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	Subject:	Letters of Martha (Case) Utter, wife of Simeon F.
	Post Date:	April 19, 2006 at 22:53:38
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	Forum:	Utter Family Genealogy Forum
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Tri-Counties Genealogy & History by Joyce M. Tice Diaries & Letters of the Tri-Counties Letters from our Emigrants to Mary Williams and Oliver Williams of Troy Township: Columbia Township, Bradford County PA and nearby areas Transcribed & Submitted by Don Stanton 2003 Published by Joyce M. Tice 2005 http://www.rootsweb.com/~srgp/diaries/dsletters.htm Who Where When Martha CASE "Utter" Utters' Corners and Wisconsin 1857- 1864 Lucinda CASE or WILLIAMS "Cowles" Spencer Nov 22 1857 Dear Brother and Sister (Ansel and Betsey Case Williams) We received your letter and was verry glad to hear that you got Home well Jason’s (Jason Cowles, Lucinda’s son and Betsy’s nephew. His wife was Maria Swartout Cowles.) wife is considerable beter that she was when you left here the rest of us are medling comfortable at present. Miriam (Miriam Case Vorhis, Betsy’s sister. Like Lucinda she lived in Spencer, N.Y.) is wel and all the rest of the Friends as far as we know Knup en burgers (Myron and Deborah Vorhis Knuppenburg. Deborah is Miriams daughter, Betsy’s niece) Folks are thare yet but are talking of going away soon Jacob Vorhis (Miriam’s son, Betsy’s nephew. He died in the Civil War) is a bording the hands on the track and tha are well I should be very glad to com down thare and see you all this winter but I do not think we shall come you note that Simeon and Martha (Utter) was a coming back in the Spring and I think we shall come and mak a visit then with you all to gether once more I gess I was so in glad to hear that tha was a coming home whare we could see each other we hav all had bad Cowles (colds?) Elon (Elon Cowles, Lucinda’s husband) has had a diseness in his head and could not walk with onley to hold by something but he has got a bout again tell Abram and Saley (Abraham and Sally Williams Case) that we should bee very glad to reseve a viset from them and if tha cant come tell them to write giv my love to Philip (Philip Case, Betsy’s brother) and Eunis (Eunice Case Gifford, Betsy’s sister) tell them that we hav knot forgotin them tell them to write Oliver and Mary kick up and com out and see us for I have all most forgot how you look giv my lov to all your children and tell them I should be very glad to see them write often and tell us all of the knewues this from Elon and Lucinda Cowles. N.B. Names and remarks by Susan Johnston. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martha CASE "Utter" Utters Corners June 18, 1857 Ansel & Betsey Williams Dear brother and sister I now take my penn in hand to answer your verry welcome letter I was glad to hear that you was all well we are well alsoe we have just got a letter from our sisters (Lucinda Case Cowles and Miriam Case Vorhis) at Spencer (N.Y.) Harison Vorhis (son of Miriam Case Vorhis, Betsy’s nephew. He was dead by Nov. 1858. I haven’t found burial, death record, etc. yet.) verry sick he got hurt in the first place he has been down about four months and by what thay wright we think he never will get well now I have enuf to say and could talk as fast as ever but cant wright half as fast I can talk if I had a chance to sit down with you two to night I should tell a grate menny things how we git along we have pork and butter and flour to sell of our one so you see we ant a starveing our crops look verry good for so bacward a spring now we might know how one another gits along if we would take a little pause now brother and sister if you want to hear from me as much as I do from you and will answer my leters we can talk with the pen you do not know how much good it dose mee to git a letter from my friends if you did you would wright oftener now I will answer in my waye all the leters that enny of you will wright O if I could sit down and talk awhile it would do me so much good but if we cant do that we may talk with the pen I worke as hard as ever I did in my life and I feal old age I have grone old more in thre year than in ten years before my hare is agiting gray and I am groing clumsy I do not have enny sick spells as I used to have but I am lame amost all the time now you say that you do not enjoy your self as well as you might I am sorry for you you are agiting old and perhaps a little childish and do not look at things just as you should now look to him he ses I wil never leve nor for sake them that put thare trust in him Mother used to say that our light aflictions work out afore morn and eternal wate of glory let us pray that our aflictions ma be santi fide to our good now brother Philip how do you git along did you git the letter I sent to you I wish I could see you and set down in the shanty and talk till midnight we would take a little comfort I gues now I have made five cheas that way fifteen pounds apeas I gues ide better stop or I shant have enny thing to sa the next time give my love to all the friends and keep a good share for your selves so good by wright as soon as you git this Martha Utter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Brother and Sister (Ansel and Betsey Case Williams) Your very welcome letter of the 17th Feby was received on the 24th and right glad were we to get it and