The letters written to Charles Eberly of Harrington Kansas from his Brothers, John of Carlisle PA & WH (?) of Steeltown PA and Friend John Clelan of Shermansdale, PA telling of family, happenings, friends in PA and ASKING ABOUT WORK OUT WEST. Apparently young fellows that are anxious to escape from farming, working in steel mill, brickyard, etc. with tales of unusual and/or humorous local happenings, information on relatives and friends. A few passages:
On faint blue lined stationery folded white paper with impression of Indian head in upper left corner Carlisle
April the third 1881?
Dear Brother Charley ...I got A Leter from Will the other Day. He Dident Say Mutch A Bout the West He Sed He got 22 ½ Per month that is good for out thear I Rote to Heim and told Him if he couldge me a job of maisson in Some of of them New towns that I would Have work all Summer that I Would come out nreby you ---- Some of them towns that Has Now maissons in that is the Plase that i Would Like to Strik Now I mean wat I Say You find out and let me Now Soon wat I could get A Day or By the Perch And if I Don’t Move out I Will come out Be tween this and Harvist and tell me ware thay git thear Stone and Lime Marry Brown Says She Will go along if we ? move out it has Been Prety Rough this Spring in Hear yet thear is no slowing Don yet that I Herd of and if you Like I out thear And I come You Would Beter get Eva to come a Long for thear is Not mutch to Be Maid in Hear Specily if you must Work By the Day ---- them Houses out thear Hasent got Walls under them all . Watt Dos Homes Rent for out hear in them Little towns ... He Says the old fokes Likes the West So far ... from your Brother
John Eberly
STEELTOWN PA 1886 ... I think I will go home on the 20 of this month I quit working at the furnice on the 22 of May I am working in the Brick Yard now but it don’t Soot me I will work 2 weeks yet han I will quit there and go harvesting I think I will go 2 Hartigles(?) ... It got 2 hot for me at the furnice there was a man burnt at No 1 furnice he Lived Eight days he was a Negro he was burnt with hot Sinder...I go 2 work at five o clock and we et don Half past ten then we must wait til 3 then we tak us lunch(?) one our We work a bout 6 or 4 ours but it goes Like the Devel they make 24 hundred(?) for a days work the molders gets 250 per day the welers gets 145 per day." (probably pence or pennies)"
SHERMANSDALE: "Pisgah is the same as usual it is as lonsom as ever We still read the testment yet last nite I was away playind til one oclock I wish I war out there with you for I am so tired of this cuntry that if I don’t get of this I will die sinc you and John has left here I have no plase to run to at night some times me and Edward Gibney goes to george shelehammers in the eaving and play cards. John wardecker likes the west to he hired the next day after he got there for sixteen dolors a month on a farm ... I was along with Joshef Slisher’s ----- to the cave We had lots of fun and lots to drink. The driver and I got drunk and run in ar buggy and smashed it to peaces and the team run off they run a good ways bfour me -- could get them"
One envelope with these letters addressed to “Charles Eberly, Herington Kas.” Address was crossed off and replaced with “Box 2214 Hope” on front with a cancellation of “Herington Kas Aug 29”. Back of envelope had cancellation of “Hope Kan Aug 29”.
This great batch of antique letters is up for sale on Ebay Item number: 250351115830.
Bought a gorgeous antique Victorian oak library table yesterday. With our new setup for high-speed internet (at last!!) we have computer equipment that has to go in our living room. Our living room is Victorian antique furniture and the equipment is front and center! It has been sitting on a rather ugly small table that was my mother's, and yesterday I decided it was time to go antique hunting. 
