Frettenham, August 25th, 1838

Dear daughter and son-in-law and grandchildren, this comes with our kind love to you all, hoping to find you in good health as it leaves all our families at present, thanks be to God for it. I have sent you two letters and I am very sorry I have had no answer. I received your last letter July 2, 1837 with the greatest of pleasure. We are greatly disappointed at having had no letter from you. If you have not received a letter from me, I expected that you would have written to me to know the reason. If you have moved elsewhere, you know where to write to me. We feel ourselves uncomfortable about you as we hear so much about disturbances in different parts of America. We are afraid you might have been disturbed by the rioters as I see different accounts in the newspapers near Toronto and the neighbourhood. Pray send me an account of your adventures. Since I received your last letter we were all happy to hear that you are you so comfortably situated, and likewise all the friends and neighbours, that now we are all so disappointed at not hearing from you. We are afraid that something uncomfortable has happened since you wrote to me the last time. I must beg of you, brave children, to write to me as soon as you receive this letter. Brother William and his wife and child send their love to you all. Sister Christain and her husband, John Read, send their love to you. Their little girl is about a year old[1]. They are living at Hainford at present, and sister Mary is married to Joseph Burton of Lyng, a shoe maker and carrier. She was confined with a fine girl on the 17^th of August and is very finely, and the name is Elizabeth. They send their kind love to you all. Sister Susan sends her love to you all, and her little boy runs alone and is a year old and as jolly a boy as ever you see of his age; Sister Hannah sends her love to you all, and she is living at Thorpe and is going to continue there. Brother Charles is very well and sends his love to you all. And Sister Charlotte is ever well and sends her love to you all. She is living with her sister Christain. Grandma sends love to you all, and she is as well as we can expect for an old woman. Uncle Richard and family were well the last time I heard from him. Christmas is well and lives with me at present, but has no work. I suppose he must go to the work house at Michaelmas. I cannot afford to support him. Times are not so well with us at present. Uncle Henry and aunt send their love to you all. They are all well but trade is very slow. Mr and Mrs Blake were very well the last time we saw them. Mr and Mrs Ducn and family are very well and send their love to you all and will be glad to hear from you all. Your brother John Broughton is married about six weeks to Miss Coe[2] at Spixworth, the daughter of Mr. John Coe, Blacksmith. His son Joshua[3] is dead. John is to take the business at Michaelmas. He has got the promise of all the work. John Longe, Esquire[4] is perfectly satisfied with his character and so are all the farmers. It will be a good situation for him if he is careful. Your Mother was at my house about the time he married and was very well, but cannot think of the reason that she has not had a letter as there are letters coming almost every week to different parts of the country. There are a great number of people from Hainford, Horstead, Frettenham, Stretton and Heveningham. We hear that many of them are doing well. It makes us uncomfortable about you as I think you might be differently situated, but we hope not. We are sending a letter by Mr. Myatt. He called for a direction as he was sending some people last summer to Toronto City. Harvest is going on very well with plenty of wheat, barley, beans and everything in season, thank God for it. Our wheat is from 30 to 35 shillings per comb. Our flour is 2-10 but beef is 3 per stone. Harvest wages and labour are much the same as when you left England. Give our respects to all who ask for us. I suppose you are all under the same government. I hope it will be the better for everybody, both rich and poor after, a time. So no more at present from your loving father and mother, William and Christain Remmington. Excuse my not saying any more at the present. Send me a letter, then I will send you a sheet.

Footnotes

1: Elizabeth Read (b.1838)
2: Mistakenly transcribed as 'Coc' in the original typescript
3: John Coe's son was called John Harmer Coe - Joshua was the name of John Coe's father and of John Broughton's eldest son
4: The Longe family owned much of the village of Spixworth, including the forge