This letter is from an obvious relative of Lucretia Parke – Katurah Taylor Parke Cranston’s Grandmother. Who Abigail Dunham was exactly and what the relationship was, I do not know. Most likely a cousin because it appears that Abigail Dunham was in the same generation as John Cranston (1755-1825).

The letter clearly shows how deeply religious was Ms. Dunham. ~ CCJ

This is the oldest letter in your collection so far—1830—and one of the most moving.

Hampton, July 24, 1830

Lucretia, with tender affection I now again attempt to write to you. Having received your letter by the hand of Mr. Bates which informd me you have regained your Health and has commencd Keeping a school in a pleasant situation, which gave me greate pleasure to Hear, and for which we have great cause of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for his constant Care and watchfulness over us. I have greate cause to feel Humble before my Gracious God and Saviour for the ill returns I have made Him for all his Goodness to me in preserveing my life to as I may say to a good old age and hath Blessed me with a competency of the good things of this Life altho I labour under some bodyly infirmitys which are incident to old age, but I hope to Exercise patience and adopt the Language of Inspiration ie In all the Days of my appointed time I will waite till my change Come. As I hope you have a sense of the importance of professing the Holy Religion of —

Christ so do indeavor to Live near to God perseviering in prayer and every Duty incumbent upon you, Knowing that life is short, and be prepaired to meet our God and Saviour in peace. Give my love to your sisters as I am still mindful of them. Little Lora I have never seen. I wish them all well, hoping they will be Dutiful to their Uncle and Aunt, as I consider them their best friends in this world. But my Desire is above all that they seek an Interest in Christ which shall make them happy in this Life and that which is to Come.

[New paragraph] Shall Now give you some Account of your Sheep altho I mentiond something about them in my last Letter. Two years since the Sheep were Returnd to me from Mr. Ashley to whom Clark Neff let have. I Kept them and thought best to sell them if I had an oppertunity, but had not, Excepting two Lams got fat in my hands. Them I had a chance to sell and Did to the Butcher for 3 Dollars. After this Mr. Ashley Concluded to take them again for half pound wool per head. As I Could not sell the rest I Let him have them and Returned the same number Last July, and some very poor. I proposed his taking them again or I would sell them to Him. His Answer was he would scarsely take them as a gift. Under these circumstances I thought best to take them to myself and Do the best I could with them, as I wrote to you in my last Letter, which was to allow [you?] six shillings per head for Eight makes 40 shillings in all, ten Dollars with a little Interest. I Never Let out your Sheep nor Could otherwise than half a pound of wool per head. And Now to give you an Account I shall state in the first place that is the first year wee Let Mr. Spicer & Searls have it which was five pounds for a Dept you owe them. The Next wee Let Dr. Brewster have for what you owed him one year. Mr. Buckley had it towards what was Due Him. Their Remains some more Due to Him how much I Do not at present Recollect. Year before Last wee sold it for the money which is ten shillings or about 34 Cents per pound. The Last year’s wool wee yet have on hand 3 lb ½. Sel it as soon as wee Can [and] send it [to] you if a good oppertunity.

As to the rest of the wool I Refer you to what my wife shall write concerning it below. I shall send you by Mr. Burnham 10 Dollars for the Sheep and one Dollar 6[9?] cents for the wool wee Sold as I have mentioned — $12 [the] whole amount. As you wrote wishing to Know something about your Right of Land I thought I [would] informd you Respecting it in my Last Letter I Sent you. If I mistake not I Sold the Right to your Uncle Abijah Fuller before you went from here and gave him my Bond for a Deed when it Could bee Procured, and he gave me his Note. Had it in possion three or four years with the other Rights he Bought of the Heirs, them he paid for. The family was obliged to sell all his Land to clear him of Debt so that he Could Draw his Pension from Government. This being the case, and [the] improbability of his paying for it, it was adviseable I should give up the Note as he the Bond, so got nothing nor Ever had any thing for the Land. The circumstances of the Business is this: Mr. E. Burnam owns all Round the Lot, which is only one acre & a few Rods, and has told me but a few Days since he will Buy it when he can have a Deed. I then offered to Give him then and Did two years since my Bond for a Deed but Refused. I have Done all I Could Do about the Business. Mr. Burnam talked of giving not much from ten Dollars for it. He has the advantage as it Lies, for nobody Else it would accomodate. So I think it must Rest untill a Deed can be givein. I shall now Leave the closeing of this Letter to my wife — but must Remind you of the importance of attending to the Concerns of your immortal soul, for this world is not our Home. Wee are Hasening to Eternity. I consider my time short by reason of age. O that I [were] prepaired to meet Death and enter that rest which remains for the children of [God].

