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Home > Family History > Leeds Area > Harewood > The Notices > Pages 61 to 70
"The Notices of the Stables Family"
by William Stables (1794-1862)
| Page 61 | of the stones for which he
himself carted down from Alms Cliff, and I have in my possession an account of his expenses in the erection, dated 1786, amount to 31 pounds. He continued to have his home at his father's at Sandygate, but very likely spending a considerable part of his time at his Weeton Fields, and I think he kept these fields in his own hands, some years after, when by his father's death he had come to occupy the farm at Sandygate, for I find in his accounts, Angst, 24, 1791, sole WM. Myers a hay stack out of Lower Widgetts for 3/12/0. My grandfather seems never to have had the happy art of managing his lads well. As they grew up to men he kept them at a great distance, treated them too much like children still, and when they did not please him, would rate and scold them and it is now to be wondered at, that situated as he and his son was, that my father should sometimes be so grieved and offended, that he kept out of his way, and spent most of his time at Weston. This would no doubt often irritate his father, who used to scold him "for looking after nought", ma that they did not by any means get on comfortably together. And whether it must have been from some peculiarity in his temperament, or from what he had alone been used to, I am grieved to say that as my father grew old, and as his sons grew up to man's estate, he treated them much in the same way.' In reference to me, I was somewhat differently situated to the rest, being placed at Kirkby, - as I got up we were more left. Father was not much with us, and being more separated, he made more free with me. But my brothers at Linnington had a very unpleasant berth, and my brother John, being of rather a warm spirit, took it so ill, that my mother said he had resolved to go to service somewhere. But just then his health began to fail, and he sank to the grave by a wasting consumption Nov. 14th, 1817, aged 19 years. My brother Samuel was of a better temper, and could better put up with his father's scolding, but it was very discouraging to him, and he was never put to act the master, but took a pair of horses and went to plow, and plow day by day, was for many years his usual employment, until by old age and affliction my father was under the necessity of allowing him to act, and at my father's decease Samuel was near 40 years of age. In extenuation of my father's harsh treatment of his sons, it is to be urged -- the very limited range of his ideas, views, knowledge. When he was young it was not a reading age, books were comparitively dear, and periodicals were very rare; and though in his old age my father would read an interesting book, yet I do not think that in early life, he had any peculiar relish for a book. His forte was rather action than study, and even his elder brother, who I believe was a man of much more thought than my father, was extremely limited in his reading. For he had not, that I know of, access to any circulating library, and at his decease, when near fifty years of age, he had scarce a book belonging to him except a copy or two of the Holy Scriptures. But what contributed most to the contraction of my father's mind, I am quite satisfied, was that ever after I knew him he was very dull of hearing, so as to be shut out from the ordinary conversations of those around him. I have some idea that he was not so from his birth, but that he became so when but a youth, but by what means or in what way I never learned. I remember to have heard of some of my |
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| Page 62 | mother's friends joking her as
to how she managed to make him hear, when he came to visit her for the purpose of discussing matrimonial subjects. But as he became aged his infirmity grew on him and his quickness of apprehension naturally became less. And there were very few preachers that he could hear at all, so that for many years before his death, he would only go to chapel when it was one who spoke pretty loud, and for some years at the last never vent at all. But there was another great evil that arose out of his infirmity. If he could not enter into and enjoy ordinary conversations, yet he could see and perceive when other people were conversing, and when the family became a divided one, that is, when his sons were growing up to manhood, and he behaved so cruelly to them, they were naturally sympa- thised with by my mother and sisters, and when he could see them in familiar conversation and especially, if he saw them smile and look pleasant, then a feeling of envy or jealousy was aroused, and from what he sometimes said in his cross moods to my mother, he *thought them all in a band," that she, too, aided and abetted them in their conduct. And this was such a common apprehension that it caused them almost entirely to abstain from social intercourse when he was present, and so caused a solitude in the family, which otherwise there need not have been. In his case, too, it was evident that as is by no means uncommon, a defect in one sense or organ is partially made up by an exquisite and peculiar strength of some other organ; so he was remarkably quick and strong sighted. He could up to about 80 years of age read ordinary printed or written books, without having recourse to spectacles. His sight continued good until about the last two years of life, when it began seriously to fail, and before his decease he was nearly blind. By the death of his father he was left in full and legal possession of the farm at Sandygate. It was only 67 acres., 1 r., 31 P. but it was good land, and immediately rented. But when a new valuation of