Townfoot, 31 May 1882

A quick letter of thanks for a much-welcomed gift of money from America.  Marion Brown's religious resignation and Aunt's love of mail from abroad (and hope for a visit) are repeated here; but there's a bit of optimism, as the weather has been warm and the crops look good.  (But Marion Bryden and the boys didn't ever make that "trip across the sea.")

Townfoot
Sanquhar
31st May 1882

Dear Friends

I received your very kind letter on Saturday and received the money all right on Monday.  Dear friends I cannot express how thankful I am to you for it and may God give you a blessing for your kindness to me.  I have been a long time helpless and does not know how long I may be in the same state nor has no right to know. God's ways are not as our ways and we ought to be as content as we can with our lot in whatever state we may be placed.  

Aunt joins me in many thanks to Uncle John for his kindness to us and hopes he will always have plenty for it has given us great relief in the meantime. Aunt is wonderful in her health but her strength is failing her very much Aunt has her kind regards to you all and says if you could get Marion to set out both her and the boys might be the better of a trip across the sea. 

Robert McWhir sends his kind regards to uncle John and says he would like to have one day with him now.  Tam and his wife and two boys are all well.  I saw uncle William last night and his family are all well.  They tell me that crops of all kinds are looking well this year as yet the weather has been warm in this last two weeks.  Provision of all kinds is very dear. 

I must stop for I am tired excuse all the blunders and be sure and write soon you would not believe how Aunt talks on about letters from America with kind regards to you all I am your affectionate friend Marion Brown

Townfoot, 5 November 1880

This letter seems to be addressed to a different "uncle" in Pennsylvania--not to John Glencross, but to his brother.  

Another pencilled letter, and a two-writer letter again--the first half is harder to read, by Tam Scott, mostly reporting on market prices and bad weather and his Irish horse.  I can't promise I've got all the words right in that section--his handwriting isn't as smooth or legible as Marion Brown's, and his spelling is especially non-standard.  But one certainly gets the sense that he's in good spirits for the cold winter, happy to be working and happy to have a fast, spirited horse.  Marion's half of the letter reports that her health is still poor, with gravel (kidney stones, usually), and that she has been unwell for seventeen years now (so that takes us back to 1863, when she was in an infirmary apparently). 

The winter 1880-81 was one of the most severe in North America also--with deep snows in October, just as Tam describes--interesting to consider now, in the middle of another severe winter with terrible weather affecting much of North America and also the British Isles.  "Heavy mortality among sheep stocks" related to the 1880-81 winter storms is mentioned in a Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland from the era.

Townfoot 
Sanquhar 
Nov 5th 1880

Dear Uncle

I drop you a few lines to let you know that I am still to the fore hopping this will find you well and all the rest of my friends we have the affliction of a very sever winter hear we have had some very sever snows on the 27th of last month the snow was so heavy the Mennock house was Blocked up and out By Moffit the Pearnes[?] was so large that over one score of sheep was smothered and the continued casting for several dayes the Market is very high hear just now it is a real Extortion Sanquhar is Mad up at a lot of Bogues Butter her is 9s chese 10 cence per Pound and all the market is on advance I do not know what the men at all as the niver has been such good crops this year before I am still with William Slimmons It is steady but long hours and Wet and dry I have to be on the Road and from 5 in the morning till 7 and 9 at night and I have got the Best flinging horse that is in DumfriesShire a 'amserting' he is an Irish horse and has Irish Temper I do ashure you an Monday night he kicked himself out of the long cart with Tom on him he will kick for a day long and get leg in every side of the shaft and kick on and he is the best runer out of the cart I ever saw and when he hs mastered with the whip he squels and pushes you are not safe of your life with him there is scarce one in Sanquhar will cum near him and me the Laghear cumes Scotland Pady he can send his heels as high as the Shafts of the cart when he runs but we have had the largest potato crop that has been for 40 years I supose.  the are 3/per hunderwight I have not much more to say but that we have got a 3 year old horse and had him at Wanlockhead you might tell Tam to write to me I am yours T. G. Scott

