Name/Title
James Hibberdine letters 1864Entry/Object ID
2023.50.02Scope and Content
Local History Sent from England [author presumed to be Bill Kemperman]
Allegan County history can be found in many unlikely places. Recently a copy of three letters was received from a gentleman named Tony Hibberdine of Berkshire, England.
The letters had been received in 1864 and 1876 by his great-great-grandfather, from a brother who was trying to make his living in America. He lived first in Ganges Township and later moved to the outskirts of Saugatuck.
Some excerpts from the first letter, written on February 2, 1864;
"It seems a long time since I heard any thing from England. We have been having some intensely cold weather, such as was never ever witnessed before not only cattle & hogs but many people have been frozen to death. This taken in conjunction with the short crop last year makes things look very gloomy. I understand the present draft in this town is nearly made up lacking only one more man, but the talk now is of calling out 500,000 more and finishing the thing up. I cannot see the necessity, the North has now over I,000,000 men in the field, it seems to me to be a speculation to make the rich man richer and the poor man poorer. I am aware that the working mans wages are higher than they were but not in sufficient proportion. Corn that used to be 21- pr. bushel is now 91, potatoes that were 26 are 76/- & all other things in proportion. l believe this coming year will be a good one for farmers. More than half of my hay was spoiled in the stack by being drawn in too green, but I had to get a barn when I could. I have a cow and three calves & 3 hogs and have not feed enough to last them a week and there is but little to be bought without going 30 miles after it. If I sell then I cannot get half their worth, if I can keep them through they will be worth a good deal to me. I have about 4 acres of wheat growing, shall have about 3 acres to plant to corn, & a potatoe patch & garden besides my hay to cut next summer, so that another fall if l can attend to it I shall be well supplied, if I cannot get a team I don't think I shall try, but just let the ground lay & work out by the day.
A team of oxen & wagon would now cost 25 pounds, they used to be bought for 15 pounds. and I think these prices will continue for several years. English money is now worth 30 percent more than it will be when the war is over; if I had realised all the necessary things & expenses attendant upon working a farm I never should have undertaken it, but if I can get once started to raising crops it will soon begin to pay well.
Today I believe is Selma's birthday 2 years older than myself, it hardly seems possible to me, my life is as a dream, but dreams like life pass away. I dont know why it is but it seems to me as if I could visit my native home once more & return & see my family comfortably settled, l should be ready to die.
Martha has a brother just returned from the army sick. I think it doubtful if he ever recovers but if he does he will probably be ruined for life, very few that return from the south sick ever wholly recover.
The people already begin to be excited about the election of another President. I should not wonder if Mr. Lincoln is re-elected. I look forward to rather troublesome times & expect to see, if I live a few more years, quite a change in our government affairs. I little envy Maximillian his new throne, the American people will never long consent to an empire this side of the Atlantic, it is evident they mean to make themselves a first class fighting power both by sea & land & their present struggle must end before long. There is no doubt but when the leading spirits of the South are disposed of the people soon become loyal to the one flag. ..."
Feb. 5th
"I have spent 2 or 3 days trying to find something for my cattle to eat so far without success. l am going again today, if I don't succeed I shall have to sell them for what I can get. I had no idea things were so scarce or I would have looked out sooner. We are having quite a sick time in our house the last few days. Martha & her sister are both under the doctors care. I feel gloomy this morning & long for winter to end, my neighbours are doing well with their reams they get plenty of work for them at 4 dollars per day more than I can pay."
Black as things seemed for the Hibberdine family in Ganges they were going to get worse. In May the farm was sold at public auction for debt. On May 2, 1864, James penned a second letter asking his brother for financial assistance. He needed $60 to enable him to buy the farm back at the auction: "I have just attended the sale by public auction of my land and according to agreement it was bid off to me at the specified price of 400 dollars. That is the closing sale money and the deed and title are perfectly good but there requires to be paid 60 dollars in 5 weeks & English money is worth 70 per cent premium so that 9[pounds] would about pay it. I wish you could send it to me it will release me from all care relative to my land. I expect to commence working out in about 10 days I get good wages and think I shall be able to fetch every thing round all right by next winter."
There is no notation anywhere that the money was sent or received from England. On August 30 the couple's only child, an eight-year-old son, Charles, died and was buried in the Loomis cemetery.
In desperation James Hibberdine enlisted in the Union army, Company I of the 17th Infantry. On September 6, 1864, he was mustered in at Jackson and arrived in Virginia in time to participate in the last months of the siege of Petersburg, and its fall on April 3, 1865. He was mustered out June 3, 1865, as a corporal, and returned to Allegan County. The couple moved to Saugatuck where they owned a small plot of land on the northwest corner of Maple and Allegan streets. Three children were born there to James and his wife, the former Martha Veeder. James Eugene Hibberdine became a sailor on the Great Lakes and died in Michigan City in 1939. Sue, or Susie, was a popular young lady in Saugatuck, but died in 1897 following surgery for a tumor. Emma Kate became the wife of lumbering and shipping magnate Oscar E. Parks of Michigan City, Indiana.
The third letter was written in 1876 and addressed vaguely to "My dear Friends." Tony reports that his ancestor had died and the letter was received by the widow. In it James philosophized:
"... what a checkered life ours is to look back, many seasons of joy, many of disappointment and bereavement. .. I still look for better brighter days but it will take some time to get started again, we are so badly torn to pieces. .. all I can do is the best I can."
As he had feared James never recovered from the hardships of army life and died in 1888, at the age of 60. His wife, Martha, died in 1901.
Copies of the letters found their way back to Saugatuck after James' great-great-nephew visited the Singapore Bank Bookstore hoping to find trails of his ancestors. When asked to share the letters with local historians he responded promptly. In his kind letter of transmittal he wrote: "if you can find out any more information about my relatives, I would be most grateful. .. It is unlikely that I shall be able to visit Saugatuck again during my lifetime, but one never knows. It is a delightful spot and it is no wonder my ancestors settled there."Context
An interesting window on the struggling new farmer in Michigan in 1864, and an Englishman's point-of-view on the American civil war and other points of national politics.Collection
SDHS NL Inserts, Military, wars and veterans, 1870 Fruit growing, farming, agricultureCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2023.50Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionNotes
SDHS Newsletter insert pages 3-4Location
* Untyped Location
Digital data in CatalogItRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Hibberdine, James 1828-1888General Notes
Note
This information was OCR text scanned from SDHS newsletter supplements. A binder of original paper copies is catalog item 2023.50.01Create Date
November 7, 2023Update Date
November 18, 2023
