James Trott to "Dear Sisters," | Collections | The Huntington

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Manuscripts

James Trott to "Dear Sisters,"

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Description: HM 80827: Autograph letter by James Trott from Galena, Illinois to Miss C.S. Trott, on January 22, 1844. Trott begins the letter with a brief report on the number of lawyers, doctors, ministers, and teachers present in Galena. He continues with his thoughts on public opinion concerning New England. He mentions that Yankees should "...be grounded in the principles of morality than that they sh'd have only good habits." He also writes about religion. "True Christians sh'd feel sorrow for their own and others sins but they sh'd not waste time in such sorrow... nor sh'd they make their burden any heavier than it is..." In one incident, he unintentionally accuses a preacher of hypocrisy. He further elaborates on the making of a good sermon, which should be based on principles. Family details are also discussed. He stresses the importance of health and advises "U.A.", aunt, and Caro to "fat up." However, Margt' S. is on the heavier side, and he states that she should eat more vegetables and limit her consumption of meat. He briefly touches on the fashion in Galena, "The short pants do beautifully out here-people dress as they choose here." In the second half of the letter, Trott and his friend, Wynkoop, decides to walk approximately 16 miles to Dubuque, Iowa. Along the way, they meet a couple with twin boys, a French Canadian miner, and a wicked dog. They also meet two African Americans, one was named General William Wallace and the other was a member of Frank Johnson's band. They stop halfway while crossing the Mississippi river to see a famous cave, the Washington house kept by "Gen.'s Harrison and W", and slept on some miserable feather beds. He concludes the letter with a promise of a description of the caves in the next letter. Note: A description of the caves is not in HM 80828.

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James Trott to C.S. Trott
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Autograph letter by James Trott from Galena, Illinois to his sister C.S. Trott, on January 11, 1843. Trott starts the letter with a joke concerning a sketch of a wagon in the letter. He begins, "This is a wagon used by the western people & is called a prairie schooner...sometimes horses are used. I saw one at Chicago...which had a stove on it & must therefore I think have been a prairie steamer" (p. 1). Next, Trott briefly touches upon family matters concerning letters received and sent. The bulk of the letter is in regards to religion. He discusses a very fine preacher named Mr. Holbrook from Dubuque, Iowa, but had one critical observation. "The only improvemn't w'd have been for him to have clearly understood the consequences flowing from this doctrine - the phrase 'Christian duties' seems to be an unfortunate one for it implies that some duties, as being a s.s. teacher, are Christian, while others are not Christian duties..." (p. 1). In another event, while attending a Methodist church one evening, Trott mentions a preacher that once "...knock a man down - a Methodist preacher had to do so once it was the only way in which he c'd maul the grace of God into the man." (p. 2). He also writes about a threatening blacksmith turned preacher and his thoughts on Sunday school. In the second half of the letter, Trott introduces his friend William Tell Wynkoop and the abundance of mining in the region. He writes about descending approximately 55 feet into a lead with only a rope on his left foot. Once at the bottom he writes, "The ore appeared to be quite plenty although the mine had been worked a year we ascended again & got some fine specimens from one of the windlass hands. We then went to another digging found one man who said he had worked a year and had not raised mineral enough to pay for his tobacco" (p. 2-3). Trott also briefly discusses the life of a miner and provides a description of the country. "The country about here is more beautiful than that around Bos. [Boston] such beautiful succession of hills. You w'd be delighted with the views..." (p. 3). He concludes the letter with a story about an American or Canadian smuggling goods that were seized by a customs officer.
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