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 previous due date. 79521 L162
 
 A True Picture of 
 Emigration
 
 mmmammBsaaoBm 
 
 REBECCA BURLEND
 
 2Cf)e Hafeegibe Cla^^it^ 
 
 A True Picture of 
 Emigration 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 MiLo Milton Quaife 
 
 SECRETARY OF 
 THE BURTON HISTORICAL COLLECTION 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. 
 
 Christmas y 1936
 
 s
 
 (^ a^wtilisifjersi' preface 
 
 THE contents of this year's volume of 
 The Lakeside Classics is not another 
 song of "arms and men." The many- 
 preceding volumes relating hair-raising con- 
 flicts with the Indians and the fortitude of 
 the frontiersmen in the face of death from 
 starvation and thirst have established an 
 expectancy that the subject matter of the 
 series must have a wild west flavor. This 
 volume, however, moves in a more quiet 
 tempo. It is the story of a woman, who, with 
 her husband and three children, emigrated 
 from England in 1831 to settle in the wilds 
 of western Illinois. It is probably typical of 
 the story of hundreds of thousands of other 
 women who likewise followed their hus- 
 bands to the new world in order that they 
 might improve their own condition and that 
 of their children; women who accepted the 
 privations and difficulties of the joint ven- 
 ture valiantly and who, when crushing disap- 
 pointments came, with brave hearts brought 
 renewed courage to their husbands to fight 
 through. One cannot read this simple story 
 without realizing that these pioneer women
 
 ^ublis^fjers;' preface 
 
 did their full share in conquering the new 
 world, nor can the thought escape one that 
 these early farmers were of that sturdy stuff 
 that accepted the challenge of Nature and 
 conquered her, without the help of modern 
 machinery, transportation, and markets, and 
 the coddling of an indulgent government. 
 
 "A True Picture of Emigration, or Four- 
 teen Years in the Interior of North Amer- 
 ica" was published in England in 1848. It 
 was an insignificant pamphlet of four by 
 seven inches, of 62 pages, printed in small 
 type, bound in paper, and selling for 6d. It 
 has been included for many years in the vari- 
 ous bibliographies of early American history, 
 but being published anonymously it was so 
 described. The pamphlet was recommended 
 to the publishers by Mr. Oliver R. Barrett of 
 Kenilworth, Illinois, a life-time collector of 
 rare books, to whom it had long been a favor- 
 ite. The publishers are also indebted to Mr. 
 Barrett for the identity of the author, the 
 discovery of which is a pleasant story of a 
 book collector's enthusiasm. Born in Pike 
 County, Illinois, Mr. Barrett was familiar 
 with the scene of this narrative and thought 
 it possible by the study of land titles and 
 transfers to find the name of the author. The 
 story can best be told by the two following 
 letters: 
 
 VI
 
 ^Publisffjetfi;' preface 
 
 March 9, 1936 
 Mr. Jesse M. Thompson, 
 Pittsfield, Illinois. 
 Dear Mr. Thompson: 
 
 I read your series of articles on Early Pike 
 County with a great deal of interest. I hope 
 they will continue for a long time to come. 
 When your present material is exhausted, I 
 think it would be worth while to reprint a 
 part, at least, of the well written and in- 
 teresting narrative of pioneer life in Pike 
 County, Illinois, in 1 831-1845. The title of 
 this rare little item of Americana is: 
 
 A TRUE PICTURE 
 
 OF 
 
 E MI G RATI ox 
 
 OR FOURTEEN YEARS IN 
 
 THE INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA 
 
 BEING A FULL AND 
 
 IMPARTIAL ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 VARIOUS DIFFICULTIES 
 
 AND ULTIMATE 
 
 SUCCESS OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY 
 
 WHO EMIGRATED FROM 
 
 BARWICK-IN-ELMET, NEAR LEEDS, 
 
 IN THE YEAR 1 83 1. 
 
 It was published anonymously in London 
 about 1848, and the name of the lady author 
 
 vii
 
 ^uhli&f}tt^* preface 
 
 has never been discovered, although I think 
 you will be able to identify her. She came 
 from Yorkshire to Pike County with her 
 husband and five children, the eldest nine 
 years of age. (A son and daughter, both em- 
 ployed, were left in England.) They landed 
 in the fall of 1831 at Philips Ferry, then a 
 wooded shore. A little inland, they found 
 Mr. Phillips, with whom they lived for a 
 short period, after which they bought an 80- 
 acre tract, which Mr. Oakes had preempted, 
 and they registered this land in the Quincy 
 Land Office. 
 
 From the book it appears that this land 
 was a few miles from Philips Ferry and fifty 
 miles from Quincy. Among the neighbors 
 mentioned are Mr. Paddock, Mr. Burns, 
 Mr. Knowles, each living about two miles 
 from the author, and Mr. Varley, the store- 
 keeper. 
 
 As far as I have noticed, the only settlers 
 in that neighborhood who came from Eng- 
 land in 1 83 1 were James Crawford, who set- 
 tled in section 19, Flint tp., and John Bur- 
 lend, who came from Yorkshire (Leeds is in 
 Yorkshire), and settled either in Flint or 
 Detroit tp. in 1831. The facts mentioned in 
 the book seem to indicate that the author 
 of the book was the wife of the latter. In 
 the book her given name is mentioned as 
 
 vni
 
 ^ublis^fjers;* preface 
 
 "Rebecca" and that was also the name of 
 John Burlend's wife. 
 
 From the book it appears that the author 
 left a grown daughter in England, and that 
 in the 40's she returned for a visit to England 
 and when she came back from England, her 
 daughter and her daughter's husband came 
 with her. That daughter may have been the 
 Mary Burlend who married Luke Yelliott, 
 in Yorkshire, in 1840, and soon after came 
 to Detroit tp., where her parents lived. 
 (See History of Pike County.) 
 
 In their old age, John and Rebecca Bur- 
 lend lived with the Yelliotts and died aged, 
 respectively, 87 and 77 years. 
 
 In the book it is mentioned that after 
 coming to this country, the author had 
 twins. If there is anything in heredity, it 
 may be noted that the Yelliotts had two 
 pair of twins. Another child of the Burlends 
 was Sarah Allen, whose daughter married 
 Sylvester Thompson. Sarah lived near De- 
 troit and Thompson lived near Pittsfield at 
 the time the History of Pike County was 
 printed. 
 
 Daniel Burns, who formerly lived near 
 Big Blue in Detroit tp., or one of his an- 
 cestors, may have been the Burns mentioned 
 in the book as a neighbor of the author. 
 It may be possible to definitely establish 
 
 ix
 
 ]l^nblisil)tx^* preface 
 
 the identity of the author from the records 
 of the real estate purchases of the husband 
 of the pioneer author. He first bought 
 eighty acres from a man named Oakes, 
 which was registered in Quincy in Novem- 
 ber, 1 83 1. That may have been the eighty 
 that extended to the south Hne of Flint 
 tp. and was later owned by William Bur- 
 lend. Afterwards the husband of the author 
 purchased a larger tract nearby from Mr. 
 Paddock. This, she says, had been reg- 
 istered at the Land Office in Pittsfield. 
 Later a man named Carr wrongfully pre- 
 empted the same piece and registered it 
 at Quincy, Illinois. This piece may have 
 been the tract standing on the north line 
 of Detroit tp. and later owned by William 
 Burlend. 
 
