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2878. John Henry SISSON-6444 (Edmund Sanford SISSON
, Barnabas SISSON
, Mary SHEARMAN
, Mary B. SANFORD
, Hope SISSON
, George
, Richard
) was born on 14 Feb 1839 in South Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island.
Following is the text of a handwritten letter from John Henry Sisson, age 51, in Eckley, Colorado, to his brother, Jonathan Anthony Sisson, age 56, in South Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Jonathan Anthony Sisson is my great grandfather. My purpose in providing this letter is to provide a picture of the difficulties experienced by a farmer who has moved west from Rhode Island. There is no intention to provide a negative view of John Henry Sisson. Changes in punctuation have been made to make letter easier to read.
Jonathan Anthony Sisson II
Eckley Sept. 9, 1890
Dear Brother,
It has been a long time since I herd anny thing from you or your family. I have been thinking some time that I would write. We are all well as common. We have had a pretty dry season hear this summer. Crops are rather poor though there will be plenty of fodder for stock. Potatoes are rather scarce. We had some rains late and there is going to be more than people looked for. We are very busy cutting corn now. Eugene has been at work in Denver most of the summer. He has been home about 2 weeks going back Saturday.
Now comes the part that I do not like to write about. I got into some trouble last week by shooting a mans dog. It has run my stock at different times and my boy on his ponys two different times. On last Saturday morning the mans son got after one of my ponys with his dog and run it into the wire fence and cut it up some and if the post had not of broke and the wire it would of ruined it. I expect that the Law in this state if a Dog is caught running or worrying cattle or stock to shoot them. So I thought I was justifible in shooting it so I took my Gun and went over to the mans House and shot it. There is where I made a mistake in going to his House. He is a pretty hard case. He sued me for shooting the dog and also claimed that I came there with a deadly weppon with intent to do bodily harm. He and his Wife and son swore to that effect though their testimony was so conflicting. If there had been a fair trial the testimony would have been thrown out but was only a mock trial to make money out of. So I have got into a pretty close plase. It is going to cost me nearly $ 300.00 and unless I can get some help it is going to put me in such a shape that I cannot take care of my family. I have some stock but at the present time it is very low on account of the Hot winds they had in Nebraska and Kansas. It Destroyed their Corn and they have nothing to winter them on but they will be all right after they are wintered through. I had to give a Mortgage on my cattle payable in 30 days which will be the third of August. Also there is a pair of horses which leave me without any team to do anny thing with to make anny thing to support my family. I have one other horse the ponys the boys uses in herding the cattle. I have a well improved farm hear a little over a half of mile from the Depo. There is some 8 or 10 trains passes over the road every day going to and from Denver.
I have laid out some ten or twelve hundred dollars on it. Got a good house on it 16x24 one story and a half painted up in good shape, a barn or shed 60 feet long 18 feet wide with loft in it for hay, another cattle shed about 50 feet long, Buggy house, Chicken house, a good cave that cost me 25 dollars, a wind mill and pump that is worth over one hundred dollars and a well that never goes dry. I could watter a thousand head of cattle a day. It could not be pumped dry. I will give you a Mortgag on it or some Cattle and the horses anny thing so you will be perfectly safe. This is a new country hear and there is no one hear to loan. It is just like it used to be in Iowa only worse. There was some men there that had money. If I was in Missoura I could get it in less than 24 hours. I hate to ask you but I do not know what else I can do. Property will not bring half prise if it has to be sold under the hammer. So if you can help a poor Brother out of trouble do it now. Do not let me suffer and my poor wife and children as they will have to suffer if my property has to be sold to pay that debt as low as stock is now. If I can help the Cattle they will bring me through the trouble all right. If you have not got the money may be you could get it of Matison Manchester. He used to be an old friend of mine. Tell him the trouble I have got into. I believe he would help me out. There is lots of men there has money. I will give him a Mortgage or you get if of some one and I will give it to you. We are milking 10 cows now and Heiffers. There will 3 calves go away to morrow. Some of my cows I have dried up some heifer to young to have baby. I have got a pair of 4 year olds I wished you had back there. I have worked them. They will weigh about Seventeen hundred a piece fat and slick as molds. I was going to of fattened one of them this fall and send him to Denver for a Christmas Steer if there had of been lots of corn.
Well I have told you all. I shall have to wait and see what your answer is day by day. I shall loock for the answer after it is time for it to come and if it says that you cannot get it God protect my family and me. It worries me night and day. I cannot sleep. I cannot rest. I know not what will become of me. I never had anny thing to worry me so before. It seems as every thing loocks dark now. I must close. If we never meet on Earth may we meet in Heaven where our friends have gone. From your Brother.
John H. Sisson
Give my love to Jane and the rest of your family and all enquiring friends. Tell Jane to write and give me all of the news. I believe she rote last but do not wait I will write.
Good By Note: Jonathan Anthony Sisson provided John Henry Sisson a $ 300 loan at 6 percent annual interest. John Henry Sisson provided a promissory note on October 1, 1890.
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