the estate took place, by John Claridge, Esqr., the rent was raised to 75 pounds per annum, and I have in my possession the agreement then made, signed by Mr. Claridge and dated Aug. 23rd, 1796. I am not aware that his father had much personal property, but by diligence and frugality in the management of his farm, and the increase from his estates at Weeton and Huby, he was in very comfortable circumstances, and in the way of accumulating property. Soon after, however, he obtained an extension of his inheritance of about 30 acres by the inclosure of the Huby Common. This inclosure, however, cost him in Commissioners' charges 73 pounds, 5 shillings, 8 pence, the receipts for which, bearing date 1791-2, are imply possession. His property beginning to accumulate, he was at length emboldened to make a considerable purchase of land. Perhaps to this he was rather pushed, thinking it prudent to be looking out for another home, believing that he was not very secure in his holding of that he had, But that which was the strongest reason for his coming to that eon-elusion was that, about 1796, a great improvement was made in the turnpike roads about Harewood. An |
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| Page 63 | entire new road was made from
the Harewood Bar, up into the village of Harewood, and from the Bar westwards towards Otley. The road to Otley went right across the outskirts of his farm, leaving him a mere strip of land on the other side of the new road, and for the damages they did him in leading stones, etc. across his farm, he ultimately recovered 10 pounds, 10 shillings, through Mr. Popplewell. It is entered in his accounts as for damages done two years since, and is under the date of 1E00. But that which principally aroused his attention to the danger of his holding was that his landlord had built a very excellent wall about 9 feet high around his park, where it adjoined the turnpike road, and now that the new road was made, they continued it down from Harewood to the Bar, and they still went on his farm. Thus his farm was entirely enclosed (with the exception of a mere strip, in that which could only be looked on as a park wall, which fully convinced him that his having to move somewhere else was a mere question of time. Much he would have enjoyed the thought of settling down quietly in his nest, all his associations, ideas, connections and habits had become formed, and to have to break away from all these would require the exertion of no little energy of soul. And had he sit still, had he been quiet, there is no doubt that they would have let him alone, until they could have provided him another suitable farm, for such men of activity, respectability and capital as he was, a rather desirable tenant. But having the opportunity, he thought it best to provide a home for himself, and after having made the purchase of Linnington farm, after two years he took it into his own possession, and began to move there, a part of his family, first one thing, then another. This kept going on for the space of more than two years, with which, no doubt, his landlord and steward would be well acquainted, so that at length the long expected document in the form of a discharge of his farm arrived. This I have in my possession. It is signed by Sam'l Popplewell, and is dated July 2, 180i. When he became master of the establishment, he was left with his eldest sister, Elizabeth, as housekeeper. She had grown up in the situation, her mother having died when she was but a child, so that she had considerable influence and used to speak with authority, and being then more than 30 years of age, her habits of ruling the house, and having a considerable hand in the general management of affairs, had become pretty- much of a fixture; and I have heard my Aunt Burdsall say that my father and his sister Elizabeth never agreed well together. They were too much of a temper and disposition, and from her being several years older than my father, from her long standing in office, and during that time having been accustomed to look on my father as a subordinate, it is not to be wondered at that when at length my father had succeeded to the master's place, that she sometimes assumed more authority than my father liked. Accordingly, after some time, my father, somehow got an idea that he could choose a companion for himself, with whom he could be more comfortable. I have been told that it was my Uncle Richard Burdsall that directed my father to a wife; whether |
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| Page 64 | he had known my mother when she
had been at York to attend school, and the recommendation was grounded on personal suitability. I know not, but at any rate he would know her stepmother, and the connections of the family, so that there was a great propriety in the recommendation. The consequence was that he introduced my father to her and the family, then residing at Barlby Hall, near Selby. After some considerable time and several visits, the connection began to assume a definite and serious shape. Indeed, I have always considered that there was something in my mother's circumstances that vent very powerfully to second my father's application, She had a step-mother, and they were then having a young family, so that she had plenty of nursing. My father, too, was in circumstances superior to hers, and had a good home to take her to. The upshot of the business was that they were married at Hemingbrough Church, Barlby being in that parish. Augst. 