Margaret Kellam to Sarah Louisa Hall, c1844

Letter

Title:	Margaret Kellam to Sarah Louisa Hall, c1844
Identifier:	archives.org.au/Margaret_Kellam_to_Sarah_Louisa_Hall,_c1844
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Date:	c. 1844
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License:	This work is free of known copyright restrictions.
Related people:	Sarah Louisa Bracher (née Hall)
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Keywords:	Transcriptions by Ian Berryman
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File: Kellam_1844_00_00.doc File:Kellam_1844_00_00.pdf

Typed 1988 by IB, Word file created 2 April 2013

Not dated, but from internal evidence written in 1844 or 1845

Cover: addressed to ‘Miss Hall’, but with no address, and no postmarks, so it must have been delivered by hand

Margaret Kellam to Sarah Louisa Hall, n.d. [c.1844]

Transcription

My dear Miss Hall

You cannot imagine with what pleasure and gratifycation I received your Letter, I had long been wishing that you would write either to myself or someone of the Family, for I felt very anxious to know how you were going on. I rejoice that in the many troubles and disagreeables you must have experienced, you have not suffered from Ill health, or the loss of Friends.— We have had great losses by Death, my Father, Mr Barnfield, and my oldest and dearest Friend Miss Ayton it has left a great blank in our social happiness which can never be replaced; such troubles greatly depress the Mind and makes one feel almost incapable of doing ones duty; I may not have formed a correct opinion of the effect of the loss of Friends, other circumstances combined to distress & harass my mind. After my Father’s death, we were in great danger of loosing our Home, as it was thought not expedient to keep on the Farm which was a source of great trouble & grief to us and for nearly two years we were kept in suspence and anxiety, as to whether we should or should not have the Farm; I am truly thankful to say we are now in possession of it; but the Executors have not yet finally settled our fairs. It is now three years since my Fathers death and we are in an unsettled state, we neither go out or have company. I have not been to see the Miss Hortons or they us, for more than four years past. Mr Horton is just married but there is no probability of any of the Miss Horton’s marrying—

I have felt exceedingly vexed that your first Letters never reach us, it is not only the loss of them, but it is the apparent negligence and unkindness it give rise to between Friends; but I flatter myself my dear Miss Hall that neither time or circumstances will ever change our good feeling towards each other, and I fervently hope we may be permited to meet again upon Earth. I sincerely hope your Brother will be successful in all his speculations and that with the blessing of the Almighty he will be able to make you all comfortable and bring you back to your Native Land.

I have very little leisure for writing, having the entire management of all the domestic affairs Eliz^th takes no part of it, there was always something unpleasant occurring, when she did, so I thought it best to take the whole of the trouble. Eliz^th was a great Invalid the greater part of last year; but I am thankful to say she is now in good health, or I may say tolerable good, as she is often complaining, but do not think there is much cause for it. My Brother Will^m has also been a great Invalid, but am glad to say he is now pretty well and so is my Brother Jon^th & myself, though for the last three years we have scarcely been all well together, untill the last three or four Months we are God be praised, as well as we can reasonably expect to be, and hope we may continue so for a time. Mrs Burbury will tell you all about herself & family, there has been sad business there, such as made us tremble for ourselves. Mrs Hopkins as had some changes since you left. I do not recollect whether she had left the Mill before you left us, and came to live in the House that Mrs Farren, Mrs Berrys Mother lived in, Mrs F is dead. Mrs Hopkins was confined of her second Daughter at this House, the little Boy who was the eldest dyed very young only five months old, they have two little girls living, they are all living at Birmingham. Mr H was obliged to give up his Mill from imprudent conduct, and now he is Head Man in a large Steam Mill in Birmingham.

Your Father my dear Miss Hall is a subject I do not know how to write upon. I can only say he is in good Health. We are greatly indebted to your Father for his liberal support to my unfortunate Brothers will you my dear Miss Hall, the next time you write give me as near an account as you can of the expence they were to your Father do you think it amounted to between four and five hundred Pounds. Who had Henry’s Land? or rather who was it mortgaged to?

Time has made a great change in me which I feel very sensibly, and rather grieved that I cannot do as I have done, but I check myself and consider that gratitude ought to be the prevading feeling of my heart & Mind, for all the Blessings I have and do enjoy, though there are many things trouble me yet I might have been very much worse off; had not the goodness of Providence kept us here;— and I hope please God to be able to make your Father a just return for what he has done for my Brothers, but at this time it is very inconvenient to spare even a few Pounds, there has been a great deal of Money borrowed to enable us to continue in the Farm and there has been a great deal spent in Law.— and the year before last was a very bad one for the Farmers, we lost some hundreds. We live very prudently neither go out or have company.

I am glad you have a comfortable¹ I wish your Brother could make England his Home and you keep his House.

There is still four Miss Johnsons, and no probability of their changing their name. Miss Catharine is going to London this week upon a visit to a rich Cousin who is a widow Lady.— Mrs Hunt, Miss Ann Johnson as was, has now three Children and very near her confinement of her fourth. Do you remember Mr Lissaman he was a Clark in a Bank at Coventry, but lived with his Cousins the Smiths in this place, he has marryed Miss Smith, and they have now a little Boy.— Was Mary Powell our Niece, with us when you were? she is now in a situation as Governess, to a Family in Ireland, and am glad to say is very comfortable, she has 30£ Salary. I am sorry to say her Father does not do much better than when you were with us, he just keeps out of Jail, and that is all. The Miss Johnsons are relieved of one great trouble and annoyance, their Brother Will^m is Married to Miss Elkington a niece of Mrs Auger’s, and they are living at Stretton. Mrs Auger is also living there, her Husband is dead.

I hope my dear Miss Hall you will like the Dress I have sent you, and also a slip I scarcely know what to call it, they are wove for Petticoats, but there is not enough for the Body. I trust you will excuse my sending you a habit Shirt that I have worn, but it has only been washed once it is too large for me about the Neck.— I should liked to have fill^d my paper but cannot as I shall be too late to send my Parcel off. I written half a Sheet of fools-cap paper to you three Months ago back but made so many mistakes and badly written, worse than this so I burnt it. Eliz^th desires her Love, but you must excuse her writing. Accept my kindest Love and believe me my dear Miss Hall with very sincere wishes for your Health and Happiness, ever your affect Friend

Marg^t Kellam

Please to give my Comp^ts to your Mother, I hope she enjoys good Health, and that her children will be a comfort & a Blessing to her.

1 The phrase ‘I am glad you have a comfortable’ is the last line of the fifth page of the letter, the sixth page begins ‘I wish your Brother …’.