the more so as it told of your good health with the improvement of Sister Betsey’s health and also that you lived in your own house again etc etc. We also had the privilege of reading one that you sent to Moses (Case) some time before which he answered but I suppose that you had not received his answer when you wrote to me as you said nothing about it but you have probably received it before now. Your letter found us in usual health. I have the same story yet to tell that our doctor bill has been only two dollars in Wisconsin and that was for myself so that not one cent has been paid for doctoring Patty. She has had a good many poor turns but has never lain in bed but once a whole day at a time and that was the effect of tooth ache this winter. Clarissa’s (James Banks) health is not very good this winter and is not as good now as it has been. They called the doctor a day or two ago but his medicine had more effect than he intended but we hope it will do no permanent injury but it makes her feel pretty bad to-night. The complaint rather seems to be general debility than any thing else. My health has been very good this winter. James (Banks) and the little one enjoy good health. He is calculating to start to his land in Trempealeau county (Wisconsin) next week. It lies about 143 miles north west of here in a strait line and by the road about 200 miles. He is going to build a house and put in crops. He has 9 or 10 acres broke ready for a spring crop. I talk of going to take Clarissa and the child to him after the ground settles and also to look over the country to see if there is any place that suits me up that way. I am calculating to leave here as soon as I can get ready and find a place to go to that suits me and in view of this arrangement shall get no goods this spring. I have done tolerably well since I came here and if I have good luck in collecting this spring and squareing up what I owe I think I have done better than in any other 3 years since we were married. Moses (Case) has been with us most of the winter. He came here in Nov.--- but I remember that his letter told all about it. He started from here last week for Mary Ann’s (daughter of Moses Case) and we have heard nothing from him since he left. He enjoys tolerably good health but is quite lame in his right hip still he seems to enjoy life very well. He is a great spiritualist but failed to convince us of the truth of his system and gave up trying and we were very glad of that. Rachel (wife of Moses Case) is with Abigail (daughter of Moses Case) in Michigan. She draws from Loyal (son of Moses Case) 40 dollars a year and Moses (Case) 80. Clarissa (wife of James Banks) and Patty (Martha Case Utter) and I went and made a visit last fall with Laura, Elon (Laura Cowles Everts and Elon Cowles are children of Lucinda Case Cowles, Betsy’s sister) and Charlotte Cowles ( I believe Charlotte is an unidentified daughter of Lucinda) and had quite an old fashioned Case visit with them. We should be very glad to see you here and were in hopes from some remarks that you made in your letter to Moses that we might enjoy that privilege this summer. I do not think that there is any fear but you would both stand the journey perfectly well. We started from Corning about 5 O’clock P.M. and the next night staid in Chicago where we put up 2 or 3 hours later than we started. If you go in to Elmira in the morning so as to take the night train from New York which used to come to Elmira about 8 O’clock A.M. and had no bad luck you would go through to Winnebago station the next day in time to go 7 miles south by private conveyance to Loyal’s and if you got there he would very cheerfully bring you up here and that rout would be a little cheaper than it would to take the Lake Shore Rail Road at Chicago to Millwaukee and then the Milwaukee and Mississippi Rail Road to Child’s Station which would be 4 ½ miles from here but if you should choose to come that way which would cost about two dollars more that the other route I would very cheerfully take you down to Loyal’s where Moses will probably be by the time that you would be likely to come. Now will you come. It would be a beautiful ride and you would see more that you ever saw before and a country ahead of any thing that you ever saw. Won’t you come? We wish you would. Say you will. March 4th I can say when we shall probably go to Troy as the future of my business is very much in the dark. I shall know more about it probably in six months from this time and as soon as it is at all consistent I shall visit you which will be a very pleasant job if all is well. Give our best love to Philip, Abram, Sarah ( Abraham and Sarah “Sally Williams Case, Lucinda’s brother and Ansel’s sister) and all your children & Abrams I hope as you have got your hand in you will give us another letter soon. As Lucy (there is an awful lot of Lucys running around. I don’t know who this is) is an old school teacher tell her to write her uncle Sim a good long family letter and tell him all about themselves and Oliver’s folks & Julia Ann (Williams Williams, Betsy’s daughter), Abigail (Mrs. James Linderman) & Laura (Williams Huntington, at this time) and her own folks and all the family news and general news that she can in reference to your family and Abram’s. Clarissa is considerably better than she was last night when I wrote the fore part of this. S. F. Utter Mach 5th 1857 N.B. Remarks by Susan