30, 17890 he being in the 33rd and she in the 23rd year of their age. The circumstance of my father looking out for a wife, however. gave great offense to my sister. She was his housekeeper, and she felt herself slighted. It was like turning her out of her place, and when he asked her to go to the wedding, she positively refused, and after he had left home for the purpose, she gathered her things together, and in the pet, left the house. I believe it was in 1797*****that my father set off, with his Uncle William Bentley, of Pannal Hall, to look at an estate that was on sale at Linnington, near Pickering, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Nearly all that neighbourhood had belonged to the Marquis of Salisbury, but he had been under the necessity of selling it. It was bought by three gentlemen as a speculation, and they had sold it out in farms and small lots, giving every farmer the first chance of buying his own farm. Many of them did so, and borrowed a good deal of the money to pay for them, and within the last thirty years (1855) the great majority of them and their descendants have been broken up, and their farms have passed into other hands. This was principally brought about by the change in times, and the very much reduced value of agricultural produce, and ultimately, so the land. But there was a Flat, containing about 320 acres, laying on the north and east sides of the village, to it belonging the Hall at the top of the village and several small old houses at the south end. Whether they went on the day on which it was to be offered by auction, or it was a mere private sale, I cannot say, but they we, looked over most of the land, then in the evening met the parties at the Inn, and ultimately bargained for the whole. Then. next morning, they thought they would go and see that part of the estate they could not get to the previous night, and they found, it a regular bed of whins. (Spiny Gorse) Having made the purchase, he had now to find out the means of paying for it. He had, I believe, saved some considerable *****(Note to above) Since writing the above, I have met with a paper which says that the original release was made to Mr. Bentley, and JNO Stables and was dated April 9, 1796. My father's conveyance was from his uncle, Wm. Bentley and John Stables, and is dated May 13, 1797, the purchase money being 5655 pounds, 1 shilling, 7 pence (about 1100 pounds of which was for wood), 162 acres at 28 pounds per acre. See note A, page 77. |
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| Page 65 | sums, but not near what would
pay for it, and what he had was principally let out on interest and very likely some of it on mortgages, so that the most of what he had could not be realized immediately, so that to find the needful became a question of some difficulty to him. Among other steps that they took, my father and his Uncle agreed to meet at his brother's at Kirkby, that my father might inform him what he had done, and solicit his help in raising the money. My mother accompanied him on the occasion, but his brother did nothing but find fault with the whole business, nothing was right about it, and in the end he plainly told him, that he had no money but what was in good hands, and that he should not think of disturbing it, so I believe he never helped him at all. My father was naturally enough, discouraged by such treatment from his only brother, but as they rode up the field in going away, his uncle said to him, "Don't be down on it, William, if you can't raise the money, I can, so we'll not be fast." And throughout the whole business he behaved like a father to him. After they had secured their purchase, they set to, to divide it, into two equal parts. When they had agreed on the division, his uncle asked my father whether he would give 20 pounds, or he would take it, for the choice of the farm, My father chose to give it, and accordingly made his choice, but it was reported that afterwards his uncle said that he still got the farm he preferred. Mr. Bentley entered on the occupation of his farm, but my father let his to the old tenant, Francis Dobson, who then, I believe, resided in the Hall. I believe my father's purchase was about 4500 pounds, and he also paid 1100 pounds for wood which was on it, which had to be taken at a valuation. As my father had chosen the southern farm, he had no buildings on it but old ones, principally old cottages, not one of which was likely for a farmer to live in, and the most northernly he sold off, with two garths along with it, an act which he had after-wards much cause to repent of, as it very much cramped and rendered much less commodious than it needed to have been, hisfuture farm buildings. His next step was ?spare for building a new house, the model for which was that occupied by our son-in-law, Joseph Cordukes, I have always understood that the erection was let ter estimate, in one job, to a builder at Multon, the sum being 250 pounds. My father, however, was unfortunate in his tenant. He had been one of the farmers but they had been accustomed to have the land almost for nothing, and were very generally a race of drunkards. it now that the estate had been bought for so much money, interest for it was wanted, and this required a very difficult rent from what they had been used to, and I believe he had no capital at all likely' to work such a farm. He entered to it, I believe, on their completeing the purchase in the spring of 1796, and in the autumn of 1798, I learn from my father's account book (paid for a wagon at Francis Dobson's sale 7/15/0, Oct.19th, 1798) that he had to sell his crops in distraint for rent, and I have heard my father say that he sold the crops off, thus taking the tillage off the farm, while he left untouched his furniture and some other things in which no tillage was. |
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| Page 66 | The upshot of the business was
