A 4 Jan 1854 letter of William Furlsbury Carter Found

Here is a heretofore unknown (to me at least) letter from William Furlsbury Carter to his family back home dated 14 Jan 1854 while he was staying with his brother Philip in Lima, Illinois. The original was found by Cristine Mabey in the Santaquin Chieftain Museum, Santaquin, Utah. The transcription was done by . This was posted to memories by Virginia Burgess and she has given me permission to post it. 









Lima Saturday Jan 14 AD 1854

[Page 1] Beloved Family one & all. Threw the mercy of my Heavenly father I am yet alive, my health has been very poor Since I came here Owing to my taking such violent colds on my way here. I have been about all the time. I have got fully much Over my Colf. I begin to feel quite Smart. I begin to feel like I would get good health again. my appetite is tolerable good. There was about two weeks that I could not rest, neither sleep well Nights, which made it very hard on me. the Long Journey, & my ages, and Changing Climates sow often as I have is anuf to try the Constitution of any man. I have stood it full as well as I expected. Phillip (1) Received a letter from James Tuesday evening. he should have Directed it Lima. he would have known nothing of it had it Not been advertised in the warsaw paper. James wrote that there had ben 3 kiled & 8 or 10 of the saints wounded by the Endians, and that they kiled & wounded one hundred of Endians. he did not write what band or tribe of Endians it was that were Committing depredations, Neither in what part of the Contry the trouble was. Sow evrything with me is in the dark and it Troubles me a good deal. I have seen nothing in the papers onley the Massacree of Gunison (2) and some of his party. the paper stated that it was Walkers band that done that deed. the paper stated that they were on the way to desroy a small settlement of Mormons one [on] the Severe [Sevier] River. the paper states that an Express had Reached Gov [Brigham] Young on 31 of Oct he sent them aid &C. This is all I have seen in the papers about Endians depredations. I want you to write to me all the Perticlars about the Endian Troubles and the Prospects of Peace &C.

[page 2] All most 15 Long Months has Roled a way and I have not seen the scrach of a pen from you yet. you dont now the anxiety of mind that I have to see some letters from you. it gave me great satisfaction to hear that you were all Alive and well. this information I got from the Letters that were sent here. I shall not be satisfied untill I get a letter From you. I have written to the Postmaster in Boston sopposing or expecting that you would send one letter there for to send it to Lima. I wrote to you in my last Letter that I wrote in Calcutta just before I left to send a letter to me to Boston. I have Written to Br Eldredge in St Louis to send me all the News that he Could from the valley. I have Written to Keokirk to find out whether there is an Agent or President there or not. They have had a tremendous Fire in Kanesville, 13 stores burnt. among the Number burnt was Stutesmans Tootles & Jo Jonsons. Beloved Family there is nothing more beneath the heavens that I want than to see you. There has been a number of times since I left you that the Prospects of ever Seeing you looked Small indeed. But I s[t]ill Feel some hopes that We shall all Live to meet again, although Life is quite uncertain. I think if I should live to meet you all again it will be the happiest meting I ever had, but there is a long time to laps, and a good many dangers to pass threw before that day arives. But I pray we may all live to meet again. The days are long, and lone some this winter to me. if I can learn that there is Saints liveing in keokirk I shall gow up there sow I can get my spirits Revived. 

[page 3] I noticed in the Letters that have ben sent here that you had Received a Letter from Peter, and that he was comeing home this fall. I hope he has, But I fear he has not come. I want you to write to me where he is, and where he was last Winter when I was in Callifornia, if he has come home tell him to be a good Boy and help you if you need help, and I will make it all wright with him. If there is any thing on earth that I desire it is the Prosperity and Welfare of my Family through time, and all Eternity. I hope the Children will Be good and Obey their Mother and
                                                         
 1 Perhaps his brother, Phillip Libby Carter, 1813-1876. 2 The Gunnison Massacre occurred on October 26, 1853 near Hinckley, Utah. John W. Gunnison, leader of the 38th Parallel Railroad Survey, and seven others were killed by Indians of the Pahvant Tribe [Ute].

spend all of their leisure moments in Some useful Study. I want Peter (3) & Liman (4) to get all the Education they possibly Can for there is nothing more useful to a young man than a good Education. I feel to Regret that I have ben sow situated that I could not give Peter, Abiah (5) & Limon now better Education, but I still feel in hopes that I shall be able to doe something for them that will Partially make up their loss. Especially if they will in any wise harken to good Council. There is now man that loves his Family any better than I doe, to be shure. I went away from you to perform a great Missen, this does not prove that I did not Love my family, but to the Contrary, it proves that I Loved my family. would it have proven to all the Saints that I Loved my family if I had of whined and said that I Could not leave my Familey. Now [No] but they would of said that I did not care any thing about my family acording to my jugment.

[page 4] I felt Sorry that I could not of Stayed with the Brethren and Come home with them, but my Constitution Could not endure the hot Climate of India. I have one thing to Comfort me. I left the Brethren in Calcutta with their approbation and Blessings & prayers for my welfare and success on my journey home to the vallies of mountains, be Sides a Certificate to show that I was honourably Released and sent home. I have nothing to Reflect on to mar my peace. I willing and cheerfully Left my home to do the will of my Heavenly Father, and I have done all that I could, and as well as I new how, and I still feel [unreadable on fold] I Live. I  hope to live a great while yet to aid in building up the Kingdom of God. if I Cant do it by Preaching, I will help to build temples or anything else that wants to be done. I Commenced this letter on the 12 of Jan. this is the 14th. I am gaining s[t]renth evry day. I feel better to day than I have felt since my arrival in America. Our folks is all well here. Martha (6) has got 2 Children a Boy & girl. the Boys Name is Charles  the girls name is Elladora. She is a very pretty babe bright & active  P_M all most worship their Children. the People here Can’t learn the [unreadable, on the fold] and this they want for the present. I have been treted well since I came here. A Col. J C Wand and Bray O Gullier have blessed Some but they are sowe miserable that Now one will take any notice of them. I shant stay here now [no] longer than I can help. I want you to write to me all the News that you can, Sarah (7), Roxena (8) & Children be good. Teach others and then you will be help meets to each other and God will bless you. I remain your affectionate Husband and friend. Give my love to all of my Connections & friends.  Wm F Carter Direct your letters to Lima.



Spelling and punctuation are William’s except for some periods added for clarity. Words written by William above the line are written here in hyperscript.  This letter was discovered in approximately 2018 by Cristine Mabey, 3rd-great granddaughter of William,  in the Santaquin Chieftain Museum, Santaquin, Utah. Transcribed 1/19/2020 by Virginia Blackburn Burgess, a 3rd-great granddaughter to William.
                                                         
 3 Peter York Carter, born 5 July 1832, Newry, Oxford, Maine; buried 10 January 1902 in Pepperwood, Humbolt, California. 4 Lyman Wilman Carter, born 6 December 1836, Newry, Oxford, Maine; died 10 February 1873, Mona, Juab, Utah Territory. 5 Abiah Russell Carter, born 2 August 1834, Bethel, Oxford, Maine; died 25 August 1876. 6 Martha Eames York 1814-1897 married to Phillip Libby Carter 1813-1876, William F. Carter’s brother. Children: Charles Carter 1846-1925 and Ella Dora Carter 1852-1905. 7 Sarah York, 1812-1888. 8 Roxena Mecham 1830-1919.