Frettenham April 26^th, 1846

Dear daughter and son in law and grandchildren, this comes with our kind love to you all. Hoping to find you all in good health as it leaves all of us at present, thanks be to God for it. We received your kind letter on the 16^th day of March with the greatest of pleasure imaginable after so long a time of hearing from you. We could not think of a reason we did not hear from you. We thought a thousand different things about you. We supposed you did not receive the last letter. Your dear mother thought you were all killed in the wars, as we heard of a deal of rioting in America by different accounts from that country[1]. I thought it was a hard battle where none escaped. I knew you know where to find us if you were removed to any part of America. I knew not where to write to you, and we concluded that you had quite forgotten all of us. But to our great surprise we had a letter and are glad to hear you are so fortunate to purchase land as you have. You might have been in England all your lifetime and not had a yard of your own, as the people in England do not wish to see any person live but themselves. And there is nothing but union houses there, the man in one room and the wife in another, and the children in another. They see each other once a week. Your mother sent her letter from Edgefield to let us now how fortunate you were to purchase land and stock. I thought it very kind of her to send it. We received [unknown] letter on the Monday and then on the Friday we had all the news at once. At last it was comfortable news from so long an absence. Thank God good news comes at last. We hear so much of America by different people, we hardly know when we get the truth. I do not think you send me wrong tales. I know folks tell wrong tales about America. Poor old granna died last October. She laid only 2 days. She appeared to die very comfortably and easy. Brother William and wife and 1 child send their love to you all. She is 10 years at next Michaelmas. Sister Mary and husband and 3 girls and 1 boy the youngest send their love to you all. They are living at Lyng. Sister Christain and husband John Read and 4 girls, and ready to be confined with the fifth. Sister Susan and boy Henry send their love to you all. Sister Hannah sends her love to you all. She is living at Thorpe. Brother Charles sends his love to you all. He is living with me. Sister Charlotte sends her kind love to you. She is living with me. She is a dressmaker and has plenty of work. Susan goes washing and ironing 3 or 4 days in a week. Mrs. Ducn and husband send their love to you and are glad to have such account of you. She has buried 1 daughter and left 2 children, 1 daughter and 3 sons, living. Mr. and Mrs. Blake are both dead about a year. Uncle Richard was well the last time we heard of him. He has buried his wife. Cousin Richard is married and has 1 little girl. They are all living at Eye, Suffolk. Uncle Henry and wife send their love to you. Richard and Stephen and Susan (she is living at Norwich) are well, and Stephen is a soldier in the 77th Regiment of Foot[2]. If expected to march from Ireland to America this summer I will give him your direction. Brother John and wife and family are well, and 2 boys, send their love to you all. Our neighbours and friends send their love to you and are glad to hear such good news from you. Our old house is rebuilt and the common enclosed this winter. We never knew such a winter. We had only 1/2 a days snow and no frost to stop the men from work all winter. We have not shod any horse extra, nor yet tuned a shoe up all winter. I never remember a winter without turning a market horse up. Trade is very bad and not like to be better this summer. At present we had nothing going on but from Yarmouth to Norwich and London, people get breakfast at Norwich, dinner at London and supper and bed at Norwich at night. Last summer the inhabitants of Yarmouth went to see the clown swim in a tub drawn by 4 geese in the river. The crowd was so much on the North Bridge, it gave way and drowned seven hands of young and old. Such a scene was never witnessed in this country before[3]. Dear daughter I had my leg broke and ankle turned out of joint in August 1842. Thank God it is got so as I can work a little. I laid in bed a month and was on crutches 2 months. Thank God I can walk about a mile and 1/2 out and home with a stick, but am obliged to bandage and loose a shoe fit. We had such a complaint in the potato crops last season. The tops died off in a few days and we had potato spot and rot. Many folks lost all the crop. We have had such distemper among the cattle as never was in England before - sore mouth and foot for 2 years called an epidemic. Now the litters a [unknown] and crowd to the side and die in a few days. We lose 19 out of 20 - more or less throughout the country. Our corn was bad last summer. For six weeks the cow would scarce rise. Often [?] by blistering and rolling we think saved her. I was afraid of losing her but will not take it, thank God. She began to mend a little and we kept her well till the 18 of April, and sold her for 8 pounds 10 shillings. Many go to London by the railroads at some price or other to feed the land man. So, excuse my blunders. I will give you a better account next time. Pray write to me as soon as you can. So we conclude this time, Sunday afternoon, from your loving father and mother, William and Christain Remmington. We expect you to write by return of post.

Footnotes

1: Possibly referring to the race and immigration riots in Canada in the 1840s
2: The 77th Regiment of Foot (East Middlesex) Regiment. Raised in 1787 as the 77th Foot, and redesignated the 77th (East Middlesex) of Foot in 1807
3: In 1845 a clown was being pulled up the River Yare in a bathtub {Why?). As the clown passed under the suspension bridge, crowds of people rushed to the south side. As a result the bridge collapsed and 79 people, including many children, were drowned