{"id":2377,"date":"2025-02-12T02:10:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T02:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pettitresearch.com\/familyhistory\/?p=2377"},"modified":"2025-02-27T20:02:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T20:02:31","slug":"another-1839-letter-from-george-pettit-in-fabius-ny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pettitresearch.com\/familyhistory\/2025\/02\/12\/another-1839-letter-from-george-pettit-in-fabius-ny\/","title":{"rendered":"Another 1839 Letter: George Pettit in Fabius, NY to William Corbin in Logansport, IN"},"content":{"rendered":"

1839 Letter from George Pettit in Fabius, NY to William Corbin Logansport, IN<\/h3>\n

As mentioned in another article<\/a>, 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.\u00a0 Now a second letter also written that year has been found.\u00a0 This original letter was acquired by The Pettit Research Project in February of 2025.\u00a0 As with the first letter, this letter was purchased from a private US Postal Service collectables dealer located in Lakeland, FL.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 George Pettit was the Postmaster in Fabius.\u00a0 In this letter he explains various problems with the running of the mail.\u00a0 He describes his health, as well as the sickness and death of family and neighbors around Fabius.\u00a0 Whooping cough, bilious fever, and other ailments are described in graphic detail.<\/p>\n

A rough transcription of the letter can be found below and high resolution images of the letter below that.\u00a0 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Transcription of 1839 Letter<\/h3>\n

[Page 1]<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fabius Aug 24 Sat 1839<\/p>\n

6 O,Clock P.M.<\/p>\n

Dear Children, I have seldom felt myself called upon to be ^ more thank<\/p>\n

-ful to our heavenly Father, than on the present occasion<\/p>\n

*** letter of the 27 July, at Maremec[?], was received in due<\/p>\n

time, read, sent to your father by mail, & returned nearly a<\/p>\n

fortnight since, during which time, every mail was looked<\/p>\n

to with anxious expectation, for **** letters, & every disap-<\/p>\n

pointment in**** my soli**** till it became *****.<\/p>\n

Yesterday was regarded with unusual anxiety being the only<\/p>\n

day in the week of 3 Mails & two of them from the West (inclu<\/p>\n

-ding the circular mail from *****)\u00a0 & the East from that ****-<\/p>\n

-tion till Monday.\u00a0 The boys went to & returned from the P. O. with<\/p>\n

out any letters from you –\u00a0 Fearing some mistake at the office<\/p>\n

I could not be satisfied without going over in the evening<\/p>\n

myself – but it was only to confirm my disappointment.<\/p>\n

To give p***** to my pain, this state of this applied in<\/p>\n

full to **** & the Children at ******\u00a0 -not a word from<\/p>\n

one of the Children, – although **** never offered the second<\/p>\n

week to pass without a letter.\u00a0 So **** was I this morning<\/p>\n

of the C***** mail, that it was far in the afternoon before I<\/p>\n

thought to send to the P. O. & then it was at the insistence of your<\/p>\n

mother, that **** was sent over – she returned with 5 letters<\/p>\n

1 from you of the double dates of the 6th & 9th – 2 from *** of the<\/p>\n

13th & 15th -one from your uncle David, Logan Co, Ohio, Aug 7th &<\/p>\n

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

**** from Jonathan & you is the occasion of my grateful re-<\/p>\n

****** though dashed somewhat with the account of the<\/p>\n

**** illness.\u00a0 There must have been some gafs and in-<\/p>\n

-tolerable blunder in the mails, to have caused the arrival<\/p>\n

of this package of letter from the East and produced a de-<\/p>\n

-lay at the ****^ some six or 8 days.\u00a0 We are all in common health<\/p>\n

exception Ofsim****?, who has the whooping cough the worst way of-<\/p>\n

-ten coughing till his face turns black\u00a0 & blood is forced from his nose.<\/p>\n

\n

[Page 2]<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Summer [?] complaint is somewhat prevalent – & has caused the<\/p>\n

death of Ma Corbin’s youngest child 3 days ago -B. Lawrence\u00a0 is confined<\/p>\n

down with Typhus fever of 3 weeks contim**** – Yesterday & today his symp-<\/p>\n

