The following letter was written by Josiah W. Mead (1827-1899) to his younger brother, Lt. Plympton A. Mead (1835-1910)—-a member of Co. B, 111th Pennsylvania Infantry. They were the sons of Charles Mead (1806-1883) and Rebecca Legett (1810-1869) of Ridgeway, Elk county, Pennsylvania.
Josiah was married to Nancy H. Weed (1823-1892) on the 4th of July 1852 and by the time this letter was penned in March 1863, they had at least three children—Lucie (b. 1856), Emma (b. 1859), and Plympton (b. 1861). Josiah’s occupation in 1860 and 1870 was given as “farmer” but we learn from this letter that he also earned income log driving during the winter months, which was to transport felled logs by floating them downstream to sawmills. The logs were driven down streams like the First Fork, the Driftwood Branch, and the Bennett’s Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek in Elk County. These logs eventually reached sawmills situated along the larger rivers like the Clarion and Allegheny. According to Elk county sources, the lumber industry built the wealth of Ridgway and most of Elk County. The Allegheny Plateau was blessed with a tremendous resource of tree species mostly conifers that were prized by the early settlers and people back on the East Coast for ship building, and various forms of construction, especially homes. The “splash” refers to the dropping of logs from a log slide, or sluice, into a creek that led to larger and larger streams and eventually a river upon which a sawmill was sited.
See also—1862: Plympton A. Mead to his Parents.
[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of James Campbell and was transcribed and published on Spared & Shared by express consent.]
T R A N S C R I P T I O N
March 29th 1863
Dear Brother,
I received yours some time ago and have not had time to answer it until now. We are all well at present. I was over to Ridgeway last Sunday. They were well then as usual. Mother’s health is not very good this winter, Father’s health is very good this winter. The people are generally well in this place this winter.
Leonard’s folks had a pair of twins last week but as luck would have it, whether good or bad, they both died. I think they are better off.
It is very cold and blustery today. The ground is covered with snow. The old snow is not all off yet. They are splashing their logs out of the creek. There is a great many logs gone past. They are not splashing today. It is most too cold for them. I suppose I have my logs about in. I would have been done but one of my horses has been sick two weeks so I have done nothing at them. I have eleven more to haul, then I am done, and have 96,500 in. It will take me one day to finish up, then Justus and me has to break the pile at the foot of the slide where we run them down. My logs run three & a quarter to the thousand. I sold some of them for four dollars per thousand [and] some for five—about half and half. I might of had five for the while of them if I had not been in such a hurry about selling. If I had waited one week longer, I could of had five for the whole.
I have just had a [playspa?] with the children. Plymp thinks he is as big as any of them. He is a great boy to play. He makes the girls stand about. He talks about the horses—Pete and Pine, he calls them.
Frank says he would not go if he was drafted. He thinks he might as well be killed at home as to be killed down South. Well, I don’t know but it would be as well for him to be killed at home for he would be of no use down there, such as him.
Nancy and the children sends their respects to you. The children has not forgot their Uncle Plympton yet. They talk about you a good deal and would like to see you. Clinton Bundy came yesterday in the stage. He got his discharge. He has a white swelling on his knee. Write often as you can. Come home if you can and see the folks. From your brother, — J. W. Mead
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