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Dear Sister Jenny,
Your letter came on the 13th,
being called away from home and the mail not going out until tomorrow I did not do as I
felt like, sit down at once and answer it. How good it was to have such a nice long
letter with welcome news in it, I leave you to guess, it called up feelings which of late
years I have been a stranger to, but very pleasant. Our store here has on hand no
better paper than this on which to write, so I may have to be shorter than I like.
Your letter was about 30 days coming, but when the Rail Road on the plains is not
blocked by snow they will come in 21 days. The letter with your photo in we happened
to open first, and I did not know who it could be, but was quite satisfied and pleased
that it was you. It made me feel a bit proud of my sister. If mother sent one
in a parcel we never received it. We have had a parcel from Fanny also a letter but
she must have forgotten to put your note in for she said she enclosed it, but did not. One
of my neighbors Ralph Harrison has been to see Fanny & Bessie in London, and he sends
me word that they are both doing well, but that Bessie is not as steady as she should
be—but however this may be I want to get her address, to try and get her to come to
this country, (if I can) with you, and start life anew leaving bygones all behind, for I
hope to be able to send you the means to come this summer, and to get Charlie to pay for
Bessie. My hopes may not be granted, but I will be able to tell you more in my next
letter about it. I send you a copy of Charlie's letter. I have answered it
telling him to come as there is plenty of work in the mines—and by this mail I write
to him about Bessie. I am very glad (so also is Susan) that you have a wish to come
here if only you will keep in the same mind, and not make any engagements that will tie
you to England (and I very much wish and ask you that you will not.) I can say that
you shall come very soon, for it will only cost from Liverpool to Ogden about $75, or 15£
which I can earn in the mines in 6 weeks, and it will only take 30 days or less to come,
and I have friends in England who would travel with and take care of you, but more in my
next on that. The United States is a great country, all England could be hid away in
a corner of it or put on one of its lakes. It is in much the same condition as
England, but of Utah I want to tell you more, for I understand about it, we are here in
the tops of the Rocky Mountains in many small valleys, 50 to 100 miles long 10 to 20
wide. Mountains all around us, there is no healthier place in the world. The
air is pure, the atmosphere as dear as that of Italy, the summer warmer than in England,
and withall a free country, for although an Englishman, I must admit that this is a free
country very much more so than England. Some in England say it is not so, but how do they
know anything about it. I can catch fish, kill game, cut firewood, take land, vote,
and none to say stop. I say to and own no man as master. I am not obliged to
follow one thing for a living, the man is equal to the master. Much more is this the
case with women. We have, when Susan has been sick or crowded with work, wished to
hire a girl, but none to be got, reason they all get married so easy, no trouble for a
girl to get a good husband and a comfortable home. It is not the employer here who
asks for character and is particular, but the girl. It is hard to find one who wants
to go to service but they come to oblige. You see it will be very easy to hire out
if you wish here. I should be perfectly willing that you please yourself, but as to
your being a burden on me, you would be a blessing, for Susan has her hands full and
wishes you were here for she needs society, company and help. I would be glad to pay
you to stay with me, so trouble no more on that for you would only have to please
yourself. We are not cursed in Utah (except S. L. C.) with drunkeness, gin shops and
the other sins and worse than exists in England and the States. I have never seen a
beggar or very rarely a drunken man here, none very rich, none very poor. There is
not a family in this town (35) but what has a cow, chickens, pig, live in their own house,
(perhaps only one room and built of logs) on their own land. The bulk of the people
farm their own land for a living. We live all in a little town, and fence our farms
in one big field by cooperation. We sell grain to get supplies for family use do not
live very rich but plenty of butter, milk, vegetables and plain food. I have not yet
known a family where the little ones did not have all they could eat, but the other side
of the picture is that we are all hard working, no one lives on their wits, it being quite
an undertaking to make a new settlement like this, build our houses, fence our fields,
make water- ditches, roads into the mountains, bridges, break sod land and sustain
ourselves. The women also make nearly all the family uses, but we like and enjoy it
all—and thank God for our lot and wish you were here to share it with us.
We have been to several dancing parties and expect to go to more this winter, for
all in the town mix together and enjoy each others company & friendship. I live
in the center of town, our house is built of logs, we have only one room, but I expect to
build more this summer. After a settlement has been made a few years, homes built,
fields fenced, roads made and orchards begin to bear fruit, the people have a little
better time and are able to live a little easier. It will be so here after a
while. For the last few years (5) the grasshoppers (locusts) have eat up part of our
crops, but we hope they are gone. The last two summers have been very dry, also
shortening our crops. You see I am trying to give you both sides of the picture that
you may not be disappointed when you come. Susan has several sisters around
Southampton with whom we have kept up a correspondence ever since leaving England. I
would like to ask you more about Annie, Nancy, etc. but it will do when you come. I
have no likeness of Father, and the others I cannot get copied at present, but perhaps
that will do when you come also. If not too heavy we will send in this one that we
had taken to send to mother about 7 years ago, me, Susan and our first, John. I am
very glad that you found such good friends in Mr. & Mrs. Slater but I will remember
that somebody who had charge refused me the privilege of seeing you to wish you goodbye
the last morning that I am in Daventry, and also dictated a letter which you wrote me (I
have it now) which did not contain your feelings but was their own, I hope it was not
them, but if it was I pass it all over for their kindness to you since, but hope whoever
it was that they now will have no influence with you against me at least. You have
had an experience in service which will be of great use to you here, and I believe you
have done much better than if you had staid in London. I made out a deed and sent to
mother for the property at Wilton, did she do anything with it. If it should not be
quite so pleasant to stay in your present place any longer, try and stay or do or go where
you can save the most money until about the middle of the summer, that you may come
comfortable. We are having a very mild spell of weather just now, ground bare, I am
doing nothing but haul our firewood. There will be a Rail Road built into this
county next summer from the U. P. R. R. Write me as soon as you can.
Your Affectionate Brother
John H. Barker
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