 If the old record books are still in exist- 
 ence, they will probably settle the question 
 of authorship, but if not, information may 
 be obtained from the Yelliott descendants, 
 or perhaps Mr. Jack Murphy, of Detroit, 
 may know something about it. If you are 
 interested and do discover the name of the 
 author, it would be well to advise the British 
 Museum and the Library of Congress so 
 they can enter it on their lists. 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Oliver R. Barrett 
 
 X
 
 ^uf)lisfl)er£f* preface 
 
 May 28, 1936 
 INIr. Guy Littell, 
 350 East Cermak Road, 
 Chicago, Illinois. 
 
 Dear Guy: 
 
 I think you may safely enter the name 
 of the author in your copy of "A True 
 Picture of Emigration," etc., as Rebecca 
 Burlend. 
 
 I sifted the facts from the book that 
 might indicate the identity of the author and 
 I searched the histories and atlases of Pike 
 County and came to the conclusion that Re- 
 becca Burlend was the author. I thereupon 
 wrote Jess M. Thompson, of Pittsfield, Illi- 
 nois, and suggested that he pursue the in- 
 vestigation and verify it if possible. Curi- 
 ously enough, Mr. Thompson happened to 
 be the great grandson of the author of the 
 book. ^Ir. Thompson wrote me as follows: 
 
 "Dear Mr. Barrett: 
 
 I have a letter here which reached me at the time 
 when I was having a siege of flu, and which, it appears, 
 has not been answered — a letter which, by the way, I 
 read with a great deal of interest. 
 
 The little volume to which you reter, which was pub- 
 lished anonymously in London, was, as you guessed, 
 the recorded experences here in the New World of my 
 maternal great-grandmother, Rebecca Burlend, who 
 with her husband, John Burlend, and their five children, 
 landed at Phillips Ferry in the year 1831, after a long 
 
 xi
 
 S^nUi&f^tv^* preface 
 
 and harrowing trip from Yorkshire to New Orleans, 
 and thence up the Mississippi and IlHnois rivers. 
 
 Her son, Edward Burlend, who remained in England, 
 was a schoolmaster and the author of several volumes 
 of both prose and poetry. His most important contri- 
 bution to Yorkshire literature was the novel 'Amy 
 Thornton.' 
 
 Rebecca Burlend's daughter, Sarah Allen, was my 
 grandmother. Her daughter, Charlotte, married Syl- 
 vester Thompson, they being my parents." 
 
 All of which goes to show that inves- 
 tigation of literary problems is not only 
 extremely interesting as a diversion but 
 sometimes brings results. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Oliver R. Barrett 
 
 While this bit of early western history 
 lacks the dramatic character of many of its 
 predecessors, it depicts the same spirit of 
 courage and self-reliance that permeates 
 them all. 
 
 The Publishers 
 
 Christmas, 1936. 
 
 xn
 
 Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Historical Introduction . . . xvii 
 Reproduction of the Original 
 
 Title Page 3 
 
 Prefatory Remarks 5 
 
 Chapter i 7 
 
 Chapter 2 15 
 
 Chapter 3 ^3 
 
 Chapter 4 58 
 
 Chapter 5 89 
 
 Index 161 
 
 List of Lakeside Classics . . . 169 
 
 Xlll
 
 Historical Introduction
 
 JOHN BURLEND
 
 Jligtorical Sntrobuction 
 
 PUBLICATION of The Lakeside Classics 
 was begun in 1903, and the current 
 volume (number thirty-four in the series) 
 is the twenty-first prepared by the present 
 Editor. Since 191 1, the annual volumes 
 have been devoted to the field of western 
 history, and with but two exceptions the nar- 
 ratives reprinted have been written by men. 
 The reason for this masculine preponderance 
 is obvious. The careers of women commonly 
 afford but little material for the pen of the 
 biographer, and comparatively seldom do 
 women themselves undertake to record their 
 life-stories. 
 
 The two narratives by feminine authors 
 we have published hitherto are Mrs. Chris- 
 tiana Tillson's A Woman s Story of Pioneer 
 Illinois^ issued in 1919, and Mrs. Juliette A. 
 Kinzie's Wau-Bun^ The ''Early Day' in 
 the North-West^ issued in 1932. Both authors 
 were unusual women, and their narratives are 
 among the finest in the entire series of The 
 Lakeside Classics. Both were women of New 
 England birth and breeding who came as 
 brides to the region west of Lake Michigan. 
 
 xvii
 
 J^isftorical Sntrotruction 
 
 Here the parallel ends, however, for Mrs. 
 Kinzie's highly individual story deals with 
 the world of the red man and the fur trader, 
 while Mrs. Tillson's story is the more com- 
 mon one of the pioneer life of an American 
 woman settler in the West. 
 
 The narrative of Rebecca Burlend, now 
 presented to the reader, differs in certain 
 marked respects from both the Tillson and 
 the Kinzie recitals. Compared with Mrs. 
 Burlend, the other women occupied a dis- 
 tinctly higher station in life. Both were New 
 England gentlewomen, and both were city 
 dwellers who moved in the best society of 
 their time and place. Rebecca Burlend, on 
 the contrary, sprang from the peasantry of 
 rural Yorkshire, and from infancy was inured 
 to a life of toil and hardship. She came to 
 America, as millions of others have done, to 
 improve her material lot in life. In this, she 
 succeeded, ultimately, although the present- 
 day reader of her narrative may perhaps 
 wonder whether the result was worth the 
 effort expended in achieving it. In America, 
 as in England, she remained the hard-work- 
 ing wife of a hard-worked farmer. Only in 
 the evening of her days did she enjoy the 
 leisure which comes with assured prosperity; 
 and only through the chance possession of a 
 son imbued with literary talent and training 
 
 xvni
 
 Ilisftorical Sntrobuction 
 
 did she succeed in recording her story for 
 posterity, instead of becoming merely one 
 of the unsung millions of nineteenth-century 
 immigrants to America. 
 
 Mrs. Burlend's narrative was written 
 primarily for the information of people of her 
 own class in England who might be weighing 
 the question of migration to America. For 
 their benefit, she related the story of her 
 own prior experience in this respect. It is 
 clear that she was a woman of more than 
 ordinary will power and native force of 
 character. She tells her story simply, and as 
 truthfully, probably, as any recital of one's 
 own experiences can be told. Between the 
 Burlends (and their followers) of a century 
 ago and the Matanuska emigrants of current 
 memory lies a wide gulf. The emigrants of 
 1935, spoon-fed at every step in their prog- 
 ress by the agents of an all-compassionate 
 government, would have understood as little 
 the native resourcefulness of those of 1831, 
 as the latter would have comprehended the 
 lot of the present-day emigrants. Whether 
 the emigrants of 1831 or those of 1935 will 
 prove more fortunate in the long run, must 
 remain for the future to disclose. 
 
