Transcription of: Letter from William C. Pool to William Henry Norwood & wife 1877 (6 handwritten pages 8.5" x 5.5") [Note: for the most part punctuation and spelling are William Pool's. He uses ampersands throughout. When he interlined a word, I have simply inserted it. He does not use periods (or full stops) very often and his capitalization is not completely modern.]
I will answer your letters more promptly.
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Rockport Dec 25 77.
Dear nephew
Father received your letter a long time ago. but his
eyesight is so poor that he cannot write anymore: thus I write for him. We were all pleased to hear from you. I informed all of your fathers folks as soon as I could. Mr. Kidder & wife are quite well for their great age being over 80. Mrs. Thompson died last spring, he is still living & well. William Norwood & all his family are well. William Pool wife & family are all well & thriving. Your cousin John Norwood is one of the smartest fishermen we have in town. Fish have very plenty this winter & close to the shore, the fishermen have earned from 7 to 25 dollars a day & the weather is wondefully fine, no snow or cold weather as yet, & just the same in Bangor Maine. Christmas to day & it is being improved by all classes.
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The farmers have done very well this season & have sold their products at Gloucester, the best market in this part of the state on account of the great fishing interest there. the stone quarrying business is very good indeed for the times. The Cotton Mill which has been lying still for some time will start up New Years day & will give employment to many needy ones. they pay out about 30 000 Dolls pr year, a great benifit to the town. The Isinglass factory near the Depo is running & employs about 20 men, & the new factory for making bobings for the Cotton Mills is doing a good business. Father was 90 years old 16 July last & is remarkably well for one of that age. his appetite is good. hearing and smelling, good. & is free from pain, his knee is lame, & his sight poor, eats breakfast with us & goes to bed about 9 PM. & at times is quite jocose & lively. he often speaks of you
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he is the oldest person in town. Mr. William Abbot 89 years & six
months has been fishing alone this winter & done very well he is very smart & bright. Mrs Nancy Haskell 93 years & 2 months old died a short time ago.
Our schools are in a thriving condition. Nellie Pool, Harveys daughter has been teaching for some time & is well liked. Alfred lives in Chelsea Howard is married has a good wife & one girl 2 years old he is still in Lynn & is doing well. Farley and wife are well he carries on the farm. Ellen Augusta husband, Stephen N Tarr, is engaged in buying fish & does well they have been married 20 years to day. Della their adopted daughter is a good girl plays the organ in Baptist Church. Jerusha & family are well, Henry Smith her husband is a whole farmer & makes money; they have 3 children, lost 2.
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Anna 17, Frank 15, Hattie 3.
Frank joind the Church last spring & seems to live a christian life, his mother is a christian woman. Sarah Elizabeth my youngest sister left 2 children when she died Sadie now 15, Freddie 13, their father Solomon Smith married last January a widow lady by the name of Smith, & the childre now live with them Sadie is my pet.
Eliza Jane Rowe & Francis N Pool are living in Worcester & comfortably situated they are all well. Della Giles lives in Springfield Mass & is well situated Mr Giles is foreman of a large machine shop has join'd the Baptist Church & is active. their daughter Hattie is married & has one child & lives in their house. Mrs Trasks family at Bangor are all well. Religious. Religion is very low here now few additions to any of the Churches at the present times Our prayer meetings Tuesday & Friday evenings are full & interesting.
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We have preaching every sabbath but no settled mininster The
Methodist have a minister by the name of Braman a good man prayer meetings interesting but no awakening they are in debt for their meeting house which hurts them very much. the Orthodox tho large & wealthy, are divided somewhat & are owing about 20.000 Dolls on their house a heavy load these times.
The Universalist are rather quiet now preaching 1/2 the time.
The Universalists in their new house at Pigeon Cove, have a Minister & the Congregation Chapel folks are getting along very well.
Judson & myself are at the homestead & take care of father, as he needs care & attention. he has all that he needs for his comfort.
We think of you, talk about you, & look at your pictures & that is
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all we can do at present & when you can, please give us an opportunity to see & hear you face to face.
we will close now, before your patience gets worn out reading this document.
now 1/2 past 10. Harvey is here in the room with me. & Father.
very quiet out of doors to day
A new Catholic Church is being dedicated to day in Gloucester. Irish all gone there in droves. A great number of summer boarders here last season. Pigeon Cove was full. I am trying to serve the Lord & do not regret having entered his service when young. I hope you & your companion will continue to serve the Lord together like Zacharias & Elizabeth & be righteous before the Lord & to bring up your little ones in the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom
Our best regards to you & wife & children.
From Wm C Pool to Wm H Norwood & wife.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
By Family
William Henry Norwood's father's folks:
Mr. Kidder & wife
Mrs. Thompson, dec'd; husband Mr. Thompson alive and well 1877
William Norwood and family
William Pool and wife and family
John Norwood, cousin, fisherman
Pools
Nellie Pool, daughter of Harvey, teaching school
Alfred, Chelsea
Howard, married, one daughter b. c1875, in Lynn
Farley, married, farming
Ellen Augusta, married, Stephen N. Tarr, fish buyer, married 25 Dec 1857,
adopted daughter Della, organist at Baptist church
Jerusha, married, Henry Smith, three children, two others died: Anna, b. 1860;
Frank, b. 1862; Hattie, b. 1874
Sarah Elizabeth, youngest sister of William C Pool, dec'd, husband=Solomon
Smith, children: Sadie, b. 1862; Freddie, b. 1864
Eliza Jane Rowe, Worcester
Francis N Pool, Worcester
Della, married, ______Giles, Springfield, MA, husband is machine shop foreman;
daughter, Hattie, married, one child, lives with the Giles
Mrs. Trask, Bangor
Judson at Rockport homestead, taking care of Ebenezer Pool
William C. Pool, unmarried, author of letter, uncle of Wm. H. Norwood
Harvey
Return to The Norwood Family Page
Go to E. Pool's 1871 Letter
Go to Wm. Pool's 1887 Letter