-toms are more favorable.\u00a0 The 14 day of July was very remarkable<\/p>\n

for ***** in this place.\u00a0 It was the Sabbath & was sig-<\/p>\n

-**** by the c**** of fair[?] grown persons within 2<\/p>\n

miles of the Village.\u00a0 We returned on the evening of the<\/p>\n

12th Friday from **** & next morning went down<\/p>\n

to Mr, Henry’s with his horse & then learned that ****<\/p>\n

Anderew’s eldest don of ** James Andrews very sick.<\/p>\n

I went down immediately -he was dead-\u00a0\u00a0 of bilious<\/p>\n

**** caused by eating green peas- taken on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

At 2 O Clock that day the bell tolled a second time<\/p>\n

A brother of M Of*** on a visit with his wife from Ohio<\/p>\n

fell dead in his waggon between the bridge & the house<\/p>\n

of Elanor Andrews on the way to Lyman Of***’s.<\/p>\n

Sabbath morning the 14th while sitting one hours at this<\/p>\n

Secretary[?] writing to John the bell tolled once & again<\/p>\n

the first time for the departure of Jesse Denison, and<\/p>\n

but for Mr Fox the townskeeper in the Village the<\/p>\n

first had long been such as you know, the last died<\/p>\n

of the same complaint of the **** *** *** & caused<\/p>\n

in like manner.\u00a0 The death same as that was most<\/p>\n

interesting – most triumphant- and happy – the power of<\/p>\n

*** was exemplified in him, to the great joy and<\/p>\n

comfort of his parents & friends – his youthful ***<\/p>\n

*** came in at his request to hear his parting &<\/p>\n

to seek the Lord without delay.\u00a0 Excepting<\/p>\n

there **** coincidence of death & the causes ***<\/p>\n

**** above & a few other of dysentery among children the<\/p>\n

people have been healthy as common,\u00a0 Ms Dickenson with<\/p>\n

her ****************** appointed for several weeks<\/p>\n

that ***** come after ***** ******* him next Saturday<\/p>\n

\n

[Page 3]<\/strong><\/h4>\n

**** will remain home till she leaves home after your<\/p>\n

example which may be this fall\u00a0 Mr Dickenson will be accom-<\/p>\n

panied by somebody of whom I cannot speak till after next Sat.<\/p>\n

Tuesday & Wednesday of last week was commencement at<\/p>\n

***** & Br J*** went with me.\u00a0 The Public ***<\/p>\n

**** were never more interesting – but there was nothing<\/p>\n

among them ^ which commanded more administration than the address<\/p>\n

of young Elder Pratt who has spent the last year at Craw=<\/p>\n

-fordmill, Pa[?]\u00a0 On Thursday evening he was married to<\/p>\n

to daughter of Elder Peck & they leave today (Monday<\/p>\n

the 26) or next Monday for that place.\u00a0 They will be<\/p>\n

your neighbors as I find by the *** you & they<\/p>\n

will be but about 50 miles apart\u00a0 – Mrs Griswald<\/p>\n

was at meeting yesterday, came home with us & is home<\/p>\n

now 10. A. M & we ** about to stay with her<\/p>\n

on a *** visit south.\u00a0 I met her first yesterday<\/p>\n

on the platform of the meeting house -your Mo-<\/p>\n

-ther had gone in -intimating a desire to sit with<\/p>\n

your Mother, I c***** her into the **** ***<\/p>\n

the same between them **** my *****.<\/p>\n

Letters dated the 14th and 18th of July from Mary & Eli****<\/p>\n

& George (the only ones since you left) are<\/p>\n

received all well, Elire*** uncommonly<\/p>\n

so- All including *** speak of the meeting and<\/p>\n

parting at Enter**** with great interest & ****<\/p>\n

-tion – Br Judd is home & send his love\u00a0 -John is John<\/p>\n

still -O that he was a Christian -Br Judd dream to<\/p>\n

hear from you *** by letter.\u00a0 Elder C**** written on<\/p>\n

**** including letter to Elder P**** It will **** cause<\/p>\n

of a ***** when you write again which I hope will<\/p>\n

be soon, I will endeavor to *** the *** of***<\/p>\n

**** this *** ** taken of a Fathers house & that of<\/p>\n

all the family -your Mother speaks this comment to be re<\/p>\n

membered to you both –\u00a0\u00a0 G Pettit<\/p>\n

\n

[Page 4]<\/strong><\/h4>\n

P.S. I find by looking over your will that the<\/p>\n

*** was not hanged – you will please<\/p>\n

send the **** as it when you write us<\/p>\n

I have *** *** & also expense the amount<\/p>\n

on my note—<\/p>\n

\n

Letter Images<\/h3>\n
\"1839<\/a>

“Envelope”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"1839<\/a>

Page 1<\/p><\/div>\n

\"1839<\/a>

Page 2<\/p><\/div>\n

\"1839<\/a>

Page 3<\/p><\/div>\n

\"1839<\/a>

Postscript<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n