 Mrs. Burlend's story begins with the rea- 
 sons for the New-World migration in the 
 summer of 183 1, and continues until success 
 
 XIX
 
 ^Movital Sntrobuction 
 
 in the momentous venture of transplanting 
 the family to a distant and alien wilderness 
 had been achieved. We have here the task 
 of supplying the reader with such additional 
 pertinent information as will aid in promot- 
 ing his appreciation of the story she presents. 
 Rebecca Burton was born in Yorkshire, of 
 humble parentage, May i8, 1793. Although 
 we lack the date of her marriage to John 
 Burlend, it must have been at a compara- 
 tively early age, for Edward, the eldest son, 
 was a schoolteacher when the migration to 
 America in 1831, took place. The hard 
 circumstances of her married life in England 
 are briefly hinted at in the opening pages of 
 her narrative. Further Hght on this point is 
 afforded by the statements concerning the life 
 of Edward Burlend. In his Village Rhymes^ 
 a book of poems published in 1858, he states 
 that the poems were chiefly composed in 
 periods of illness: "Brought up at the plough 
 till I was eighteen years of age, and then 
 thrown upon my own resources, to make my 
 way as a teacher, it will be easily understood 
 that for many years I had to devote my 
 leisure time to strictly laborious study." 
 
 Edward Burlend spent his mature life as a 
 schoolmaster in his native Yorkshire, dying 
 at Swillington, April 6, 1875. ^^^ tomb- 
 stone inscription in Swillington Churchyard 
 
 XX
 
 W^tovml SntrotiuctiDn 
 
 recites that "under many social disadvan- 
 tages, and under extreme delicacy of consti- 
 tution, he taught, with marked success, a 
 competent knowledge of the classics, mathe- 
 matics, and other branches of science and 
 literature. As an original thinker, his prose 
 works, and as an elegant writer, his poetry, 
 will long remain evidences of his powers and 
 ability. Courteous, peaceful, and retiring, 
 he lived respected to his end, truly deserving 
 the character of a 'just man'." 
 
 Tombstone inscriptions are ever kind, 
 and the writer of Edward's obituary may 
 not have been a competent critic of his 
 literary output. The great Library of Con- 
 gress contains none of his writings, and its 
 bibliographer reports that an "extensive 
 search" of English book catalogs, diction- 
 aries of authors, and Yorkshire local his- 
 tories discloses no evidence either of his 
 writings or of his existence. Perhaps this 
 report merely indicates anew the fleeting 
 character of all earthly fame. The British 
 Museum catalog lists two of Edward Bur- 
 lend's books, one, ^ Catechism of English 
 History, published at London in 1 855, and an- 
 other. Amy Thornton; or the Curate's Daugh- 
 ter, published at London and Leeds in 1862. 
 Jess M. Thompson of Pittsfield, Illinois, 
 possesses a copy of his book of poems, a 
 
 XXI
 
 ilis^torical Sntrobuction 
 
 small volume of about 200 pages, whose 
 title page, for bibliographical reasons, we 
 copy in full: ''Village Rhymes; or Poems on 
 Various Subjects, Principally Appertaining 
 to Incidents in Village Life. By Edward 
 Burlend. Leeds, Printed by David Green, 
 Boar-Lane, 1858." To say that the poems 
 are Mid- Victorian in character would be 
 trite and meaningless. Through them runs 
 a recurrent vein of melancholy, whose cause 
 is perhaps adequately suggested by the tomb- 
 stone obituary of the author, which we have 
 already quoted. 
 
 To complete the roll of Edward Burlend's 
 literary output, we must add to the foregoing 
 his rendition of his mother's American narra- 
 tive, which quite probably became the most 
 important of all his publications. Although 
 Rebecca Burlend was not illiterate, it is ob- 
 vious that she could scarcely have put her 
 story into the finished literary form in which 
 it appears in print. Although the narrative 
 is undoubtedly the story of Rebecca, the 
 form in which it is cast is equally undoubt- 
 edly the handiwork of her schoolmaster-poet 
 son, Edward. He proved a capable editor, 
 and produced a faithful factual narrative, 
 in the main; but the precise language, and 
 some of the reflections embodied in it (for 
 example, the comment, in the concluding 
 
 xxii
 
 J^isJtorical Sntrobuction 
 
 pages, upon the causes of England's great- 
 ness) are the product of Edward Burlend's 
 brain and pen. In short, mother and son 
 stand as co-authors of the narrative. The 
 mother related her story to her son; and the 
 latter transformed it into the book, which 
 was published at London in the summer of 
 1848 as a paper-bound pamphlet of 62 
 pages, entitled A True Picture of Emigra^ 
 tion: Or Fourteen Years in the Interior of 
 North America; Being a Full and Impartial 
 Account of the Various Difficulties and Ulti- 
 mate Success of an English Family Who 
 Emigrated from Barivick-In-Elmet^ Near 
 Leeds, in the Year i8ji. 
 
 For some reason, the pamphlet was issued 
 anonymously (perhaps the intimacy of the 
 story caused the authors to shrink from* dis- 
 closing their identity), thereby entailing 
 upon future American bibliographers and 
 historians a considerable burden of trouble. 
 Prof. S. J. Buck in his fine Illinois bibliogra- 
 phy of Travel and Description iy6j-i86§ 
 {Illinois Historical Collections, Vol. IX) pub- 
 lished in 1914, affords no indication of the 
 identity of the authors, and the bibliogra- 
 phers of the Library of Congress have been 
 likewise ignorant concerning it until the 
 present day. But to Jess M. Thompson of 
 Pittsfield, Illinois, a descendant of Rebecca 
 
 xxui
 
 ^i^tovkal Sntrobuttion 
 
 Burlend, as well as to other descendants 
 (and their neighbors) the identity of the 
 authors has never been a secret. Herein, for 
 the first time in print, the story is told, based 
 upon information chiefly supplied the pres- 
 ent Editor by Mr. Thompson. 
 
 The struggle for economic security so 
 valiantly waged by John and Rebecca Bur- 
 lend met with its appropriate reward. By 
 1846, when Rebecca made the visit to her 
 former English home which is described in 
 the closing pages of her narrative, the ob- 
 jective forevisioned a decade and a half 
 earlier had been achieved. From the de- 
 spairing, beaten, tenant family which fled 
 from Yorkshire in 1831, the Burlends had 
 become transformed into the confident pos- 
 sessors in fee simple of an extensive acreage in 
 an agricultural region as fine as any in Amer- 
 ica. Already they were landlords, receiv- 
 ing the rental from their surplus acres, while 
 around them were their children, the elder 
 ones already arrived at manhood's estate. 
 
 Under the circumstances, Rebecca's visit 
 home must have been for her a proud and 
 gratifying occasion. How eagerly her old 
 neighbors listened to her recital of her ex- 
 periences in the far-away world of Pike 
 County, Illinois, can best be understood by 
 those readers who have themselves known 
 
 XXIV
 
 li^Movml Sntrobuction 
 
 lives of toil and poverty, and the incessant 
 seeking for an escape into a securer and more 
 gracious condition. The Editor has found 
 no contemporary record of the date of this 
 return journey, and the dates supplied by 
 descendants, based on family tradition and 
 belief, are conflicting. The evidence supplied 
 by the concluding pages of the narrative it- 
 self seems to establish the year, with a high 
 degree of probability, as 1846. Probably this 
 detail could be certainly established, if ade- 
 quate time to investigate it were available, 
 but circumstances beyond the Editor's con- 
 trol have denied him the opportunity of pur- 
 suing the matter further. 
 
