Mahala Morton January 17, 1866 letter to James Low III

January 17, 1866 Letter From

Mahala Morton

of Brighton, Somerset County, Maine

to James⁸ Low III

of Newburg Township, Pike County, Illinois.

The letter was found in a trunk of James Low III and transcribed as written by his great-great grandson, Bingham James Forrest¹² Lowe. Punctuation and spelling errors have not been corrected.

Genealogical position of James⁸ Low III:

10th generation: Frank, Forrest, Lenna, Arthur, Edward, Paul, Leland, Charles Doss, Pearl, Henry, James, George

Bingham James⁹ Low(e) Aug 27, 1853 - Feb 10, 1923 (wife: Mary D. Culver) of Newburg, Pike County, Illinois

James⁸ Low III Apr 27-1816 - Sep 2, 1889 (wife: Margaret Huston Montgomery) of Clinton & Brighton, Maine/ Newburg, IL

James⁷ Low Jr 1796 - Mar 20, 1824 (wife: Mary Wyman) of Clinton, ME (fought in War of 1812)

James⁶ Low Sr Jul 17, 1770 - bef 1830 (wife: Elizabeth "Betsy" Chase) of Boxford, MA / Clinton, Maine

Nathan⁵ Low Oct 1, 1742 - Jul 24, 1804 (wife: Lucy Lord) of Ipswich & Boxford, Massachusetts

Caleb⁴ Low 1707 - Jul 17, 1777 (wife: Abigail Varney) of Ipswich, Massachusetts

David³ Low Aug 14, 1667 - Jun 2, 1746 (wife: Mary Lamb) of Ipswich, Massachusetts

Thomas² Low May 8, 1631 - Apr 12, 1712 (wife: Martha Boreman) of Groton & Boxford, Suffolk, England / Ipswich, MA

Thomas¹ Low 1605 - Sep 8, 1677 (wife: Margaret Todd) of Groton & Boxford, Suffolk, England / Ipswich, MA

Giles⁰ Low unknown (Wife: Syseley Wall, marr 3/5/1601/02) of Brancepeth, Durham, England; Groton & Boxford, Suffolk, England

Brighton Jan 17, 1866

Absent friends, I take a few moments the evening to answer your kind letter just reseved I am well and family excepting my little boy he is vary sick at this time He has bin sick 4 weeks with a disese in the head as I write I rock the cribe with my foot

James I was glad to here frome you it has bin a long time since we last met I have seen many changes and so have you but I am the same Mahala that you left in Skowhigan but have grone old as I see you have You woden think strange if you cood now what I have past throu since that time My cup has bin a cup of mature and is fool at this time I am left a widow with five little children and nothing but my hands to take care of them my husband has bin dead three yers next May and I have worried along with them I draw eight dollars a month from the State that halps a little my folks wont me to part my little ones but I cant tha are all that is dear to me on earth and I cant let them go frome me and tha wont halp me any but I have found kind friends whare I have bin liven but Father came to Old Town last Spring found me out to work and my little children to home he thought I had better move here I coud live better here he woud help me to a farm but when I got there he wonted me to let my Brothers and Sisters have my children but I coud not I came here to Brighton vilige and bout me a small house and am trying to pay for it but it will hve me a hard time but I trust in God he has promis to be a Father to the Fatherless and the widow Husband if we trust in him I have found his promises true I had one of the best of husbands he felt it his duty to got out in the army where he fell for his country and has left me with five little children my oldest fifteen yers of age his name is Charles Eggar Morton the next is 10 yers His name is Henry A. Morton then I have two twin girls tha are 7 yrs two pretty girls and as smart as you ever saw my youngest name is Herbert J. Morton he is five he is sick I should like to send you there picture if I was able but cant at presant it hard times here with me I hav now one but my little boy to help me I had to take him from his chool this winter to git along he is in the woods to work he gits 13 Dollars a month evry thing is vary hie flour is 16 Dollars a barrel pork twenty five per pound evry thing else acordingly You spoke of thing being cheep out here I wish that I had my little ones here if I cood take care of them any easer if it is warmer are with you for take with the cold as I am writing James I was vary much plesed with your picture I keep it as a token of friendship ?send? your wife I think you must hav a vary smart woman she can do more then the Maine womin if she has spun and wove so much I like some her nice wolin cloth I must close it vary late but I like to say more there no time James you excuse this poor letter as it frome a friend giv my love to your wife and family and apart to yourself will you answer this that I may now you reseved this I think a good bit of my old friends

yours truly Mahala R. (or B.)Morton

[Postscript]

it morning the little boy is better and it snowin and bloing a gale it would scare you to see such a storm

James Low did, indeed, help Mahala Morton. Mahala, and her children moved to Pike County in 1867 and appear in the 1870 Pike County census, Newburg Township, on July 8, 1870, dwelling 142/family143:

Mahala Morten, 48, female, white, personal property worth $400, born in Maine

Charles Morten, 19, m, white, farm hand, Maine

Alice Morten, 15, F, white, Maine

Cora Morten, 11 F, white, Maine

Ella Morten, 11, F, white, Maine

Heby [Herbert] Morten, 8, M, white, Maine