G. Johnston -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Brother and Sister (Ansel and Betsy Williams) I sit down to talk a little while with you in the first plase we are all in good health we heard from Moses (Case) last week Loyal’s wife was sick with a broken brest but was agitin some better the rest of the folks ware all well Moses (Case) is akeeping house with Marcia this summer James and Clariesa and baby live with us we are afarming we have got about forty acres of grane and a good sised garden with fruit aplenty if the frost don’t kilit we had currents apenty last year so that we made about 7 gallons of wine and dride all we wanted for both families we milk three cows this summer and we calculate to go to makin cheas next weak Chas one cow so I think we shal make aqite acheas will you come and see if thay are good now say you will O how glad we should be now say we have but one life to live and we will go and see my weakly sister the Lord help you to such a resolution we want to know all about the children tell them to wright enny one of them and if tha can reade my scrablin I will answer them now do wright and let me no whether you want enny more such stuf if you don’t just say that tell Phillip we all want to see him we want to see all the folks Simeon has done amost all his plowing him self so you se that I have had sompthing to do I have the store to tend and my work to do and we begin to fel old age acoming on my hare is agiting qite gray and you se I have lost a tooth So you se we ar agiting quite old now anuf of this now have you injoy religion ses you wal not as much as is our privleg but we do some times think that we meet the Saveriour awa of hear in the west we have much to contend with thare thare is so much spirituales folks heare and that is infidlity that it almost makes me crasy but I trust in the Lord that we shal be kep from the delusion of the devil thru faith in the Lord Jesus pray focus that we may be kept from sin and folly so if we never meat in this life we may meat in heven whare thare is no parting and we sant be home sick thare Father is living and is very lonely since Mother (I think this may refer to Simeon Utter’s parents. Aaron Case died in 1821 and Abigail died probably circa 1843. That would place the date of this letter between 1855 and 1861; probably closer to 1855 as the Utter’s returned to Mansfield PA at least long enough to be there in time for the 1860 census.) died he gave up all kind of buisiness and sits down and thinks over his trouble and it makes him very misrible his helth is poor but he is an old man now brother Ansel if you make up your mind to come hear sit right down and tell me when and if you don’t you will do as much as to wright So we shal look for a letter from you soon tell us all the news every boddy is strangers to you hear and we are aqainted with agrate menny thare So you see that we want along leter now sister you see I have never bragd aword about our girl (I have no idea about who this is. Simeon and Martha supposedly had ten children, all stillborn or dying very young) She is asmart little thing as you ever see She talks every thing pretty plane we are all fond of hir. She pases away agrate menny lonsum ours give my love to all the frends and keep agood share for your selves We should be very glad to see enny of the friends or hear from them I will stop by subseribeing my self your friend and Sister. Martha Utter Ansel and Betsy Williams -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whitewater Walworth Co. Wis. Dec. 7, 1862 Mr. Philip Case Mrs. Betsey Williams etc etc Dear Brother and Sister and friends all I take my pen in hand after so long a time to let you know that we are in the land of the living our helt is verry good and have been for the most parte of the time so you see that the Lord has not forsaken us if worldly friends do. We have not heard one word from Mansfield since July nor a word from Troy at all since we came hear. I think if my dear sister could wright that she would say something to hir lone friend to be sent of with out enny thing but a little peas of naked land in our old age seasons pretty hard but so it is and we must make the best of it we hav had a good garden this summer we have all kinds of garden cans(?) a plenty and some grane to spare we hav worked verry hard I have husked 230 busels of corn to git me some winter clothes we rased some coffee and it is the best substitute I ever see we drink it twise a day and feal no inconvenience so you see that cuts of one expence James is verry kiend Clar (apparently this is James and Clarissa Banks) has done a grate deal for us we lieved there till spring and then they gave us meat butter lard and cheas to begin with besides a good menny peases of clothen a new shaker reddy trimed three new aprons a pare of shirts windjaket a pound of tea and coffy and a grate meny other things we have three bushels of beans and three bushels of parsnips we live in a poor house for which we pay fifty sents a weak and we have not had a thing from home since we came away I worked and got a wash tub and and we git nothing for ____ and I can tell you it seams planey (?) hard when I think what I have done and then to be turned off as we have been O Betsey if I could see you once more but that wil never bee but my tears bliend me so I must stop for a while we have just reseaved your kiend letter and it gave me