 By rare good fortune, however, almost in 
 the closing hours of the preparation of the 
 volume for the printer, contact was estab- 
 lished with Miss Hazel Whalen of Chicago, a 
 great-granddaughter of John and Rebecca 
 Burlend, who supplemented most usefully 
 the information already supplied by Jess M. 
 Thompson concerning a second edition of the 
 Burlend family saga. Mr. Thompson him- 
 self has never seen this edition, but James 
 Farrand of Griggsville, who visited England 
 many years ago, relates that he some- 
 where saw a copy, and that it contained 
 the names of a number of families who had 
 migrated to Pike County in consequence 
 
 XXV
 
 W^tovital Sntrobuction 
 
 of Mrs. Burlend's visit home and of the pub- 
 Hcation of her story in 1848. Miss Whalen 
 relates that about four years ago she saw, 
 and had temporary possession of a copy, 
 whose owner desires to remain unknown. 
 Miss Whalen, however, copied certain data, 
 which disclose some interesting facts. The 
 new edition was issued either in 1856 or 
 1857 (both dates being given) with a com- 
 plete change of title, and with Edward 
 Burlend's name as the author. On the fly- 
 leaf appears "The tVesleyan Emigrants y by 
 Edward Burlend (London. Longman, Brown, 
 Green, and Longman; Simpkin, Marshall, 
 and Co. 1857)." On the title-page proper, 
 with the same publishers but with the date 
 1856 instead of 1857, is this amplified title: 
 
 Wesley an Christianity 
 
 Tested and Exemplified 
 
 being an 
 
 Authentic Narrative 
 
 of 
 
 Striking Events in the 
 
 History of a Wesley an Family 
 
 of Yorkshire Emigrants 
 
 in the Back Woods of America 
 
 by 
 
 Edward Burlend 
 
 xxvi
 
 J^i&toxital Jfntrobuction 
 
 The foreword to the edition stated that 
 the book had first been published in 1848, 
 and that over 2000 copies had been sold 
 in the city of Leeds alone. Because of this 
 demand, the second edition was being pub- 
 lished. The lay reader will perhaps marvel 
 that a narrative which aroused such wide- 
 spread interest, and which affected so deeply 
 the lives of a number of English families, 
 should prove so difficult to trace at the present 
 time. The historian, however, sadly familiar 
 with the neglect and oblivion which sooner 
 or later overtakes all ordinary records, will 
 feel gratified, rather, over the fact that a 
 number of American libraries have copies of 
 the first edition, which now obtains renewed 
 publicity and distribution by being included 
 in The Lakeside Classics. 
 
 The reader will observe, in the concluding 
 *'Note" to the narrative, the statement by 
 Edward Burlend that several families had 
 already departed for America, moved by 
 Rebecca Burlend's recital of her experiences 
 there. Still others followed, finding homes in 
 Pike County, where their descendants are 
 still numerously represented. Bethel Ceme- 
 tery, a beautiful country churchyard, is 
 chiefly populated by these English families. 
 Here John and Rebecca Burlend rest from 
 their labors, in the midst of relatives and 
 
 xxvii
 
 I^fetorical Sntrobuction 
 
 neighbors for whose presence in America 
 they were directly responsible. The present 
 church, erected over half a century ago, re- 
 places an earlier structure on the same site. 
 Two or three miles away across the lush and 
 fertile Illinois River Valley lies the site of 
 the Burlend homestead. To the simple 
 House of God Rebecca was wont to trudge 
 across the intervening fields, carrying her 
 shoes and stockings in her hand, to be 
 donned, upon arrival, before entering the 
 church. 
 
 The loghouse which became the first 
 home of the Burlends in America stood "in 
 the center" of the northeast quarter of the 
 northeast quarter of section 6, Detroit Town- 
 ship, about three miles north of Detroit vil- 
 lage, and about the same distance southwest 
 of Valley City. The cabin stood on a hill- 
 side, overlooking the adjacent level valley, 
 and distant but a few rods from a beautiful 
 spring, whose delicious water still pours 
 forth from the rocky slope. The presence of 
 this spring no doubt determined the location 
 of the cabin by Squatter Oakes, who built 
 it. When the Burlends arrived at a state 
 of prosperity sufficient to permit the erec- 
 tion of a better home, they located it on 
 the same hill-slope, a few rods farther away 
 from the spring. Both cabins have long since 
 
 xxviii
 
 W^tovital Sntrobuction 
 
 vanished from earth, and the casual passer- 
 by would be unlikely to observe any trace of 
 their former existence. Mr. Francis Allen 
 of Pittsfield, octogenarian grandson of Re- 
 becca Burlend, remembers the second cabin, 
 and in August, 1936, he and Jess M. Thomp- 
 son of Pittsfield conducted the writer to 
 the farm and identified the now-forgotten 
 homesites. 
 
 Upon returning to America from her visit 
 to England in 1846, Rebecca Burlend was 
 accompanied to her Pike County home by 
 her daughter (now Mary Yelliott) and her 
 family. The Yelliotts located near the 
 parental homestead, and in their declining 
 years John and Rebecca Burlend found a 
 safe haven with them. To the end of her 
 life Rebecca remained the plain, sturdy 
 woman whose character is so clearly depicted 
 in her narrative — thrifty, hard-working, 
 God-fearing. Her still-surviving grandchild, 
 Francis Allen of Pittsfield, describes her as 
 possessed of a pleasant disposition. She 
 never complained of her hardships; instead, 
 when speaking of early times she would say 
 that although hard, they always managed to 
 get along. In England she had learned some- 
 thing of herbs and homely medical lore, and 
 in Pike County she served for years, without 
 money or other price, as the neighborhood 
 
 xxix
 
 ^i^toxital Sntrobuction 
 
 physician. Mr. Albert Rhodes of Griggs- 
 ville, now an aged man, relates that when- 
 ever anyone became ill, the family would 
 send for her. She found great solace in her 
 pipe, and in the years of her retirement from 
 active labor she spent much of her time 
 smoking before the Yelliott fireplace. Fran- 
 cis Allen still possesses her favorite chair, 
 whose rockers were worn out by the often- 
 repeated process of drawing it forward to 
 light her pipe from the coals and then slid- 
 ing it back again to a comfortable position. 
 Her old-age likeness may be seen in the 
 portrait published in the present volume. 
 Jess Thompson's mother, who died in 1933, 
 related that Rebecca (her grandmother) 
 was slight in figure, and had a command- 
 ing expression. Francis Allen, on the con- 
 trary, remembers her as a fairly tall and 
 fairly heavy woman. He also recalls John 
 Burlend as a tall, heavy man, fond of prac- 
 tical jokes, and popular with the boys and 
 young men. He died, April 9, 1871, in 
 his eighty-eighth year. Rebecca survived 
 but a few months longer, dying January 
 31, 1872. Four decades of life in the New- 
 World home had been granted them, but 
 the significant portion of the period lies 
 in the fifteen years which the narrative 
 covers. 
 
