Raynors HCA 2018-03
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/15/2018
A great early Kentucky frontier letter, written by Connecticut born Noah S. Pond (1815-1875) whose brothers were Gideon Hollister and Samuel William Pond both of whom were early Minnesota settlers and missionaries among the region's Dakota Sioux Tribes, 3pp. 4to., New Design, [Trigg Co.], Kentucky, Mar. 30, 1837, to his brother-in-law Jonathan N. Hine, reading, in part: "…the people…generally sow oats in February but they have had so much rain that the ground has not been in order. Mr. McAllister has sowed about sixty acres and is going to plant about…sixty thousand plants of tobacco. He has sixteen Negroes twelve of them are big enough to work these, 12 do all the work and have a plenty to eat and good clothes to wear…it would be good…for the Connecticut and Massachusetts people to send a few of their Abolition characters down into this part of the world. They would find the Negroes…are better off than the poorest class in the East. With a few exceptions the slaves are treated well and have enough to eat and drink and wear. They have holidays that they can do what they please. They have a week at Christmas and one day at Easter and one at Whitsuntide. Their masters give them a chance to raise a crop of tobacco and they have a garden spot…raise potatoes and all kinds of vegetables. Some of them raise tobacco enough to come to sixty dollars…more than one half of the folks…up in Connecticut. John Q. Adams…would be a poor candidate to come and see how the Negroes fare in this country. I am well acquainted without the Congressman from this district. [Congressman Linn Boyd (1800-1859) served House of Representatives 1835 to 1837 then 1839-1855 and Boyd County, Kentucky is named after him.] He gives Mr. Adams a fine name…the people of Kentucky think he is a fine speaker…Mr. Hamer of Ohio is a very good speaker…the Committee room was a sire of Old Davy Crockett himself…Mr. Peyton has refused to be elected for the next session and…he does not know how the loss will be made up. He thinks that but for that man the Laws of the Constitution would have been violated…I should like to…this country is a fine one to make money in…I know…that came from Virginia…five years ago. One of them had 10 cents and the other 1 dollar and now they are worth from three to four thousand dollars…they have got it all by their own hard work…they built a log house and went to raising corn and tobacco…Hurra for Van Buren. Noah S. Pond." Attached is the original transmittal panel with an unrecorded postal postmark of "New Design, Ky. March 31, 1837." This cover and the other Noah Pond letters in this catalog all have transmittal covers with "New Design" post marks and are perhaps the only ones in existence! Light soiling, some archival tape repairs at folds, else VG
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