that my father took it into his own hands in the spring of 1799, my mother's grandmother Mrs. Elisabeth Barnett going as housekeeper, and my father going backwards and forwards between Sandygate and Linnington as circumstances required. He kept removing goods and stock, according to the wants and circumstances of each farm, for the space of three years, until in May 1802, he finally quitted the home of his father at Sandygate, and the farm has ever sinee been in the hands of the proprietor, now the Rt. Hon'ble, the Earl of Harewood. During the process of removal he built a new stable and cow house, which both have an end to the town street. But when he got settled on his new house he set to enlarge his homestead in good earnest. He was his on architect, unhappily, with my father's contracted ideas, he had no general plan for a farmstead. He could see where this building could be put in there, and the other yonder, but starting without any general plan at first, he sometimes built, then pulled down, then built up again. In 1804 he built the barn and kitchen and kept building for several years until he had a large mass of farm buildings; bit they yet lamentably exhibit the want of having been at first laid out on any general plan, But before he got his homestead completed, a new scene opened out before him. In 1805 his elder brother, John Stables ofKirkby-Overblow, fell into a poor state of health, and after lingering on a considerable time, departed this life Septr. 1803, leaving my father and Miss Penelope Bears of Follifoot, my father's cousin, his executors and guardians of his daughter, then about six years of age. My father had occupied his own farm at Kirkby-Overblow, and his farm and corn mill at Fulwith, so that my father was suddenly plunged into a world of business. To meet these circumstances, his family was immediately divided. My sister Mary, then about fourteen years of age, came as housekeeper and myself was taken from grandfather Dunn's at Swinefleet, where Thad been in order to attend school at Fleeciness, in order to look after things," being about eleven and a half years of age *****(Note On the 6th Novr. 1810, he attended the cattle fair at Hemsley Blackmoor. I have a placard before me which says he lost his pocketbook 'with bills and notes in it 111 pounds, 14 shillings, 6 pence. He believed it was stolen when he had it at the paying for some stock. If stolen, he offered 30 guineas reward; but he never heard any more of it. After some time he got about 70 pounds of it, the balance of two of the debts, but he had a vast of traveling and trouble over it.***** My father was backwards and forwards from Linnington to Kirkby, but at first spent a considerable part of his time with us, as we were so young and inexperienced, and as we had a much better school at Kirkby than at Linnington, we had generally several, of my brothers and sisters with us, so that for several years we were commonly the larger half of the family. Then in Feby. 1806 my father let the Fulwith Farm and mill to Wm. Harland, but that caused several alterations to have to made in the house and buildings which required necessarily considerable attention and labour from my father. The farm, too at Kirkby, was carried on until Feby. 1806, on behalf of the executors; 'when, as my uncle") had wished my father to keep the farm in his own bands in order that things might be kept in good repair, ,the then entered to it as tent, at a rent which had been put down by my uncle, and he took all the stock, goods, and chattels at a valuation. As years rolled on and we grew older, he gradually began to withdraw from us, and |
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| Page 67 | spent more time at Linnington,
where my mother generally resided, until Feby. 1818, when he finally gave up the farm to me as tenant, and I had to make a valuation of the stock, furniture, &e. to myself. Before this time, however. an event had transpired which con- siderably altered my father's circumstances. In 1815 my Cousin Hannah departed this life. being under age and without issue. On her demise, the whole of the property and estates of his brother fell to and vested in him, subject, however, to legacies to his nephews and nieces of 500 pounds each, and to the descendants of Aunt Burdsall at her decease, of 1200 pounds. It is true that these nephews and nieces, were all, with the exception of Mrs. Lyth, his own children. so that when they had all come of age, and my Aunt Burdsall had departed this life, he had to pay 5200 pounds out of the estate. On Dear. 11th, 1831, my father's cousin, Miss Penelope Bears of Follifoot died. By her will she bequeathed to him 1500 pounds; but 300 of this was charged on one of her estates and after her decease a marriage settlement was found, made between Miss Penelope Bentley and Mr. Edward Bears, previous to their marriage. She was to be a second wife; and it provided that if there was no issue from the marriage, that then such and such estates should vest in the children of Edward Bears, by a former wife. But as Miss Bears was the only issue, and as neither her mother nor she had sold the property, and as she was now dead, so there was in reality now no issue, and as a consequence, the marriage settlement took effect and my father lost his 300 pounds***** Note.--About the year 1814 or 1815 my father lost 600 pounds by the executors of William Barrow's, and a few years after he lost 300 pounds by the failure of William Perkin, who had married John Craven's daughter. Both sums were lent on interest, the only security being a promissory note.