 XXX
 
 W^totital Sntrobuction 
 
 The passage of a century has wrought 
 many changes in America's national prob- 
 lems. In recent decades the welcome former- 
 ly extended to aliens has been sharply cur- 
 tailed, and no longer do we offer asylum to 
 ambitious and discontented men and women 
 from all the earth. However wise, or neces- 
 sary, the present national policy may be, it 
 seems clear that the Burlends and their 
 Yorkshire neighbors who came to Pike Coun- 
 ty a century ago made a distinct contribu- 
 tion to the commonwealth of their adoption. 
 To them and their children pioneer Illinois 
 offered a new opportunity in life. They em- 
 braced it eagerly, and in doing so became 
 numbered among the builders of civilization 
 in the region where they elected to settle. 
 Happy the commonwealth which gains such 
 immigrants; happy the settlers who found 
 such an entrancing New- World home. 
 
 M. M. QUAIFE 
 
 Detroit Public Library 
 Sept. 15, 1936 
 
 XXXI
 
 A True Picture of 
 Emigration
 
 A TRUE PICTURE 
 
 EMIGRATION : 
 
 OP. FOURTEEN YEARS IN 
 
 THE INTERIOR OF NORTH AMERICA 
 
 BEING A FULL AND IMPARTIAL ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE VARIOUS DIFFICULTIES AND ULTIMATE SUCCESS 
 
 OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY 
 
 WHO EMIGRATED EROM BARWICK-IN-ELMET, 
 
 NEAR LEEDS, IN THE YEAR 1831. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY G. BERGER, HOLYWELL-STREET ; 
 
 LEEDS: DAVID GREEN: MANCHESTER: A. HEYWOOD ,* 
 AND ALL OTHER BOOKSELLERS.
 
 ^refatorp Eemarfesi 
 
 IN submitting the contents of this volume 
 to the notice of the public, the writer 
 begs to state that the materials and facts 
 herein contained were delivered to him -civa 
 voce by his mother, the principal agent in the 
 narrative, during a late visit to this, her na- 
 tive country. 
 
 To him the account seemed interesting in 
 the highest degree, an opinion in which such 
 of his friends as have perused the manuscript 
 have invariably concurred. 
 
 The present state of the public mind in re- 
 gard to emigration has suggested the pro- 
 priety of immediately giving publicity to the 
 narrative, which is what might be termed 
 the Diary of a Yorkshire Emigrant in the 
 United States of America. 
 
 How far such a production is required the 
 public will now determine. It is what it pro- 
 fesses to be: 'a true picture;' the incidents 
 are facts — not fiction; the language only in 
 which they are described belongs to the 
 author. 
 
 Swillington, August ist, 1848.
 
 EDWARD BURLEND
 
 A True Picture of 
 Emigration 
 
 Chapter I 
 
 WHATEVER may have been our suc- 
 cess in America, I can attribute but 
 little of it to myself; as I gave up the 
 idea of ending my days in my own country- 
 with the utmost reluctance, and should never 
 have become an emigrant, if obedience to 
 my husband's wishes had left me any alter- 
 native. His motives, briefly stated, were 
 these: — In the year 1817 we took a small 
 farm at a village in Yorkshire on a lease for 
 fourteen years, and as corn was at that time 
 selling well, the rent was fixed at too high a 
 rate for us to obtain a comfortable liveli- 
 hood. We did indeed by dint of great indus- 
 try and strict economy, maintain our credit 
 to the end of the lease; but the severe strug- 
 gles we had to endure to meet our payments, 
 the gradual diminution of our little property, 
 and the entire absence of any prospects of 
 being able to supply the wants of a large 
 
 7
 
 ^ tirue picture of Cmisration 
 
 family had tended effectually to fix my hus- 
 band's purpose of trying what could be done 
 in the western world. We accordingly dis- 
 posed of our little furniture, settled our pe- 
 cuniary affairs, and ultimately began our 
 long journey the last week in August 1831. 
 
 The reader will now enquire to what part 
 of America we were going, or whether we had 
 any plans as to the locality of our future 
 home. This is an important consideration 
 for every emigrant, though little attended to 
 by many. We were not, however, like the 
 poor Northumbrian, who, on landing at New 
 York a few years ago, required a person 
 whom he met in the street, to direct him to 
 the back settlements. My husband had 
 travelled many miles to obtain a sight of 
 private American letters, and after maturely 
 considering all the intelligence he could col- 
 lect, he determined to go to Pike County, 
 Illinois, to a person named Mr. B — , who 
 had settled there a year or two before, and 
 written to a brother of his in this country.^ 
 
 ^Charles Bickerdike, the first of his name to settle in 
 Pike County, came to America (and Illinois) and set- 
 tled in Flint Township, Pike County, about 1828. It 
 was the reading of his letters to his brother in England 
 which determined the migration of the Burlends. The 
 Bickerdike family is still represented in Pike County, 
 and the graves of earlier members of the line may 
 be seen in Bethel Cemetery where Rebecca Burlend 
 
 8
 
 S tirue picture of emigration 
 
 Without further preface, we are therefore 
 to be considered on our way from the centre 
 of Yorkshire to Liverpool, self, husband, and 
 five children, the eldest a boy about nine 
 years old, two others we were leaving be- 
 hind, the one my eldest son engaged as an 
 under teacher in a boarding school, the other 
 my eldest daughter serving also in a respect- 
 able family.^ To persons such as we were, 
 who had never been forty miles from home, 
 a journey by waggon and railway, where 
 every hour presents the eye with something 
 new, does not afford the best opportunity for 
 
 and her husband lie buried. Charles Bickerdike is 
 also buried in Bethel Cemetery, according to family 
 information, although no monument identifies his 
 grave. 
 
 ^The author and her husband had fourteen children 
 in all. Four had died in England before the migration 
 to America, and two more (Edward, the "eldest son" 
 and Mary, the "eldest daughter" of the present sen- 
 tence) remained behind. The five children who shared 
 in the family migration were John, then nine years old, 
 Hannah, eight years old, Sarah, three years old, Char- 
 lotte, and William, an infant. John served in the 
 Mexican War and was slain in a soldiers' brawl while 
 returning to his Illinois home. Hannah married Thomas 
 Dalby and lived to her ninetieth year, dying at Griggs- 
 ville in 1913. Sarah married Francis Allen, and Char- 
 lotte married Daniel Burns. William, the infant of 1 83 1 , 
 died at Griggsville in 1900. Information taken from 
 article by Jess M. Thompson in Pike County Repub- 
 lican (Pittsfield), July 22, 1936.
 
 a Wvnt S^ittnvt of emigration 
 
 reflection; we in consequence reached Liver- 
 pool before we fully felt the importance of 
 the step we were taking. Nature had indeed 
 yielded a little as we gazed upon the scenes 
 of our industry, which time had endeared, 
 for the last time. But it was at Liverpool, 
 when we had got our luggage to a boarding- 
 house and were waiting the departure of a 
 vessel, that the throes of leaving England 
 and all its endearments put our courage to a 
 test the most severe. Our minds were now 
 undisturbed by surrounding objects; we oc- 
 cupied a small apartment for which we paid 
 two shillings a day, without even the indul- 
 gence of a fire to cook our provisions. The 
 dark smoky walls of the opposite buildings 
 were the only prospect that the situation of 
 our sojourn could afford. Predisposed to 
 melancholy as we were, no one can be sur- 
 prised when he is told that its effects were 
 soon apparent. A stranger would have 
 thought us a most unsocial family, as we 
 sat in profound silence for an hour together, 
 only now and then a sigh would escape us 
 tending to vary but not to enliven this pain- 
 ful monotony. Even our children partici- 
 pated in our disquietude, and seemed to lose 
 their wonted vivacity. My dear husband, 
 who before had displayed nothing but hardi- 
 hood, on this occasion had almost played the 
 
 lo
 
 a QCrue picture of Emigration 
 
 woman. After a deep silence I not unfre- 
 quently observed his eyes suffused with 
 tears, which though unnoticed by him, fell 
 in quick succession down his sunbrowned 
 cheeks. We were six days in this abode, and 
 I may venture to assert that he did not spend 
 six hours of the time in the forgetfulness of 
 sleep. 
 
