Andrew and Martha Pollock to their nephew, Robert Forsyth, Home, PA, November 14, 1850

Pollock, Andrew--Correspondence. Pollock, Martha--Correspondence. Forsyth, Robert. Presbyterians--Pennsylvania--Indiana County--History--19th century. Pennsylvania Canal (Pa.)--Rates and tolls. Indiana County (Pa.)--History--19th century. Indiana County (Pa.)--Rural conditions--19th century. Teachers--Indiana County (Pa.)--Salaries, etc.--19th century. Communicable diseases--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--19th century.

This is a letter from Andrew and Martha Pollock to their nephew, Robert Forsyth. They are writing from Home, PA, on November 14, 1850. The Pollocks write that they are happy to learn of Robert's arrival in the United States. They inform Robert that they live in "an excellent neighborhood for morality and other good qualities; Presbyterians, Seceders, and Associate Reformed churches are most numerous and the prospects of the Covenanters here are encouraging..." , Their religious community is a dispersed, yet well organized congregation but lacks settled pastors. They say that they have had visiting pastors who are named Hanna, Cannon, Milligan, Dodds, and Hunter. In the second part of the letter, the Pollocks mention that there is plenty of land available for sale--thirty of forty pounds sterling will buy 100 or more acres of woodland. The Pollocks describe how one can farm shares; that for horses, feed, seed, and labor, a farmer receives a third of the grain. They write that school teachers receive $20 a month. They observe that section boats cost $5 per passenger, and they warn Robert to keep inside any boats to avoid accidents. They tell Robert to come along the canal to Blairsville and wait there until he can visit them or send word that he has arrived. They also give him directions to their home informing him that it is thirty miles from Blairsville and fifteen miles from Indiana on one of the Punxsutawney roads. The letter concludes with a postscript warning that ague and fever are common in Philadelphia but that those diseases don't occur in their area.

Pollock, Andrew and Martha

November 14, 1850

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

application/pdf

GC31

The Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, PA; Graham Collection

English

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

For additional information contact: The Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, PA, 621 Wayne Avenue, Indiana, Pa 15701, 724-463-9606. Email ichistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

This Digital Object is provided in a collection that is included in POWER Library: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of Education.