain while i
live without mortgage AFTER I DROP OFF THE PLACE TO GO TO YOU (capital letters are
mine. EB) I have made no will yet
but i should as if i died suddenly the lawyers might get it if ye settled peaceable it would be all well.
when we thrash i will let you know the turn out
i tried to fill the letter with various subjects
all well at present
i was out of paper
ever yours
F.B.
Letter
#4:
I
trashed [threshed] on 28 Sept. i heard the men say i would have over 200 bushell of oats
about 60 of Spring wheat and about 90 barley
it grew on land that had several crops and no dung
i finished hauling out 2 years of dung yesterday last monday John Burrows
(son of the author) brought me a horse on trial
he worked well so i bought him for 35 dolls cash as my off horse Jack was
dieing of heaves. John put him in
his waggon to take him home in the place of the new horse he left on trial. When he got on the sideroad a little way he dropped dead in
harness. John Burrows (his son. EB)
thrashed on the 5th Con last tuesday they
say he had about 400 Bushell he has
fall wheat and oats to thrash on the new place
he has been several times mad drunk lately
anytime he goes to Aurora. One
night he came at 2 oclock to my place because
i did not get up in time he got an axe from the wood heap and smashed in the
under sash all the glass was broke
and the sash. i mended the sash
with glue and nails and i had to go to Aurora for 7 pieces of glass
cost about 55 cents and i done the work
had it in place next day. he
came in through the window and then began roaring his head was splitting with
the large dose of whiskey he had taken for he is a whiskey glutton and that is
the cause of all his fearful doings. we
bathed his head with cold water and he went asleep last evening before I thrashed he went to Aurora with his
waggon to get a plough fixed he did
not get home to assist me with his horses and the thrashers waited near an hour
for his appearance so they went on
with a team short. i have no fall
ploughing done yet but i will get a man soon.
as we have frosty nights we will get in the potatoes next job.
this is a long letter or you may call it 2
F.B.
Letter
#5:
King
Augt 1 1890
Dear
James
I
received yours of the 22nd July I
hope your son Fred has got a suitable wife for it has a great deal to do with a
man's happiness and success in this life you
cannot say he was in a hurry for really i do not know his age. (James' eldest
son, Fred. married Harriet Garrow in May 1890 at age 27. EB). John Burrows (author's son. EB is still in gaol and i suppose
will be till the Doctors say he is fit to go.
it will be very hard on him to do without whisky and tobacco.
it would be a good thing if he could do without it for he cannot get it
in gaol i think he has been a kind
of mad man since he married that is
18 or 19 years ago. Of course
whisky drinking is madness as drunken habbits is a constant craze.
i think his affairs will be settled by a sale this fall and there won't
be much remaining for his family YOU
MIGHT HAVE BEEN SETTLED HERE ONLY FOR HIS DESPERATE THREATS. (capital letters
are mine. EB) Now i must do
something this fall for the kind of farming i get done is very poor and does not
pay it cost me about 20 a month and
Board and that for a month and a half this spring.
about 6 acres was only ploughed last fall. i had a lazy fellow for a month at 14 dollars a month
i have no stock but 1 Shav (?) of Horses 1 cow and about 35 sheep
i had 36 lambs and some of them sold for 2 1/2 and 2 3/4
the last 5 were ewes i got
3.75 apiece for them i have 22 to
sell yet i will have a large
quantity of straw to draw from the Barn on some out of the way place for it wont
be doing for want of keeping stock. My
crop this year is about 6 acres of spring wheat
it [illegible] never had dung. the
pease looks well about 6 or 7 acres the
rest is oats and they look mostly short. the
big floods we had took the most of the dams and Bridges away and damaged the
crops in early June last i sold
about 200 Bushell of oats last fall and winter for 25 cts a Bushell
We know that does not pay Pease
i got 50 cents for Small prices. we will begin to cut our grain in about a week
we got our hay in in good condition
IF I WAS SURE OF A PLAIN KEEP THE REST OF MY LIFE THIS PLACE AND ANYTHING
I HAVE WOULD GO TO YOU (capital letters are mine. EB) for I have no desire for
anything but to retire quietly till i die i
am in my 74th year
hoping
this will find you and family well i
remain
Yours
ever
F.B.
Land transactions which connect with the letters: (all research by Jade's Gramma)
14 October 1890
DEED--#6628,
obtained from the Land Registry Office, abstract book for Lot 15 Concession 3,
King, wills index:
--this shows that Frederick deeds his land to James Carpenter Stokes for on condition that it be leased to his son, John Burrows, during Fred's lifetime.
14
October 1890
LEASE--#6629
Land records show that the land is leased to Fred's son, John, for "the natural life of the said Lessor (Fred)", for "such sum as the said Lessor may require or demand and not exceeding the sum of twenty five dollars for any one year..."
"And that the said Lessee (John) will support and maintain and provide with Suitable raiment the said Lessor and John Potts of the said Township of King in the County of York at present residing with the said Lessor during the natural life of the said Lessor and the said John Potts and the survivor of them."
10
December 1892
BARGAIN
& SALE--#7721
Fred's land is sold to Arthur Watson for the sum of $1500. The deed is signed by John, his wife Abigail, and Frederick Burrows, whose signature is very shaky.
10
December 1892
LEASE--#7722
The land is leased to John "for the term of the natural life on one Frederick Burrows...now residing upon the said premises." "...the clear yearly rent or sum of one Dollar during the first year of the term her devised and ..... the clear yearly rent or sum of seventy Dollars until the decease of the said Frederick Burrows."
I
hope I have deciphered these deeds correctly.
(EB)
Letter #6:
This letter is from Thomas Burrows, brother of the author of the above letters. (He is the owner of the auction house in Hamilton). It is written to James Burrows, son of Frederick, as are letters #1--5.
Dec 14, 1892
Dear
James
I
was at King a week ago yesterday, and found your father no better, things are
just as you describe. In the event
of his death I have no doubt that John (son of Frederick, brother to James. EB)
will dispose of the property and let Potts go where he likes. You may as well keep quiet until the worst comes, as all you
could do or say will not better matters. I
think that Johns wife seems to attend to Father all she can.
He eats little and is not much trouble, only I would like to see him
where he would have a nurse night and day.
(part
of the next page is missing)
There
is only
I
remain your
Tho.
Burrows
Frederick Burrows died 2 months
after this letter was written, on 25 February 1893.
There is no record in the Wills Index from the Land Records Office of the final dispersal of the property. However family information is that John worked in a bush camp in Quebec and died there, so presumably he lost or had to give up the farm. James Burrows had nothing further to do with this land which was apparently supposed to have come to him.