courage to finish this scrable I am sorry to hear so much trouble I simpithise with all my friends tho banised from them at so grate a distance I have thought of wrighting a grate menny times but my hart failed me now you have broke the ice I will do my part to keep up a corispondence tel Julian I want hir to send me Philips likenes as I have not got it he sed he would send it with our goods but did not tel hir wright us a good long letter with it I supos you hear more from the Illinois folks than we do. You talk of hard times what do you think of us cast in a strange land without a hous or barn or enny thing but a peace of naked land our our poor old hands to get our living from I worked with my one hands and pade one doler a weak for six months for wrent how the wrent is to be pade this year I do not know we had to bye a grate menny things that we left and git nothing for bedsteds pails barrels and trebes(?) so you see it makes it hard for old folks like us to git along Philip sent us sixteen yards of calico and to pounds of tee and to pounds of tobacco and some dride berries I suppose ____ our ____ I cleand house and got some hens but git nothing as yet for ours but I will stop for this time by subscribing my self your hart broken sister Martha Philip Case Betsey Williams and friends Direct to Whitewater Walworth Co. Wis Post Office at Utter’s Corners is not Whitewater Dec 14 1862 Mr. Oliver and Mrs. Mary Williams Dear Nephew and Niece We recd to day your letter written the same day that Aunt Pat commenced this letter to you and all the friends there. We were very glad to get your letter as we had heard nothing from you in nearly a year. We regret to hear of the sickness and deaths in the family but we can only tender to the afflicted ones our sympathy. Our health is very good for us. Aunt Pat had had poor spells but has not been confined to the bed for one day. We have both worked very hard this summer and it agrees with my health. I never fail a meal at the table. It has been extremely healthy here since we came here. My brother Curtis (Utter)was at the point of death when we came and only lived 4 or 5 days. He had been in in a decline for nearly a year. We were at Bank’s (James and Clarissa) a little over a week ago. Clarissa’s health is not very good but so that she does her own work. James and the children are well. I have raised 60 bushels of wheat and 350 bushels ears of corn with plenty of all kinds of garden sauce(?) and done almost all myself and I have 3’(?) tons of hay which I cut on shares. I have not said ½ that I had to say. Write again and I will say more. S. F. Utter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whitewater Feb. 7 1864 Dear Friends one and all I sit down once more to talk with you in the first place my helth is not verry good I was taken three weeks ago with the neuraligy in my ear(?) it was verry bad for about twenty fore ours and took all my strength awa so that I could hardly sit up to have my bed made but you see that I am better now but not verry smart Simeons helth is not verry good he had a bad cold and cough but keeps about Mary An and Marcia came hear with a cousin and husband on thare Mothers side fuida(?) /after I was taken sick and all stade till Mondy and Mary An stade til the next satterdy and I had a achance to hear all about our Brothers (presumed to be Moses Case as Marcia was keeping house with him) last sickness and Deth from Marcia he was sick twenty one dase O if I could see you and tell you all about it but that cannot be they sa that Rashel is well provided for she is with her sister and hir famile and they are verry kind to hir and I am verry glad for her that she is provided for in her old age Loyals wider pays her forty dollars a year I sent to white wetter when Marian was hear and had her fathers likeness taken off from one that she had so you see that is all that we have left of our brother I began this letter a weak ago and was so miserable that I lade it by and now I am a grate deal better so if the wether is favorable we talk of going to Banks this weak we haven’t bin thare since last June her helth is poor now we have so few to talk about and y (you?) have so menny we want you to tell us all the news and wright often at least while the sickness lasts for we feal verry uneasy and thare is so many of you to wright that we had ought to get a half a dozen letters to our wrighting one but a lass we never hear a word only when we wriight now do you think that is fare play when one gets a letter you all hear the news now I would like to know what had become of Jabes he wrote me a verry kind leter and I answered it just as well as I know how and hav herd nothing from him since if you see him tell him whi don’t he wright. (starts with a different hand writing – looks like Simeon’s) It is a general time of health here. We do not know of any one that is sick in this country. Russels wife Mary is not very well but is about her work every day. We have had a pretty cold snowy winter. We have snow piled up in monstrous heaps enough to last us all summer if the weather should hold on as it is to day. We have probably had over two feet of snow if it had laid even on the ground. A warm spell settled it some but the most of it remains. The ground is not froze under the snow altho’ it has been very cold Martha Utter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (This was probably written