Oakland Illinois Genealogy

The following is a letter that I have and I will post more about this family later. The conditions of having a good well here made all the difference on the early settlers on if they stayed in the area or moved on for what they thought were better conditions in the west. Many early settlers in Oakland moved on to Kansas and beyond.

Front: Postmarked:
William J Florer Oakland- Sept 16, Ill
Danville Paid 3
Vermillion Co,
Illinois

Letter Body:
Cape Greasy Illinois
September 13, 1859
William J Florer,
Dear son,
We are all still well
we received you 2 letters of Aug 30 &
Sept 3 contents noticed. Herberts family are
all about. the youngest have had the
aque. Thomas West’s family are all well
except Albert, he has chills, the health of
the country improving, last knight & knight
before we had the finest rains fell since
the drouth commenced last June it
was much kneeded. the whole conutry was
dried up & much timber diing.
When at Newport tried to rent a house
could not find one empty fit to live in
found Nixon, Culbertsons, McAlister,
Henderson, Nichols & Malone & lowry
willing to sell provided the got good prices,
& keep possession until next Spring &
Culbertsone one year, except Malone
if he got $1250..down for one lot
& his house would give immediate
possession , Nichols asked $400. but don’t like the
location at all Nixon asked $1000. McAlister
$450, Henderson $350 Culbertson $1500 for
his 2 lots & 4 pasture lots. Sale $650 for his
the 2 latter. I considered reasonable Lowry
was sick, I did not larn his price Sale was
gone to Ohio I left word with Bell, on Sale
return try to rent of him & if he could not
rent see if he would sell & give immediate
possession & write, I got no answer
Ure & me talked on the subject of a partnership
he seemed somewhat disposed to do so---
but nothing difinet was entered into he seemed
to be inclined to put it off a year or two---
coming to no definate arrangement I con=
=clude to return home with my plank &
wait the Issue I have all halled but one
load from Zevers concluded if go or stay I
would on & collect My lumber for
building I am now ready to haul logs to
Pinhook to make my scantling if I
stayed would raise & enclose my house
this fall & finish next Spring & Summer
if I moved would sell my lumber
but I see on my return wells gone dry &
water generly dried up, go stay rent or sell
water must be had, went to Charleston got
me a 2 inch auger with a 20 foot shank
& big rope came back found damp in
well no one would go down went to my
stock well found it dry dug 12 feet deeper
then board 14 feet struck water at 35 which
biled up & gave us about 3 feet water
& good this relieved us much tho we then got
a little cooler I worked the damp out of
my deep well which was dug 43 feet &
Bored 6. We put the auger in & Bored 6
feet deeper down went the auger & up came
was sand & gravel it throwed up gravel as
large as a Partridge Egg to the top of the water
after it was 3 feet deep Nace caught a panful
rolling on the surface it throwed up sand &
gravel about 3 feet deep & water on the top
of that 9 feet & still slowly raising
so that a 30 foot rope reaches the water &
you Might say the water from the Bottom
of the auger hole is 24 feet deep the whole
well is now 58 feet deep the water is slightly
white sulpher but does not make it in the least
disagreeable to the taste it is so cold that it makes
the teeth & eyes ake to drink a glassfull
it adds to the value of my place in the
estimation of every body that has been to see, it
$500, I am now preparing to haul saw logs
& as soon as Taylor & Lippincott gets
ready to help which will be in a
week or 10 days we are going to dig them a
well they promise to donate a week each
then I hire them for the Balance---
you may be sure after getting such a fine chance
of water it cheers us up I have not seen
M. nor been to Pinhook since you left
but think going To day if it don’t rain too
much--- I expect to see M. & will soon
write you again I would have written sooner
but had nothing of Interest to write
I suppose you heard of friend Lowry’s loss by
fire & also of his death
in your next letter state if you know when
the next session of school begins at Crawfords=
=ville, the price of tuition per session & the price
of Board & washing per week, some times I
think of sending Shep to Paris seminary this
winter what do you think the latter plan
I think would not tell Culbertson positively
as yet I would go into business & leave him
Yours truly,
AB Florer