Moses

1797 · ref. 0009109 — NEW FRANKFURT HARRISON CO. WEST VIRGINIA 1797. On offer is are two lovely and fascinating letters from a father and mother to their daughter detailing their situation mere weeks after moving to New Frankford Virginia. The letter is signed “Moses Starr and Elizabeth Starr” and addressed to their “Dear Daughter.” The first letter is dated November 17th 1797 and the second is dated December 23 1797. In the letters they describe their journey to their new home in West Virginia their home and their farm. They now live in “New Frankfurt” in “Harrison County Simpsons Creek Eight Miles From Clarkburg.” The first letter begins “Dear Daughter we embrace this opportunity to wright to you informing thee that we are all in great haealth at present thanks bea to God for his tender Merceys to us ward from time to time.” They write that they have “we have had no letters from thee this two years.and have had no opertunity to send any.” “We long to see thee and hear from thee if thou art single write whether thou would incline to come upon and live with us we think of comeing Down within two years more; like wise let us know how our Relations are in them parts.”The back of the letter is a short sermon like passage stating “Dear child strive to ear and Love God who is able to Love the utmost oall that come to him through Jesus Christ the Redeeme of lost Man.” The next letter begins with them writing that they have received her last letter “which gave us some cause to rejoice of hearing from our relations in general but gave us concern of mind for the loss of Nelly Starr and the disolate state of Uncle Joseph.” They then remark on the their life in what is now West Virginia. “Thy mother was braught to be of a daughter the Eleventh of last month wich we call Polly.” They speak of their journey to Virginia taking two weeks from when they left their home. The farming has been good a well reaping “200 bushals of Sound Corn and 150 bushals of Oats with a trifel of buck wheat. I have 20 acres of wheat and Ry in the ground this fall.” The letter ends with the usual pleasantries and again is signed by Moses and Elizabeth Starr. The two letters are in fair shape both having a fair share of rips tears and discoloration. The first letter has some moth damage that affects the readability of a sentence or two. The second letter has its tears along the creases and edges but it does not affect the content at all. Neither does the discoloration on either letter though it is very noticeable it does not block out any words. The ink on both letters has faded the first more than the second but both letters are fairly easy to read throughout. These letters are an interesting little snapshot of a family life in 1790s Virginia representing a change in a brand new America and hope for a new setting in this burgeoning nation. Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Manuscript. unknown