Text of letter sent 1st May 1848

    from:

    William and Mary Briggs
    Plymouth Township,
    Richland County,
    State of Ohio,
    Near? Paris?
    North America

    to:

    Thomas Priest,
    Blue Gate,
    Grantham,
    Lincolnshire,
    England.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, i now write to you hoping to find you in good health as it leaves us all at present who received a letter from your son William Priest Dated January 3rd 1848     whe was glad to hear you was all well as your son William thinks of coming to america and wishes to know how the Bricklaying Busines is here     whe are not much acquainted with that as there is not much in this neighborod       they are principly all frame Buildings round here but in the County towns and Cities that trade would be good enough      here whe here talk of no tradesman but as plenty of work and good wages from one dollar to ten and twelve shillings per day     but round here is principly building brick Chimneys and plastering       i would advise you if you come to turn your attention to your busines in the Cities       times is good now in America    Wheat is selling at one dollar per bushel and one dollar and forty cents in New York and every thing else in proportion      i have sent you a newspaper with this letter       whe know the situation of England as well as you do    for whe get the arrivals every week      whe know what is going on in England France Ireland Russia Prussia Germany and in fact all foreign powers     there is principly rail roads all over America      i suppose you have heard of America being at War with Mexico and that is not settled yet      America has taken 22 thousand square miles in Mexico    is chiefly inhabited by Spaniards and French      whe see France has abandoned her king and he Calculates coming to New York and taking up his residence there for they are tired of him in France       whe see in England the Chartists whants a Republican Goverment for they are tired of Queen Victoria and all her monarchys       next fall our Presidental Election will be held in America for the purpose of Electing a new president to fulfil the highest office in America and every man at the age of twenty one can vote for him       and all Foreigners after they have been naturalised to the Country can have as good a vote as an American after he as been sworn to support the Constitution of the united States       whe have seen there has been Great Failures in England in some of the largest places     and when ever trade is dul in England we know of it here     whe see that Wheat as a downward tendency in England at the present time      whe see the unsatisfactory State of the English revenue has some what Counteracted the improvement in business wich was Beginning to be felt at the present time    Money however we see has farther improved at the present time and Consuls have advanced from 85 and three fourths to 87 and three fourths      and the bank of England has over twelve million of pounds in bullion       now i will give you a Scetch of the first setlers that sell their farms and moves of to the west     they go and buys goverment Land and pays one dollar and a quarter for it in the woods and then commences to chop and Clear and puts up a house     and then likely lives on it 3 or 4 or 5 years and then gets in debt     and then they want to sell and go Farther west     there is no goverment land near us     it is from 5 to 6 hundred Miles west of us    whe live from seven to eight Hundred miles west of New york       i whant you to remember me to all my Brothers and Sisters and let them look at this letter      remember me to all inquiring friends.

Whe should like for you to answer this Letter

So no more at present from your

Brother William and Mary Briggs.