Letter from Thos. and Mary Williams: June 1855

One of Four Known Letters sent by John Stubbs, his daughter, Mary, and son-in-law Thomas Williams, of Kendal, Westmorland, England to his son, Reverend Thomas Stubbs, a Wesleyan Methodist Minister, in the United States of America.

From: Thomas and Mary Williams
Kendal, England

June 1855

Dear Brother, We received your kind letter about 21 days after date and was very glad to hear of your welfare, but I canot say it is So with us. Your Father is not So very well. He has got very infirm he is not able to write to you, he has tryed two or three times and could make nothing of it. He has had a very Bad Winter. We never thought that he would live through the winter. He had a very sever an atack of what we called the Influenza, witch took away his facultyes and allmost the use of limbes, but in a few weeks he came round Again but cant walk much. It is very difficult for him to git up Stairs of himself. He can walk two three hundred yards, but that with great difficulty. But it is no wonder when we consider his number of years, he will be 90 the next month. We think it a very great age in this Country what ever you may think of it in yours. The reason we did not write sooner was your Father being taken Poorly in The begining of Winter, theirfor we did not know might take place aney day. So I hope you will Excuse. You Say you have had very hard winter with you. So with us and a very Long Spring, hard Frost till into May and then very cold dry winds all through May till into June. All fodder eaten and no gras for the catel. Everything extreemly dear - flour 3/10 per Stone and Potatoes 11 and very bad, and all other things accordingly. So you will see we have hard times as well as you. And then their is the destructive war going on distroing boath life and property and an increce of taxes and trade Bad. Kendal is a very poor Place. A great deal of houses and Shops Standing Emty witch is a great proof that a town his not improving when So many Shops and houses is to Lett. But Thank God we are in Good health. That is my Self and my wife. Your Sister Mary keepes very active of Feet and can do her House Work and Bind Boot and Shoes very well yet, but much Plagued with the Cramp in her feet and legs in the Night Time. You wanted to know how The Reformers were Coming on. They are Still Carving us a Seprate Body and made great progres in Some parts of this Country but not in Kendal. They had a Society formed in this town, had Preaching twice on a Sunday in a large Room and cept it up for two or three years. But after a while Some of the leading men Began to fall off and then the Congration fell of, So they gave up the Room and Came back to the old Body and Some joined The Ranters and other Places. We Considerd the Preachers behaved very Badley to many of Members, turned them out without any trial but because they went to hear the reformers Speak at their meetings. Your Father has not been a member of the old Body this two or three years or more. They witheld his Class Book because he went to here the reformers Speak and they Placed him up on the Platform but he did not Speak. You know his Princpels their are libral. Their is onley thin congrations in The Methodist Chaple at present. The Preachers are no visitors, they never go among the poor but they will find it out after a while that it will not do. They have lost many Thousands the last two or three years. Your Father cant be laid beside your Mother in The Chapel Yard it is Closed as a bureing Ground. So is The old Church Yard. They are making a new cemetery up Cocklane leading to Castle just over The Gashouse Bridg. Two large fields one on eac side of the lane, one for the Church and the other for The Decenters, and two neat littel Chaples. It will be a beautifull Place when finished. We have had Robert Sandersons wife and two children over from Preston a few Days. One of the Children is very delicate. Meg thought that a littel Kendal Air would do it good. So it did. Robert did not get over as was expectd. He mised the the Train on the Sunday morning as it Starts very earley, witch was a great disapointment to boath sides. Margret Sanderson left her Place in Preston two months ago but She is gon Back to live with her Brother Till She gets a nother place. We were to Remember John Brough to you when we wrote to you. He and Family is gon to live in Wales. He is gon into partnership with a jentelman in the drainage pipe Business in very Extensive way. John dose nothing but Travel. Our Elizabeth and fameley is all well. They wish to be rememberd to you all. Her third Son John Can reed Music and Play Organ. I have Sould them mine. Your Uncle William is still living but very infirm. He is at Barnard Castle. Robert and Rachel Sanderson wishes to be remberd to you and the rest of her Children when you See them. Give our United Love to all. So I must Conclude by Wishing you health and happness in this World and Evelasting Life in the World to Come. Every yours truly your Father

John Stubbs and Thos and Mary Williams