 At last the day dawned on which we were 
 to embark. We had already bespoke our 
 berths and paid a deposit to secure them. 
 It was a critical period: my husband ap- 
 peared to feel as if all the responsibility was 
 laid upon him. He doubtless felt for him- 
 self; but his children and myself were the 
 principal objects of his solicitude. Those he 
 was leaving behind would be left to the wide 
 world without any one to watch over them; 
 and that at a time when the passions which 
 actuate the human breast, are in the great- 
 est need of parental authority and advice. 
 The destiny of those he was taking with him 
 appeared about to be consigned to a vague 
 uncertain probability. The die was going to 
 be cast. In twelve hours more we should be 
 on the deep, where return would be impracti- 
 cable. These considerations, — the perils of 
 the sea the more dreaded because unknown, 
 together with many other weighty considera- 
 tions which a father and a husband in such a 
 
 II
 
 ^ ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 situation could not but feel, got the better of 
 his natural prowess, and that morning he 
 addressed me in the following manner: "O 
 Rebecca, I cannot do it, I cannot do it! for 
 myself I fear nothing; but the impenetrable 
 gloom and uncertainty attending this step 
 completely bewilders me. Should anything 
 befall me, what will become of you and my 
 children on the stormy ocean, or in a strange 
 land and among pathless woods. Bad as our 
 prospects are in England we must go back! 
 Such another night as the last has been I 
 cannot survive! this terrible suspense and 
 anxiety tears me in pieces." 
 
 Sentiments like these a few months ago 
 would have been hailed with delight, and 
 even then I must confess I felt a sort of in- 
 ward satisfaction, although I knew them to 
 be rather the effects of his feelings than his 
 mental decisions. If we returned I knew he 
 could not be satisfied with his condition, still 
 less with his present conduct. I however ac- 
 quiesced in silence, only replying, I would do 
 what he thought best. We accordingly be- 
 gan to remove our boxes back to the luggage 
 waggon, whither I accompanied him; but all 
 the time we were thus employed he appeared 
 like one whose movements are coerced. The 
 smile with which he usually accompanied 
 his addresses no longer appeared. I saw it 
 
 12
 
 ^ tirue picture of Cmi'sration 
 
 would not do; we returned to our children 
 like those who return from the interment of 
 a near relative, in mournful silence. Never 
 before had I felt so much to devolve on me, 
 and perhaps never in my life did I so much 
 feel it my duty to practise self-denial. My 
 native land was as dear to me as ever: my 
 two children, to whom I had bidden adieu, 
 were strong ties. But the consciousness that 
 it was my duty to bear up the sinking spirits 
 of my partner, left me only one course to 
 adopt. For a moment I raised my eyes to 
 him "who sitteth above the water-floods,'* 
 and with feelings I am not able to depict, 
 broke silence as follows; — 
 
 **I admit, my dear husband, that our 
 situation is a very trying one; but remember 
 how often and how long you have resolved 
 to go to America; hitherto we have experi- 
 enced nothing that we did not anticipate; 
 and should any calamity befall us on our 
 journey, you have adopted emigration only 
 from a conviction that it would tend to the 
 good of the family; and the Almighty is as 
 able to preserve us and our children across 
 the seas or in America as he is in England. 
 Besides, if we return, we have broken up our 
 home and sold our furniture, and should be 
 worse situated than ever; let us even go, and 
 look to Providence for success." The above 
 
 13
 
 S ^rue picture of emigration 
 
 advice on my part operated like a charm. 
 All that has been said of the effects of mar- 
 tial music was here realized. His answer was 
 rather in deed than in word. In two hours 
 more our luggage was removed from' the 
 waggon, where it had just been placed with 
 a view of returning home, to the ship in 
 which we had taken our berths. The re- 
 mainder of the day till four o'clock was spent 
 in procuring stores, cooking utensils, &c., 
 necessary for our voyage; and when the sun 
 went down on the second of September, 1831, 
 we were on the waters; having previously 
 confided ourselves to the care of Him "whom 
 earth and seas are ready to obey." 
 
 14
 
 Cijapter 2 
 
 AFTER we had thus finally determined 
 /-\ and put it out of our power to alter 
 -^ -^ that decision, our minds were more 
 at ease than before. There being no longer 
 any doubt as to whether we should go to 
 America, the suspense which had hitherto 
 been so afflicting began in a great measure to 
 subside. My husband resumed his wonted 
 cheerfulness, and expressed his belief that 
 the course we had ultimately adopted would 
 prove the best in the end. We were nov/ 
 passengers, in the steerage, on the vessel 
 ''Home,'' bound for New Orleans. Our rea- 
 sons for sailing to that port the most distant 
 in North x^merica, and not in a direct course 
 to the Illinois, were on account of the ready 
 transit we should make thence into the in- 
 terior up the Mississippi; whereas, by land- 
 ing at New York, Boston, or Philadelphia, 
 we should have had to cross the Alleghany 
 mountains, and travel a great distance by 
 land, which would have been both very 
 troublesome on account of our luggage, and 
 very expensive. 
 
 The perplexed state of mind in which we 
 were prior to embarking had prevented our 
 
 15
 
 a 3Crue picture of (Emigration 
 
 noticing or enjoying the fine sights which the 
 port of Liverpool presents. I speak not of 
 the magnitude of the town, nor of its archi- 
 tectural decorations, but of the immense for- 
 ests of ships, which on every hand strike the 
 eye of the beholder as he sails out of the har- 
 bour. Whatever might have been my ideas 
 of the greatness and wealth of England be- 
 fore, I am sure they were greatly enlarged 
 when I beheld for the first time in my life 
 those unwieldly instruments of commerce 
 crowded like forest trees on the sea further 
 than the eye could reach. As the wind was 
 favourable we soon lost sight of the shore. 
 Yet the eye with unwearied vigilance kept 
 steadily fixed on the few eminences which 
 remained visible, till they gradually waned 
 into obscurity, and at last disappeared alto- 
 gether. The reader may think me needlessly 
 precise in naming this circumstance; but I 
 assure him there were many on board, who, 
 as well as myself, felt a gratification in gaz- 
 ing at the naked rocks that projected from 
 the land that had given us birth; and when 
 it was finally announced that England was 
 no longer visible, there was not a person in 
 the ship who would not have heartily re- 
 sponded amen to the prayer, 'God bless it.' 
 For myself, I felt as if I was leaving all I had 
 been wont to prize; and when I could no 
 
 i6
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 longer see the shore, I shall never forget how 
 enviously I looked upon the vessels that were 
 approaching the shores I was leaving. I fol- 
 lowed them with my eye, one by one, till 
 quite weary with looking I descended into 
 the cabin, and endeavoured to be reconciled 
 to my situation by exercising myself in some 
 necessary employment. 
 
