Bear Family Letter Series |
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Information about this letter:
| Sender: | Henry Bear [See
Henry Bear in Guide to
Individuals]
|
| Recipient: | John Bear [See
John Bear in Guide to
Individuals]
|
| Date Written: | June 22, 1840 |
| Location: | A(l)one Elm Praire, Cooper County, Missouri |
| Surnames mentioned: | Bear, Conrad, Hansburger, Harrison, Waters |
| Locations mentioned: | Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky (Kty.), Missouri (Mo.),
Virginia In Missouri -- A(l)one Elm Praire, Boonville, Cooper County, Rouche Port |
"Aone Elm Praire, Cooper County, Mo.
June
22nd , 1840
Dear Bro,
I have set down to inform you that your favor, by the hands of Mr. Waters, has been received sometime since, the contents of which gave us much satisfaction to hear that you and your family were enjoying good health and other blessings of life, especially that of having a large, beautiful, intelligent family of children. Adam Clark said a large family was a blessing, which I have no doubt is a fact when they are so raised that they will be useful in their day and generation and ornaments in society. Such children bless their parents by acknowledging their virtues and prudence in restraining their youthful possessions. They bless their parents by their good conduct before men and the protection they extend to them in their declining days. And last, if not least, good children are destined to fill the places of good parents when they are gone, and when they too have wound up the ball of time and they are so happy as to meet in Heaven with their parents they will bless them forever because they were born of such parents.
I will now say to you that we have seven children living. If you recollect our first and fourth children died while we lived in Virginia. When we left Virginia we had four children, James Franklin Bear, Samuel Kennerly Bear, Cornelia Ann Bear, Henrietta Virginia Bear, since then we have three more, Mary Catherine Bear, John Henry Bear and Thomas Alexander Bear, the last, one year old the 23rd day of last March, in great probability the last, so let it be. I can say as well as yourself that they are all likely, healthy, and them that begin to develop what they probably will be, prove to be moral, temporate and respectable. Franklin will soon be 18 years old and is beloved and respectable. The young ladies love to dwell in his presence.
The probability is that I have said enough about children. I will go to some other subject, but scarcely know where to begin as I do not know what will be interesting to you, but I will say that I sold my place in Kty. For $3800 and two other tracts of land one in Illinois containing 160 acres and another in Arkansas containing the same amount. I have here in this State 608 acres and it is said to be one of the finest farms in Cooper County. I have 170 acres in cultivation (there was only 30 when I got her 3 years ago). My farm is in the Alone Elm Prairie 8 miles form Boonville and as Boonville is destined to be one of the finest commercial towns in upper Missouri and improving very fast, land is getting to be valuable here and will continue to increase if this miserable humbug government don't destroy our prospects as a nation.
Our prospects for a crop is very fine. Everything that is growing promises a bountiful harvest to the husbandman, so you see we will have enough to eat if our commerce is destroyed and the arm of energy and enterprise paralized by loco focoism, but me thinks I see the sun arising. The gloom that now hangs over our once properous nation will soon be dispelled like the thick fog before the brillancy of the sun at noon day. If I do not very much mistake, disclaiming all prophetic knowledge, that the time is not very far distant when the Old Serpent, our currency tinker, the man who recommends to get the public treasurer now immediately in his possession by means of the sub-treasury, the man who recommends to get any army of 200,000 under his organization, the man who has in its principals made us of the gag law in removing honest, capable men from office because they ventured to think above their breath that he ( Martin ) was not infallible and they were none of his hirelings will be cast out with all his supple tools by the supreme majesty of the people. As I have almost without intention said something about politicks, I will further say that I have just attended a convention at Rouche Port on the Missouri River, 18 miles from here and from the enthusiasm manifested by the people about 5,000, the flags streaming, the banners waving, the cannons thunder, the loud huzzars, the logs cabbins, the canoes, the buck eye bushes, and from what I have heard and many others, I cannot but conclude, from the extent and magnitude of the Baltimore Convention, that the people are yet capable of self-government and that they have patriotism enough to put down the man who wishes to usurp the power of a despot. W.H. Harrison will be our next President. It is possible by the above I have trespassed upon your feelings, as I do not know the politicks or interest you take in them one way or another, but if nothing more you will perceive that I am no loco foco.
I will now say I am carrying on the stone ware business, largely making good ware and doing good business. I am in partnership carrying on the black smithing, Stephen Conrad is carrying on the saddling business here in my town, Mitchell Hansburger is here working with him, a waggon maker shop also is carried on here, and the shops with the dwelling houses made my town. I believe I am doing considerably better that I ever did before in any county, and I think this the finest country I ever saw, not inferior in point of soil production, facilities to travel ( natural), morality, benevolence, intelligence, temperate habits to any other state in the union. I will further add that we have a great variety of ism and tists in this country, tho we get along very well. There is generally good feeling between them. I have preaching at my house every four weeks by the Methodists as we have no church convenient. Last year there was a great revival on this Circuit, about 100 professed at once c. meeting. At this time there is no great excitement. I am still a Methodist and expect to die one. I have enjoyed the confidence of my brethern both in Kty. And Mo. having been appointed class leader in both places. I have good neighbors and kind friends. I live in their confidence as a testimonial of which I will say that I was nominated by them and was elected by them for their magistrate without a dissenting vote in the township. I have only room to add that we are all well, while blessing we have enjoyed without much interruption since in the west. Our respects to sister Eliza and the children. We hope you are all well.
Henry Bear.
P.S. Write to me again and ask questions on any subject you wish to be informed of, and I will answer immediately.
I think I shall go to Virginia this fall or next spring and if I do you must meet me there. I will let you know in time.
H. B.
Key to individuals mentioned in this letter:
Note: Children of Henry Bear and Jane Kennerly are not listed here, as they are fairly well identified above.
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