Townfoot, 17 January 1883

 Marion Brown, "helpless as ever," and four years into a phase of not being able to walk, reports on the winter weather in Sanquhar.*  She's also very grateful for a gift from America, and concerned about Aunt's ever declining health. (Spoiler alert: Aunt Agnes will live almost another twenty years from when this letter was written.) Mention of the men in the family knitting socks around the fire, in the old days; and the mention of swine curds, of course.

*Given the date, I was kind of hoping this extreme weather might be an echo of Krakatoa, which created worldwide weather havoc when it exploded in 1883--but that wouldn't happen for another few months after Marion's letter was written.  Nope, just the usual rotten winter along the Nith.

Townfoot
Sanquhar
17th January 1883

My Dear Friends

I write to let you know that I received your very welcome letter all right give Uncle John my kind regards and say to execpt my best thanks for the present he sent me I can not write in words the gratitude I feel in my heart for his kindness to me as the saying goes a friend in need is a friend indeed, and I hope you will always have plenty and may God give you a blessing and good health for what in this world can we enjoy if we have not health.

I was glad to see from your letter that you was all well when you wrote and I hope this will find you still enjoying the same precious blessing. Aunt sends her kind regards to you all and many thanks for your kindness you are to tell uncle John that she has got a pair of new clogs of the money he sent but she can not get them so neat now as when uncle Joseph and him used to be knitting stockings at the Bogg fire for she is bothered with corns. She was just telling me she thinks she sees them and hears them talking, poor body there is not so much difference of her to look at but her strength is failing and she is much stifer, I have to tell you she would not join the waggon with you but she could milk the cow and make you swine curds yet but she is a little slower in the step now as when you saw her. 

I hope you will get on well with your market but you must have patience and give it a fair trial a person cannot get on all at once, you have pretty long hours but there is always a something so we must just put up. We had a very severe snow storm here Aunt saw Mr. Kennedy of Brandley one day and he told her he had never seen so much snow it was three days before they could get a cart from Brandleys to William Halberts and there was four men working all the time it was not on that road alone but round the whole district there was a complete block up Tam could not get to Wanlockhead with the carts for more than a week and two days there was more than fifty men from Wanlockhead working on Mennock road to get it cleared but the thaw came very mildly which was a good thing if it had come quickly the melting of so much snow might have done great damage. 

I am glad to be able to tell you that Tam and his wife and two boys are all well in the meantime. Uncle William and his wife & family are all well my Sister Sarah is very poorly from what accounts I get there is no hope of her geting better her youngest child died on Christmas morning. I don't feel any better as yet I am lying in bed as helpless as ever but I am very thankful I have the use of my hands it is four years next month since I could walk any and I have suffered a good deal in that time and God alone knows how long I have to lie but I must just hope for the best and leave the result in God's hands he knows what is best for us. 

now I must stop with kind regards to you all in which Aunt and all the rest joins Aunt says you are to write sooner hoping this will find you all well 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