***** The event, however, proved that these accumulations of property did not make an addition to his comfort and peace. and especially to his domestic happiness. Before this he had to borrow considerable sums of money on interest, but now he appeared to have got the idea that he might live to pay all off, and die out of debt. And this hope appeared to make him additionally anxious to get all he could. and to save all he got, so that he was far more niggardly with his wife and family than he used to be when he possessed far less, and I have heard my mother say that for a number of the first years of their union, no woman could have a kinder and better husband, or be a better provider for his family; but that as he increased in wealth, he grew more and more anxious, and near in his treatment of them. It was also evident that a feeling of jealousy towards his own children had taken possession of him, supposing that now that they had 500 pounds cash to call their own, and therefore not being absolutely dependant on him, that therefore they would not treat him with that respect and deference which as their parent was his due. In this idea I believe he was confirmed by the marriage of my sister Mary. She had some years before, had two separate offers of marriage, both of which had been given up, on being forbidden by her parents, and he thought that now if she had not had the legacy to fall back on, that she would not have married contrary to his wishes in the end. In March 1827 my mother was taken from him by a stroke of apoplexy, surviving it only a few days. He seemed to gat over it at the time without any extraordinary laceration(?) of feeling, but |
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| Page 68 | in his letters afterwards he
much lamented his loss, saying he had now no one to whom he "would open his mind" as he could to her. Bat as my sister Elizabeth was of mature age, had nearly all her life been at home with him, had latterly been accustomed to manage the house considerably, and as my father seemed to take more to her than he did to any of his other daughters, so in the family the loss of my mother seemed to make very little difference, sister Elizabeth so naturally falling into her place in the general management of the affairs. And when in the order of Providence my sister Elizabeth was also taken from us about a year and a half after my mother, we all thought that my father felt more acutely at losing her than he did when he lost my mother. About the time when my father was in his worst state of mind, - it was in Jany. 1827 that he suffered much mortification and chagrin through what we considered his own stupidity, the occasion was this: There were four fields laid by the roadside at the top of Weelton Cliff, containing 24 acres, that had been sold off by itself, when the estate was divided into parcels, and had now come into the hands of Ralph King's executors, who had it to sell. These fields adjoined my father on two sides, and formed what was wanted at corner of his farm to make it a perfect square. Everybody could see that my father ought to buy them, and nobody expected but that he would, and no one seemed disposed to oppose his doing so, so that when they were put up at auction no one bid at them, Afterwards he bid them 1000 pounds for them. This they refused to take, but in the end offered to take 1020 pounds. But he would go no further, and though they afterwards twice sent for him, he would not go. In the end, seeing that they could make nothing of him, they offered it to Cornelius Read, and he gave them the additional 20 pounds. But though my father professed to care nothing about it, "that he had plenty of land", and many more things in that strain, yet it was evident that he was not a little vexed and mortified, and blamed his neighbour very greatly for giving them the additional 20 pounds; though most thought the land was well worth the whole; yet he believed that had it not been for Cornelius, they would have been compelled to take his bid. In the order of Providence, and by the death of Cornelius, it came to pass that in Jany. 1840, the land was again on sale, and came fairly into the market; but my father was then in a declining state, myself and brother had got to act more and we thought we could manage the business better. Accordingly, we attended the auction at Kirby Moorside, and were the last bidders at something over 1100 pounds. According to custom we were to have the first refusal of it by private, and we arranged to meet the parties at the Inn at Linn- ington on the following day, when we bought the property for 1200 pounds. We considered that Cornelius had rather improved the land, and times were a little better than they had been thirteen years before. But after all we had to give 100 pounds more for it than it need to have cost, Had it not been for my father's bad management, and we have never yet had cause to repent our bargain. The conveyance was made to my father, so that at my father's decease, intestate, between two and three years afterwards, it, with the other estates vested in me. But as I |
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| Page 69 | had made my calculations of the
value of my father's properties before this purchase was made, it was not included in them; so that after that event took place, the amount was charged on my brother, so that though I legally gave him that also, virtually and really I did not do so. On the west side of the village resided a Mr. John Craven. He had a small farm of between 90 and 100 acres which he had bought when the estate was parcelled off, and was now all paid for, and he was in very easy circumstances. His wife was dead before we went to Linnington, but he had one only daughter, just about the age of my sister Ann, who was a frequent visitor there, and Miss Craven was also at our house, and once came and spent some weeks with us at Kirkby, so that there was a considerable intimacy took place between the families. Mr. Craven getting an old man, and not able to look after his farm, in some way or other about 1815 they made an offer of it to my father to rent, that is, the farm and the farm buildings, and my father accepted the offer, and continued to occupy it, I think, about ten years.