(the wife’s hand begins)

My dear Lucretia, the rest of the wool I expect to settle with you for when you have your coverlid. It is not done but hope to have done next fall. Miss P. Brown is dead and I know not any one in this town that I [can] get to do it. Sickness in my Father’s family for some time prevented business of that kind. For more than a year my dear Sister Matilda was afflicted with a cough which at times was very distressing, with other alarming symptoms; and for a number of weeks she was confined to her room. She endured her sickness with Christian patience and resignation, and rejoicing in hope of glorious immortality, left this world of sorrow and pain the 25 of last March, when her friends were around her dying bed endeavoring to make her comfortable. She repeated[ly] said to them, “do not hinder me, I long to be gone”; and hoped the Lord Jesus would come quickly and take her to Himself. — Oh, what is this whole world to the soul that is about to leave it, in comparison to an interest in the adorable Saviour [of] Sinners! What but the presence of Christ can make our departing moments peaceful and happy; time with us on earth grows short, and it is exceeding precious; but few we have reason to fear appreciate the probation season as we ought, and that what we have to do in preparation for a boundless eternity should be done speedily. I hope my dear L. that the changing scenes which you have been called to pass through in your short journey of life have reminded you that this world is not your rest, that we are but strangers and Pilgrims here below, and should seek a City which hath foundations, and lay up treasure in the Heavenly world.

I find you are again engaged in school keeping. How solemn the engagement, how important the trust, to teach the young idea how to shoot and feed the immortal mind. A teacher of the youth is placed in a conspicuous station; they need the wisdom which is from above and is profitable to direct in all things. Suffer me to entreat you to be faithful in your calling. Stand continually upon your watchtower. Be careful to reflect the Christian character upon all with whom you associate, that they, beholding your joy and peace, might learn to seek the salvation of their own souls.

I wrote to you repeatedly and recieved no answer, but conclude [the] letters did not all reach you. We have often thought you would [hear?] something [from] us. Cannot you improve the next opportunity? We should be very [glad] to see you, but your Grand Pa says he but very little expects, [on] this side the grave, as his time grows short; and he often remarks that he cannot continue long on earth by reason of age. You must not be disappointed if you do not recieve another letter or part of one from his writing, as it affects his nerves very sensibly to sit down to compose and write. Write to us when you have convenient opportunities and I will try to answer them [on?] [our?] [part?].

And now I must conclude, wishing the best of Heaven’s blessings to rest upon your soul, which is the sincere desire of yours affectionately,

George & Abigail Dunworth

Lucretia Parks Rush Township, State of Ohio

Now—this one is different from the others, and it matters for your archive.

This is not a Cranston letter. It’s written by George and Abigail Dunworth of Hampton (Hampton, Connecticut, almost certainly) to Lucretia Parks in Rush Township, Ohio. So how does it belong in the Cranston collection? The answer is the address: Rush Township, Ohio—the same township the pioneer narrative is entirely about, and the same place the Cranstons settled. Lucretia Parks was a neighbor, fellow New England emigrant, and almost certainly part of the same migration web that the family narrative describes (“natives of Connecticut and Rhode Island”).

The relationships embedded here:

• George Dunworth is the writer—elderly, infirm, calling himself near death, signing first. He appears to be Lucretia’s grandfather (“your Grand Pa, says he but very little expects this side the grave”). The wife’s section refers to him in the third person, so the closing salutation “George & Abigail Dunworth” is Abigail writing on behalf of them both.
• Abigail Dunworth writes the second half (a noticeably different, finer hand—Page 4 onward). She mentions “my Father’s family” and “my dear Sister Matilda,” who died March 25 (of consumption, by the symptoms). So Abigail is likely a daughter or granddaughter writing alongside the grandfather.
• Lucretia Parks is a young schoolteacher (“keeping a school,” “again engaged in school keeping”). She has sisters, including “Little Lora” whom George has never seen, and they are in the care of an Uncle and Aunt. She also has an Uncle Abijah Fuller, a Revolutionary War pensioner (the land/pension passage is a vivid little drama of frontier debt and federal pension rules).