 Although we were entire strangers to a 
 sea-faring life, we found we had been judi- 
 cious in the choice of our provisions: we were 
 well supplied with oatmeal and flour, bacon, 
 biscuits, tea and coffee, &c., and as we had 
 to cook for ourselves at a fire which supplied 
 all the steerage passengers, I found I should 
 have something to do besides descrying dis- 
 tant sails, and sighing a blessing to those 
 bound for England. 
 
 At home I had always been fond of regu- 
 larity with regard to the dinner hour, but I 
 soon found if I continued my punctual habits 
 on board I should often be liable to be laughed 
 at for my pains, and lose my dinner in the 
 bargain. Imagine to yourself, kind reader, a 
 small fire surrounded by half-a-dozen sturdy 
 rustics, as busy boiling, roasting, and frying, 
 as if their lives depended upon a single meal, 
 and I will hazard an opinion you would be 
 very hungry before you would venture 
 among them. I do not say they would eat 
 
 17
 
 ^ tICrue picture of Cmisration 
 
 you; but either from the motion of the ship, 
 or their uncouthness, your fortune would be 
 better than mine if you got your meal pre- 
 pared without being scalded. For the above 
 reasons I soon forgot my punctuality, and 
 through the remainder of the voyage our 
 custom was to cook and eat when we could, 
 for seasons are not unknown on ship-board 
 when both must be dispensed with. 
 
 During the first few days the weather was 
 calm: we had sailed down the Irish channel 
 before the much dreaded sea-sickness began 
 to annoy us. I had even begun to think, 
 that like many other evils, its terrors had 
 been overrated; but before we had been a 
 week on board a heavy gale began to blow 
 from the north-west, the sky became dark 
 and unsettled, when I began to be exceed- 
 ingly sick; a disorder in which nearly all the 
 passengers participated. Painfully afflictive 
 as this malady was, it soon became of little 
 consideration on account of a more alarming 
 misfortune which threatened to befall us. 
 The sea was beginning to be unusually rough, 
 its huge foaming waves came dashing against 
 the sides of the vessel, as if they had been let 
 loose to destroy it. Sometimes we appeared 
 about to leave the waters, and become 
 inhabitants of serial regions; then again one 
 might suppose the ship was instantaneously 
 
 i8
 
 a ©rue picture of emigration 
 
 descending into the caverns of the deep, 
 overwhelmed by the mass of waters which 
 on all sides encompassed it, and at times 
 came sweeping over the deck with irre- 
 sistible fury. A thousand times I thought 
 the ship would be upset by the force of the 
 tempest, which, roaring tremendously, car- 
 ried all before it, and often laid our masts 
 nearly level with the main; when suddenly 
 regaining her upright position, she seemed to 
 be contending with the blast, and by a move- 
 ment I can scarcely account for, obtruding 
 her briny sails against the forces of the 
 storm. The crew were all in action; their 
 shoutings were vociferous; — louder even 
 than the voice of the wind. Terror and dis- 
 may were on every hand. The captain alone 
 preserved his serenity; his orders were de- 
 livered in a loud but unfaultering tone; he 
 might have been a divinity of the waters so 
 dignified and majestic was his deportment 
 on this occasion. Not so the passengers, — 
 they were indeed mortals, and suppliants 
 too. Impiety was banished from the ship. 
 You might have seen those, who yesterday 
 could not conclude a sentence without the 
 usual flourish of an oath, now on their knees 
 serious enough. The night came on, — the 
 passengers were ordered below: such a night 
 I never witnessed. The storm was incessant. 
 
 19
 
 3 tCrue ^^icture of (Emisration 
 
 The timbers creaked alarmingly; and the 
 sailors, hurrying to and fro on the deck, filled 
 us with renewed consternation. Every mo- 
 ment we expected the waters to rush in upon 
 us. I shall never forget the horrors of that 
 night, increased as they were by the heart- 
 rending moanings of my despairing compan- 
 ions. It was not the time for reflection: rea- 
 son had little control over our actions; as our 
 fears directed, so we conducted ourselves. 
 Nature's bonds, however, were not entirely 
 dissevered, for then even I found myself in a 
 corner of the cabin, my husband at my right 
 hand, which he often clasped in his, and our 
 dear little children huddled around us, giving 
 us their little hands to fondle over and caress. 
 Art thou a mother, gentle reader, thou may- 
 est in part conceive what my feelings were; 
 but there are sensations which no description 
 can embody; there are emotions which noth- 
 ing but experience can explain: of this kind 
 were mine. 
 
 At length the morning began to dawn; we 
 were all anxiety to see the day, and ascertain 
 our real situation. Of all the emotions of 
 which the human bosom is susceptible, sus- 
 pense is the most intolerable. We desired to 
 know the worst; but our orders were to keep 
 within, and we feared to disobey. The little 
 light we obtained from the semipellucid glass 
 
 20
 
 Si ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 at the top of our cabin, was of no avail. Our 
 ears had caused us to think the storm was 
 abating; but this only increased our anxiety, 
 as we were afraid to hope, lest we should be 
 deceived, when to our surprise the cabin door 
 sprung open; it was the captain himself who 
 had opened it. His appearance was like one 
 of those celestial visitors, which the sacred 
 pages have pourtrayed on errands of mercy. 
 We hurried to meet him; but he desired us to 
 be at ease, assuring us the danger was past. 
 His expressive words "the danger is past," 
 were repeated again and again through all 
 the cabin; and now the scene was changed. 
 In the place of lamentations and the voice of 
 despair, w^ere immediately heard jocularity 
 and the tumult of mirth. His. words had 
 metamorphosed the room. Forgotten or dis- 
 regarded were all the pious vows which had 
 been made the preceding night. "They ate 
 and they drank and they rose up to play;" 
 but few could be seen in the attitude of 
 praise. The storm had indeed abated; and, 
 such is human nature, religion had vanished 
 at the same time. The following day I learnt 
 we had been driven considerably out of our 
 course into the Bay of Biscay; but no further 
 injury was sustained except a little to the 
 cordage, which the sailors shortly put right, 
 and before evening the sails were again 
 
 21
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 unfurled, and our ship in good repair, majes- 
 tically making head-way across the Atlantic. 
 This was the only storm we encountered dur- 
 ing our passage; it was a severe one; even 
 the sailors spoke of it with concern, and 
 seemed aware our danger had been great. 
 
 A long sea-voyage is generally allowed to 
 be a tedious time, and there is some founda- 
 tion for the remark, when it is considered 
 how little variety is there observable. The 
 ship, your companions, the sky above you 
 and the 'dark blue ocean' below, with occa- 
 sionally a solitary sail gliding quietly along 
 at a distance, constitute the principal ob- 
 jects that come under the notice of ordinary 
 travellers. There is nothing of that everlast- 
 ing newness and beauty, — that pleasing va- 
 riety of hill and dale, of trees whose foliage is 
 varied by a thousand hues, meandering 
 streams, village towers and spires that every- 
 where meet the eye in an English landscape. 
 Nor is the ear more favoured than the eye. 
 The creaking of the cables and the mast, the 
 coarse discordant notes of the seamen and 
 the monotonous dashing of the waves against 
 the vessel, are the most common and almost 
 the entire sounds that a sea-breeze can 
 boast. The melodious warbling of the grove 
 are there unknown; and when the night- 
 dews are falling, the mellow flute notes of 
 
 22
 
 3 Vtxnt picture of emigration 
 
 the swain breathing innocence and love, 
 never once remind the passenger on the deep 
 that the labours of the day are ended, and 
 the star of evening appears. 
 
