[Transcription of a letter from William C. Pool to William Henry Norwood and family 1887. I have kept his spelling and punctuation. Where he interlined words I have simply inserted them into the text.]
Rockport Jan 1. 1887.
I wish you all a happy new year.
Dear friends, I was glad to hear from you. I directed the letter to Alfred as you
requested. Wind NE for three days with a light snow but the rain for a few hours in the night carried the snow off. weather warm for time of year. You grandmother Norwood, was the widow Rowe with 3 children; one son, & 2 daughters. Job Rowe, Hannah Rowe, & Betsy Rowe. Job, a smart skipper out of Gloucester for many years. Hannah married Mr Kidder & Betsy married Benjamin Rowe of Rockport & moved to Anson Me. Mrs Kidder & Rowe were half sisters to your father, they being of the first family, & your father the youngest son of the 2( family. Mrs Thompson & Harriet, were own sisters to your father also Sally Pool. Mr Thompson is very well, gets out to meeting nearly every Sunday. aged 92. Mr Kidder is feeble lives with Mrs Slocum. 97 years. old.
2
Thursday 6, today, is stormy, wind NE with some snow. not cold. Monday Thrtr 2 above zero. Bangor & Eastport about 25 below. Some 3 weeks ago, Mr Trask's daughter Delia Eliza, had a Cancer cut out of her breast; a very painfull performance, but they write she endured the operation very well, & was then, quite comfortable. The death of her husband last spring, & the suffering from the cancer, must to her, have been very severe.
The facts are, we shall find troubles all along the lines of some sort or kind
The new spring bottom Scows, used for dropping stone on the Break water, are being repaired & a new one is to be built which makes some work for ship carpenters. Business generally is very dull. The 2 Isinglass factories employ about 100 men during the winter & the Oil clothes factory about 25 men & women.
Fishing interest here is very low at present; the stone business with the Breakwater, employs several men.
3
The burning of the Mill was a great loss to our town, it paid out
about 5 thousand dolls monthly, & the most of it was expended here & benifitted a class who needed it, very much. A great many have moved away in consequence of it.
The weather yesterday & to day is clear & cold good sleighing, the first of the season, & it is being enjoyed by the young folks.
the Methodist minister Mr Tirrell, will leave here in April time out.
Mr Norcross Congregationalist is a good man & good speaker. Universalists have a woman preacher. not a large number of followers. Baptist have no settled minister but preaching all the time. Catholicks have a priest, meetings quite full of all sorts.
Della Tarr gives lessons in musick & painting. She is painting some Marine views, & some winter scenes, which are very pretty, should nothing disappoint, I shall send you 3 or 4 as keepsakes
4
I saw Charles Norwood yesterday he has been sick for 2 months is better now. his mothers health is very poor.
I must close before I weary your patience. give my love to the dear boys, I shall never see them, but God bless them & you, all.
Yours Wm C Pool.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
By Family
Norwoods:
Widow Rowe, grandmother of Wm. Henry Norwood, children, half brother and sisters to Henry Norwood: (Rowe)
Job, skipper out of Gloucester
Hannah, dec'd in 1887, married, Mr. Kidder--still living, but feeble in 1887
Betsey, married, Benjamin Rowe, Rockport, moved to Anson, ME
Mrs. Thompson, own sister to your father, she dec'd by 1887, he age 92, well
Harriet, own sister to your father
Sally Pool, own sister to your father
Charles Norwood, living in 1887, ill since Nov. 1886, better; mother unwell
William Henry Norwood's two boys
Pools:
Mr. Trask, daughter Delia Eliza, widowed in spring, 1886, she had cancer removed
Della Tarr gives music & painting lessons
Alfred
Return to The Norwood Family Page
Go to E. Pool's 1871 Letter
Go to Wm. Pool's 1877 Letter