Ernie's Michigan Historical Archives

A searchable database of Michigan's letters from the past... Bringing history to life

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Title: 1840-02-19 FORT GRATIOT MICH---RED CDS--BLACK HISTORY LETTER--FROM ELIZABETH AT FORT GRATIOT TO HER SISTER MARY B. MILES AT SPRINGFIELD OHIO---"ABOUT TWO WEEKS SINCE I FELT SOME APPREHENSION FOR FEAR WE WOULD BE INVOLVED IN WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN OF SUCH HAD BEEN THE CASE OUR FRONTIER WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY UNPLEASANT ONE AS THE BRITISH HAVE ABOUT NINE HUNDRED INDIANS IN THEIR EMPLOY AND A FULL REGIMENT OF BLACKS WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE OF US AND IN ALL PROBABILITY WE WOULD HAVE BEEN PRISONERS IN LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FOR SIMON HAD DETERMINED TO SEND ME AND THE CHILDREN TO SPRINGFIELD HE SAID... I WOULD BE SAFE AND WITHIN TWO OR THREE DAYS RIDE OF ANY PART OF THE FRONTIER WHICH HE SEEMED TO THINK VERY DESIRABLE"; "TELL HER [MOTHER] SHE COULD COME TO CLEAVELAND IN LESS THAN THREE DAYS AND ACROSS LAKE ERIE TO DETROIT IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AND HERE IN A FEW HOURS MORE"; ASKS HOW JANE PROGRESSES IN HER STUDIES; ABOUT JEROME AND POLLY ANN; WILLIS WANT HER TO TELL THEODORA ABOUT HIS BOOTS AND SLED, AGNES READS AND SPELLS QUITE WELL; "WE HAVE ALL BEEN INVITED TO DINE IN CANADA (SIC) WITH A MEMBER OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT (SIC), SIMON AND THE MAJ., MRS. GARDNER AND MRS. BEAGHLY ACCEPTED THE INVITATION"---NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY---GENEALOGY---PRIVATELY OWNED—COURTESY OF CRAIG A. WHITFORD AUCTIONS   Item ID: E0-43379    View Map