after the 7 Feb. 1864 letter as she speaks of sending the likeness of Moses Case that she had gotten) Dear brother Philip It was with pane that I herd the news of your sickness and so glad to hear that you was agiting better now I am a going to send our Dear brothers likeness and in return we want yours my helth is verry poor this spring I can hardly do my little work but you and I must soon la down these old frale bodies and try the reality of eternity so let us try to bee prepard for that day then all well bee well we have had a late spring and now it is so dry that it looks rather dubeaus for crops we shant have no apples this year the treas blossomed but have all blasted bugs and worms is a maken bade work with the garden we have a few strawberrys but the dry wether has made them small now it is a long time since I wrote the above but it will bee new to you so I will send it along wall we have got good crops we have harvested our wheat and have got seven aders(?) and it is good five(?) of winter and we have six of oats and ____ of corne that is the talist corn you ever see Simeon can not reach the top with a yard stick but we are afrade it is to big so it wil not ear as well our potatoes look fine and we have had plenty of rain lately and our garden is coming on finely all but cabige and and hant you got some to spare to your weakly sister we have had peas since the sixteenth of June and have sum more blosin Wall anuf of that now I am a going to send our old fases with our departed brothers the best that we could get it is not good but it looks like him you send yours and tell Oliver to send his dear sister O how I long to see your fase once more in the flesh it is four years this month since we parted and must it be never to meat agane on the shores of time O how can I bare the thout I have felt bade to think that you could not come and see us before we left but it is to paneful a subject to dwel upon so I will stop by biding you good by for the present I remain your loving Sister Oliver and Mary Dear friends I do feal so grate ful to you for your kindness in keeping up a corispondence with your old uncle and aunt but if you could come and see us you do not know how much good it would do us it seams to me that if you new how verry glade we should be to see you you would try and come my helth is stil poor Uncle is in good helth for a man of his age he works verry hard our friends hear are verry kind but it is not like having some of your one folks Clarrisa helth is verry poor Banks and the children are well we got a leter from Jane (This sounds like she should be Betsy’s granddaughter, but the only Jane grandchildren I know of were Laura’s two daughters. Jane who died in 1861 and Frances Jane who was too young to write at this time – assuming the 1864 date) and she wright beter than her granny and that is not saing much Wal Dear Mary your old aunt feals for you in your loss and would be glad to sa something to do you good but do not know what to sa the Lord dose all things right and we must try to submit to his will Wale I will stop and if you cant read this bring it to me and I will tell you all about it Martha Utter Stephen ( Stephen D. Gifford, Betsy’s nephew, lives with Oliver and Mary Williams) how do you do We are so glad that you have got back all right now cant you come and see us O how galde we should bee to see you out hear and if you cannot come will you wright and tell us how you prosper (Stephen had been discharged from the Army in 1862, only a few days before his brother died. He re-enlisted in Sept. 1864 and was discharged in June 1865. I think this letter may have been written either before Sept. 1864 or after June 1865) now Jesesse (Jesse) ant thinks that you will come and see hir when you get a little larger Wont you teas Pa and Ma to come with you (The following is in a different handwriting-looks like Simeon’s): Last winter we had a letter signed Priscilla Gaylor claiming to be one of our Case relatives and wishing to be recognized by all her relatives in Wisconsin as the number was very small and as we had heared of her by Robert Pennell (Robert Pennell was the son of Aaron and Sarah Case Pennell. Sarah was Betsy’s aunt, so Robert Pennell is her first cousin. The two were almost the same age. Robert lived in Elmira, N.Y. in 1860, but may have moved to Michigan. I don’t have this research complete) I wrote to her telling her where we lived and the rout to come from their house and recognising her as a relative. About two weeks ago she and her husband Robert E. Gaylor came out and made us a visit. She had the sick head ache all the way here 111(?) miles but she got over it soon and you may well believe that some tall visiting was done in 24 hours which was about the time that she was able to visit while here. We like them very much. Her name before marriage was Nelson a daughter of Elder Nelson. I think we shall return their visit. It was a great treat to visit with one of the Case tribe. (This clue is new to me and very exciting. I think the woman descends from Philip Case [Betsy’s grandfather] but don’t know. There are still some of Philip’s children that I don’t know much about.) N.B. Remarks by Susan G. Johnston -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note from Joyce M. Tice - Simeon F. Utter (SRGP 74171) was on Sullivan Township Tax rolls 1835-1839 - Sold land to Horatio Fish 1839. 1830 Census in Troy PA.