PP hopping the Blessing of god will follow you and all your family and wife 

Dear uncle Tom has begun this letter but has left me to finish it so I will try to say what I can do I am still close confined to bed and the doctor has to be at me every day the gravel is a very painful complaint and other things connected with hit makes it worse I have very little power in my left arm but I ought to be very thankful as long as I have my senses but sometimes my head is very stupid.  Our heavenly Father is kind to us far above on asking and why should a living man complain but human nature is hard to bend and some times I think my lot has been a hard one somes ways it is now going on seventeen years since I was at the Infirmary and since then I have not been able to do much, now I have to tell you from Aunt that you are to tell Tom to write a long letter and tell her all the news for many a time she wonders what he is like now and he is to tell her what Willie and Samuel is like and all the rest of them.  Uncle William and his family are all well uncle is still working with Mr. Pearson at the woods my Brother James and his family are all well and still at Heucklands with Mr. [???], I was to send you McWhir's kind regards and say he was asking for you. Aunt joins me in kind regards to you and everyone John Marion & Bryden and may god be with you [?????pencil smudged] affectionate neice, Marion Brown

be sure and write soon

Castle Mains, 4 June 1879

This is not a letter by Marion Brown.  She is referred to as "May" in this letter, and has apparently "had a very bad turn."  So her cousin, Tam Scott, is writing instead.  Tam's handwriting is fairly legible for a man's hand, but his spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation are less standard than Marion's, and quite a few words are hard to work out.  Nonetheless, it's a newsy partial letter that gives a glimpse of Tam's personality, and shows Marion Brown's situation from another perspective.

Tam is a new father, it seems, with young Samuel Glencross Scott already 9 weeks old.  We know from other letters that Robina moved into the Castle Mains residence as Tam's wife at the end of January; she must have been quite pregnant at the time, if their son was born in early April.  His mother (Aunt Agnes Scott) is "fair daft" about her first grandchild, but at the time of this letter's writing, she was away from the home, teaching cheesemaking at dairies near Auchengruick (not sure where that is on current maps).  That leaves Marion at home, too ill even to write; a newborn, Samuel; a new mother, Robina; and Tam, who is unable to work from having "smashed ribs."  And, apparently, chickens. Sounds stressful!

Tam says work is scarce, very scarce, especially since the "Duck" (the local landowner; Tam misspells "Duke," or does he?) isn't hiring at the moment.  But Tam is making some money with his prize poultry.  He's obviously proud of his Hamburgs, and travels to various shows to compete with other breeders.  But rats (or "rates") ate a bunch of his best chickens, which made a significant dent in his prospects for earning. 

There's also mention of Robert McWhir, who has turned up in at least two past letters.

Castle Mains
Sanquhar
June 4th 1879

Dear Uncle I take the pleasure of droping you a few lines to let you know how we are all getting on  hopping this will find you all well I may say that May is getting a little better But has had a very bad turn and my mother is well but Bothered with Rehumatism  She is at Auchengruick just now larning them to make the chease she has both the dairs to lairn  She is standing her age well i do not know much els of her but scarce so fast as in formar days I may say that the Wife is well and the Son he is 9 weeks old today and a fine Strong Healthy Boy but i dout he will get too much of his one [own?] will with them.  Mother is fair daft about him and May not much Better I will depart from this topic But first i will give you the Son's name I call him Samuel Glencross Scott 

I may say that Robert McWhir is cum hear for man [men?].  I am of work just now with Smashed Ribs which i got at my work but work hear is very scarce and will be scarcer before it is mor plentful.  the Duck is stoped puting on his repairs sing[?] to his son standing for Mid Lothian and it is a grate pity if he would get on for he is puting this place in a pitful state we are just finishing up old jobs that we had not done it is sed that it will be 3 years before it is any better as the Duck is deep in det their is nothing going on at nothing it dos not mater what it is their is 100 on the Road that cannot get work no place.

Every part is alick their is no use leaving one place and going to another for all is alick bad and markets high you sed I had shurly a good stock of Poultry I have the best Stock of Hamburgs I think in Scottland the have to cum from York and Leads Lincolnshire the best Breeders in England the do nothing else but attend Shows and make their living of them and a good one to I sold eggs of my Birds this year at 6 shillings and 6 pence a dozen their were 2 settings sent to Nottingham and i am going to have a Draw for 4 Pair of my Prize Birds I am getting them Printed at Dumfries i intend to make a little mony of it in this dull tumes I will not stick at nothing I had 44 chickins some 10 weeks old and on Monday night the Rates found them and thought they would make a good supper and killed 6 of them and the Best to I could have got 1 pound a peace for them It will tell hard against me this year for the Shows as you can Scarce get them to run[?], the Shows too years althoe I have an old cock this year has only been shown two times took 1 at Sanquhar and First and Special at New Cumnock show the judge told me he was the Best Cock that he had seen and he put it in the Papers to and I took 2 to at New Cumnock my next hshow will be Dumfries Union Show which is in August i mean to take First at it to if i am well 

I was to give you Robert McWhir's kind love you and Uncle John and you have to send word what sort of a country you are in I could fill the letter about my Birds with Prizes and Remarks at Shows but i will let them drop I hop trade is getting better with you Tom will be a man by this time His cousin Tam is 6 feet and Built from the ground he was home hear at the Saison [?] he always calls it his Home you know he never knew anything els you might tell him to write a letter to me as i fell as  [rest of letter is missing]