Bear Family Letter Series |
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| Sender: | Henry Bear [See
Henry Bear in Guide to
Individuals]
|
| Recipient: | John Bear [See
John Bear in Guide to
Individuals]
|
| Date Written: | February 27, 1846 |
| Location: | Cooper County, Missouri |
| Surnames mentioned: | Bangs, Bear, Bond, Elliott, Rochester |
| Locations mentioned: | Baltimore, Cincinatti, Kty., Mo., Ohio |
"Cooper County, Mo. Feb. 27th, 1846
Dear Bro.
I received your letter dated on the 14th ultimo on the 9th inst., beginning with a tremendous scold, but I suppose…………. Considerable mercy, to what it would have been had your wrote immediately after my return to Mo. I will only say that I suppose your are getting more fractious as you grow older, a fatality that seems to accompany the most of old men, and as I attribute your scold to the frailty of human nature brought about by the circumstances I have mentioned and not to any ill will toward me, I have begun to address myself to my Dear Bro. As heartily as ever before. But must remark by way of extenuating my offence that I had traveled 1200 miles to see my relations and friends in the East and I do think that you might have traveled those few hours you spoke of to see me. Your apology is that you had business to attend to in Ohio and……family so we both have apologies, and one just as good as the other, but the principal reason why I did not come to see you was that I feared when I could get to Baltimore you might be 50 or 100 miles from home at some camp meeting and that I might incur the loss of time and expense ( which was valued after staying 2 weeks over my time) and at last not see you. We understood from your letter that it was entirely out of your power to come up. If I had had the least hope of your coming up to father's I certainly would have waited for you and prevented the mortification you experienced and enjoyed the gratification that our meeting could have produced after an absence from each for so many years, but as you remarked, what is passed is passed and we must make the best of it that we can.
I will now proceed ( following your plan ) to inform you something about the family. We have nine children, James Franklin about 23 years old. He has been married about three years to a Miss Rochester, has one child upwards of two years old, calls him John Wesley Bear, a fine child, and by that fact your see I am a grandfather. Samuel Kennerly Bear is nearly 21 years old. Cornelia Ann Bear about 16. Henrietta Virginia Bear about 14, Mary Catharine Bear about 12, John Henry Bear about 9, then comes Thomas Alexander Bear, Alfred Wesley Bear and Jacob Miller Bear, the youngest, and the last ( so might it be Amen ) All as good looking lot of cubs as can be produced by any Bear in this or any other country. And I will not be afraid to exhibit them against any other set for a silver cup. They will only have a common education, the highest branches being only geography and english grammer. The four oldest have stopped going to school. The three next are now going and Mary Catharine will receive a prize for spelling this school, having been head more than any other.
I will now answer your question as to how matters stand relative to the Southern question in this region. I will inform you that there is great unity in feeling and sentiments on that subject here, no opposition that I know of near me and but little in the State. You remark that your expect to stay in the M.E.C. So do I, and the world South at the end does not change my views about the doctrine of discipline of the Church I have always belonged to. You say you do not like the spirit of the Southerners. Well we say here we do not like the view of the Northerners, who has petitioned for alterations in the discipline. Has it been the North or South what was the resolution passed at Cincinnati in 36 that General Conference was opposed to abolitionism. In 40 the General Conference was opposed to receive negro testimony, but how was it in 44? The rule rescinded. So you see while the South has been content, the North has been restless and trying to incorporate their abolition principals in the discipline so that the Northern portion of the church ought to be called the Abolitionist M. E. C. and have an addition to the beginnings, if ours had one at the end. I will say again did not the General Conference devise a plan of separation which was received and accepted to by the South? If so who has been writing against the powers of the General Conference to do so and saying the act was unconstitutional and what conferences have acted in good faith to the provisions of the plan, North or South? ( Please look at it ).
My dear Bro. I look at it as the only alternative. The South had left them ( as much as they have deplored a separation ) to relieve themselves from the task of making their accustomed quantity of Buck without being allowed the necessary quantity of straw to burn them. And if the separation had taken place and had been let alone as Dr. Bangs wished what harm would have been done, no more that the division of an annual conference, but the spirits of Dr. Bond and Dr. Elliott must wirte and fight and insinuate and incriminate, and why, because they, the South, had accepted what the General Conference had agreed they might have and had got away so that it was ever out of their power to lay burdens on them. So you see I am for the South, and will go to another subject.
I received a letter from Bro. Wesley Bear a few days since, He stated that sister Polly was very sick, thought to be dangerously so. That Bro. Adam's little son had died, that father and mother and friends generally were well. This state has been unusually unhealthy for the last two years ( each fall with bilious complaint ) owing no doubt to the unnaturally warm winters we have had for this climate for two winters past, and the quantity of rain each year about harvest. This winter was cold in December, January warm, February again cold, snow now six in deep, cold and looks like we will have more. I hope next fall will be healthy as it has been in former years. My family has escaped well. We have had but little sickness since in the State. My doc's bill since I have been in the West has only been $13.50 cts. $7.25 cts in Kty. And $6.25 cts in Mo. I am the physician for my own family and am troubled a good deal by my neighbors. We are all well at present and have good appetites for our pork and hominy, and I have a prospect to have a plenty to satisfy them. I have 112 acres sowed in wheat, expect to put out about 90 acres of corn. Prices of everything low, corn $1.00 per bar. Pork $2.50 per cwt. Wheat from 50 to 62 ½ cts. Per bushel, etc. etc.
I will add that James Franklin Bear is living to himself on some land I gave him. Samuel Bear is improving another piece I gave him. He will be near me. I see I must close by asking you to try to read this, and if there is any errors blot them out and if any omission fill them up. Our respect to your family and receive for yourself the sincere and undiminished regard and affection of your Bro.
Henry Bear."
Key to individuals mentioned in this letter:
Note: Children and grandchildren of Henry Bear and Jane Kennerly are not listed here, as they are fairly well identified above.
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