Another 1839 Letter: George Pettit in Fabius, NY to William Corbin in Logansport, IN

1839 Letter from George Pettit in Fabius, NY to William Corbin Logansport, IN

As mentioned in another article, in January of 2025, The Pettit Research Project acquired a letter written on April 5, 1839, by George Pettit in Fabius, NY to John R. Pettit in Lima, OH.  Now a second letter also written that year has been found.  This original letter was acquired by The Pettit Research Project in February of 2025.  As with the first letter, this letter was purchased from a private US Postal Service collectables dealer located in Lakeland, FL.

On August 24, 1839, George Pettit (1780-1866) of Fabius, NY wrote this letter to the “dear children” at the home of William Corbin of Logansport, IN.  George Pettit was the Postmaster in Fabius.  In this letter he explains various problems with the running of the mail.  He describes his health, as well as the sickness and death of family and neighbors around Fabius.  Whooping cough, bilious fever, and other ailments are described in graphic detail.

A rough transcription of the letter can be found below and high resolution images of the letter below that.  The lineage of George Pettit, traced back to John Pettit (1608-1662) as well as a brief but extremely flattering biography of George Pettit originally published in 1896 can be read in the previous article.

 

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Transcription of 1839 Letter

[Page 1]

Fabius Aug 24 Sat 1839

6 O,Clock P.M.

Dear Children, I have seldom felt myself called upon to be ^ more thank

-ful to our heavenly Father, than on the present occasion

*** letter of the 27 July, at Maremec[?], was received in due

time, read, sent to your father by mail, & returned nearly a

fortnight since, during which time, every mail was looked

to with anxious expectation, for **** letters, & every disap-

pointment in**** my soli**** till it became *****.

Yesterday was regarded with unusual anxiety being the only

day in the week of 3 Mails & two of them from the West (inclu

-ding the circular mail from *****)  & the East from that ****-

-tion till Monday.  The boys went to & returned from the P. O. with

out any letters from you –  Fearing some mistake at the office

I could not be satisfied without going over in the evening

myself – but it was only to confirm my disappointment.

To give p***** to my pain, this state of this applied in

full to **** & the Children at ******  -not a word from

one of the Children, – although **** never offered the second

week to pass without a letter.  So **** was I this morning

of the C***** mail, that it was far in the afternoon before I

thought to send to the P. O. & then it was at the insistence of your

mother, that **** was sent over – she returned with 5 letters

1 from you of the double dates of the 6th & 9th – 2 from *** of the

13th & 15th -one from your uncle David, Logan Co, Ohio, Aug 7th &

another **** letters also from Ohio, & the intelligence they commence[?]

**** from Jonathan & you is the occasion of my grateful re-

****** though dashed somewhat with the account of the

**** illness.  There must have been some gafs and in-

-tolerable blunder in the mails, to have caused the arrival

of this package of letter from the East and produced a de-

-lay at the ****^ some six or 8 days.  We are all in common health

exception Ofsim****?, who has the whooping cough the worst way of-

-ten coughing till his face turns black  & blood is forced from his nose.

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[Page 2]

The Summer [?] complaint is somewhat prevalent – & has caused the

death of Ma Corbin’s youngest child 3 days ago -B. Lawrence  is confined

down with Typhus fever of 3 weeks contim**** – Yesterday & today his symp-

-toms are more favorable.  The 14 day of July was very remarkable

for ***** in this place.  It was the Sabbath & was sig-

-**** by the c**** of fair[?] grown persons within 2

miles of the Village.  We returned on the evening of the

12th Friday from **** & next morning went down

to Mr, Henry’s with his horse & then learned that ****

Anderew’s eldest don of ** James Andrews very sick.

I went down immediately -he was dead-   of bilious

**** caused by eating green peas- taken on Tuesday.

At 2 O Clock that day the bell tolled a second time

A brother of M Of*** on a visit with his wife from Ohio

fell dead in his waggon between the bridge & the house

of Elanor Andrews on the way to Lyman Of***’s.

Sabbath morning the 14th while sitting one hours at this

Secretary[?] writing to John the bell tolled once & again

the first time for the departure of Jesse Denison, and

but for Mr Fox the townskeeper in the Village the

first had long been such as you know, the last died

of the same complaint of the **** *** *** & caused

in like manner.  The death same as that was most

interesting – most triumphant- and happy – the power of

*** was exemplified in him, to the great joy and

comfort of his parents & friends – his youthful ***

*** came in at his request to hear his parting &

to seek the Lord without delay.  Excepting

there **** coincidence of death & the causes ***

**** above & a few other of dysentery among children the

people have been healthy as common,  Ms Dickenson with

her ****************** appointed for several weeks

that ***** come after ***** ******* him next Saturday

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[Page 3]

**** will remain home till she leaves home after your

example which may be this fall  Mr Dickenson will be accom-

panied by somebody of whom I cannot speak till after next Sat.

Tuesday & Wednesday of last week was commencement at

***** & Br J*** went with me.  The Public ***

**** were never more interesting – but there was nothing

among them ^ which commanded more administration than the address

of young Elder Pratt who has spent the last year at Craw=

-fordmill, Pa[?]  On Thursday evening he was married to

to daughter of Elder Peck & they leave today (Monday

the 26) or next Monday for that place.  They will be

your neighbors as I find by the *** you & they

will be but about 50 miles apart  – Mrs Griswald

was at meeting yesterday, came home with us & is home

now 10. A. M & we ** about to stay with her

on a *** visit south.  I met her first yesterday

on the platform of the meeting house -your Mo-

-ther had gone in -intimating a desire to sit with

your Mother, I c***** her into the **** ***

the same between them **** my *****.

Letters dated the 14th and 18th of July from Mary & Eli****

& George (the only ones since you left) are

received all well, Elire*** uncommonly

so- All including *** speak of the meeting and

parting at Enter**** with great interest & ****

-tion – Br Judd is home & send his love  -John is John

still -O that he was a Christian -Br Judd dream to

hear from you *** by letter.  Elder C**** written on

**** including letter to Elder P**** It will **** cause

of a ***** when you write again which I hope will

be soon, I will endeavor to *** the *** of***

**** this *** ** taken of a Fathers house & that of

all the family -your Mother speaks this comment to be re

membered to you both –   G Pettit

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[Page 4]

P.S. I find by looking over your will that the

*** was not hanged – you will please

send the **** as it when you write us

I have *** *** & also expense the amount

on my note—

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Letter Images

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