***** *****Note- I see from my father's letter of Feby. 8, 1830, that he left Craven's farm that spring, so he must have had longer than I thought. (June 1856) Brother believes father entered on Craven's farm April, 1817, so that he must have occupied it 13 years. The rent was originally 150 pounds. Colonel Mitchelson and William Cola were the trustees after John Craven's death.***** But the circumstance of my father occupying the farm and the build-ings just by the house, frequently took him there. Kr. Craven had a housekeeper that had been with him many years. She was about ten years younger than my father. She had maintained a decent Character through life, and in her earlier career had been considerably respected. She had long been a professor of religion, but in age was regarded as a selfish, designing woman. She had been married when aged, but her husband soon died, and part of the time my father occupied the farm she was a widow. My father had long known her, and she was indeed the principal manager of affairs at Mr. Craven's. But when my father used to be so often about, and in the yard, she would often invite him in and would shout and talk to him, and my father having such little enjoyment in his own family, she gradually began to acquire an influence over him, and after my mother's death she came to use her influence about family matters, and in the presence of my sisters in away that was very harmful evidently saying by her manner and spirit and conduct, that she could influence him, and especially at my sister Elizabeth's funeral (Oct. 31, 1828) she seemed like one in authority, and treated us more like a mother, than a mere neighbour. So that for some years my brother and sisters were in considerable bondage to her, quite expecting that my father would make her his wife. When I was there we often talked and wept over the subject, but as we all agreed that we could do nothing directly in it, for my father would have no advice from his children, so we agreed that our only hope was in "telling God about it", and as we all professed to fear him, so we resolved to leave the matter there, begging of him to mark out our way. Sometime after my sister Elizabeth's death, when we had most expected that the thing would come to a |
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| Page 70 | crisis, something arose between
them over which they disagreed, and dn.- the end got to open quarreling, and the danger to the family was quite blown over. In 1831, too, my father became involved in another very unpleasant affair - nothing less than a dispute with the Township of Linnington, concerning the amount at which his farm out to be rated. It had been agreed by the assembled ratepayers to have a new valuation. Mr. Bentley, Mr. Dowker, and a Mr. Parke of Barough, a respectable old farmer, and accustomed to do such things, were appointed to make it out. But when it was brought out my father was considerably raised. That he had improved his farm was admitted, but not more than the other which were to compare with it? My father and brother being both dissatisfied, they sent for me, and I went over, and with my brother looked over some of the principal farms. We were all fully convinced that he was over-charged, but when we applied to them for particulars, and quantities to see if we could find out any mistake into which they might have fallen. But not anything would they give us but the round sum, and if we wanted anything more we might find it out as we could. My father also offered to refer the case to a neighbouring valuer, but no, not an iota would be conceded. No doubt such respectable men felt insulted, that my father, a man of limited knowledge of such things, and so crusty, and we, two youths, comparitive striplings, should dare to call their doings in question. Feeling that we were right, and no alternative but that and sitting down with the charge remaining, we took the business to the general Quarter Sessions, at North Allerton. My brother and I attended, Oct. 22, 1831, and when we got them into the witness box, so as that they had to answer questions, it was plainly shown, that we were charged with 24 acres of land that we had not, and this being taken off our valuation was actually higher than theirs. The cause was at once decided in our favour, and then our counsel applied for costs, which was also granted. But the contention raised bad feeling among the parties, which took many years to wear it away. In 1837 my father had a very serious accident, under date of April 3rd, 1837. My brother writes, "I have taken up the pen at the suggestion of my poor father, to inform you that he is at present in circumstances of affliction, occasioned by an accident which occurred on the 24th March. As he was sitting by the fire, some potatoes were on the fire steaming, which fell onto the hearth and scalded his ankle-and foot, The scald extends about three inches above the ankle up the side of the leg, down to the heel, and a little across the top of the foot. Sister Penelope applied some Burn Salve immediately, wrapt it up, and put on his stocking. He put on his strong shoe next day, and went out as usual, and would not have his scalded foot looked at again of more than twenty four hours. On the 26th, which was Sunday, it was easier, as he sat most of the day. On the 27th we were thrashing most of the forenoon, when, as usual, he must be at his post taking away the corn. In the afternoon he felt it worse, and was obliged to rest it. In the evening he must serve his swine. Sister wanted him to let one of the men serve them, which was at the back door. But he |
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