 The sea, nevertheless, has its beauties and 
 grandeur; but these are rather perceptible to 
 the reflecting mind than the external sense. 
 One evening I well remember when we were 
 about half-way across the Atlantic, I was 
 alone on the deck, pensively considering the 
 peculiarity of my situation, and impatiently 
 desirous to know what my future condition 
 should be, when casting my eyes towards 
 the east I beheld a most magnificent spec- 
 tacle: the large full moon was just clearing 
 the watery horizon. I always love to see the 
 moon beginning her nocturnal rambles; her 
 beam.s are the light in which meditation ap- 
 pears the most lovely; but when on that de- 
 lightful evening, in the midst of the great 
 Atlantic, I beheld the same kind planet, 
 beneath whose balmy light I had gamboled 
 in my childhood and conversed on subjects 
 the most endearing in maturer age, my whole 
 soul was overpowered with ecstacy. Bear 
 with me, kind reader, bear with a woman's 
 weakness, if I tell thee I looked upon her as 
 an old companion, and addressed her as a 
 bosom friend, so forcibly did she remind me 
 of the many delightful and happy hours I 
 
 23
 
 a tICrue picture of emigration 
 
 had spent under her auspicious beams in my 
 native land. Independent of these interest- 
 ing associations, her appearance at such a 
 time and in such a place was highly impos- 
 ing, and calculated in a remarkable degree 
 to remind me of the insignificance of man 
 and his noblest performances. Impressed in 
 this manner I gazed upon her broad disk, 
 and O how magnificently splendid! I next 
 surveyed the deep, gilded on one side by her 
 rays and on the other terminating the view 
 by a dark half-visible horizon; and what a 
 world of water seemed to surround me. I 
 then considered the ship, — poor feeble bark, 
 thought I, how insecure thou art! a single 
 wave could undo thee. Lastly I looked at my- 
 self: the contrast was sickening; human pride 
 could not bear it; I cast my eyes once more 
 upon the moon, and returned into the cabin. 
 To proceed, — by the time we had well got 
 half-way across the water, our impatience to 
 see land daily increased; the hours began to 
 pass more tardily along than before. Those 
 that kept their minds most engaged were the 
 most happy; a piece of philosophy this which 
 will generally hold true. I am not going to 
 describe my fellow-passengers as philoso- 
 phers, the few traits I have already given 
 prove they were not; but to do them justice, 
 many of them were expert hands at dispelling 
 
 24
 
 GTrue picture of €misration 
 
 melancholy. This they did sometimes by 
 cracking jokes at each other, sometimes by 
 relating portions of their histories, or cele- 
 brating the matchless heroism or strength of 
 their kindred. Thus by degrees having sev- 
 erally acquired an epitome of each other's 
 lives, a sort of community was formed and 
 neighbourhoods established, less regulated 
 indeed by locality than peculiar likings. 
 When first we set out each must cook for 
 himself, or at most for his own family; now 
 you might have seen three or four messing 
 together, having previously agreed to throw 
 their respective provisions into one common 
 store. By this means there were fewer dishes 
 to prepare, and consequently better accom- 
 modation. We were too strict economists 
 to adopt the joining system; and our solici- 
 tude respecting our journey caused us rather 
 to avoid intimacy with our companions than 
 to court it. Yes, many a time when mirth 
 and noise have been the prevailing order on 
 deck, have I sought retirement to muse upon 
 the past, and pry into the future. I own such 
 conduct was unwise; I should have been 
 happier if I could have mingled in the diver- 
 sions of my companions: but, reader, know- 
 est thou not when the heart is sick the very 
 means which should be beneficial are often 
 the most repulsive? 
 
 25
 
 ^ tCrue picture of ©migration 
 
 It was impossible, from the nature of 
 things, that I could be happy, while as yet 
 we were travelling we scarcely knew whither. 
 On one occasion while thus alone on the 
 deck, near the cook's cabin, I perceived an 
 unusual quantity of smoke issuing from the 
 door and chimney, and on looking down I 
 perceived a person named Jack, who by the 
 by had stolen on board at Liverpool and was 
 working his passage, involved in a cloud of 
 smoke and flame from a pan of pitch, which 
 by accident he had spilled into the fire. I 
 gave the alarm, and all hands were immedi- 
 ately on the spot. The wood was beginning 
 to ignite, and if it had not been attended to 
 with the utmost promptitude our situation 
 would soon have been awful. A mattress, 
 which happened to be near, was instantly 
 put upon the chimney to prevent the draught, 
 and buckets of water were plentifully thrown 
 in at the door, so that in a very short time 
 the fire was extinguished. Poor Jack fared 
 the worst: his right arm was almost roasted, 
 which caused him to be, as an invalid, ex- 
 empt from duty to the end of the voyage. 
 His misfortune excited the compassion of 
 many on board, some of whom presented 
 him with wearing apparel, &c., of which he 
 was in great need. For myself by being in 
 the centre of the crowd, I became entangled 
 
 26
 
 3 3urue picture of emigration 
 
 in a rope near the mouth of the cabin, which 
 subjected me to the stench and steam thence 
 arising. I was however soon released from 
 my accidental fetters, and laden with the 
 grateful acknowledgments of all around. 
 
 Another time while pacing upon the deck, 
 I was almost struck dumb to see my son, the 
 boy before alluded to, a fine youth, but un- 
 commonly daring,^ fast asleep on the bow- 
 sprit. The least accidental movement and he 
 w^ould have lost his equilibrium, and been pre- 
 cipitated into the water. Alarmed as I was, I 
 did all that a mother could do in such a situa- 
 tion to preserve the life of one so dear. My 
 husband was just at hand. I made no noise, 
 but all in agitation pointed out the cause of 
 my distress. He soon understood me, — and, 
 with all the concern of an affectionate father, 
 hastened softly towards the lad, and rescued 
 him from that imminent peril into which his 
 daring spirit had unwittingly led him. 
 
 The recital of these incidents brings me, 
 through the order in which they occurred, 
 towards the West Indies; and to another oc- 
 currence which for a short time caused a 
 greater alarm than any thing we met with 
 during the voyage. The circumstances are 
 
 ^The venturesome character of John Burlend, the 
 child here alluded to, is still a matter ot family tradi- 
 tion. Information supplied by Jess M. Thompson 
 
 27
 
 ^ '^vnt picture of Emigration 
 
 as fresh in my mind as if they had transpired 
 only yesterday. I had been observing with 
 interest and pity a number of flying fishes 
 occasionally rise out of the water to avoid 
 their pursuers, when several of the passen- 
 gers came to the side on which I was stand- 
 ing to behold a fine-looking vessel which had 
 recently made its appearance. Various were 
 the conjectures as to whither she was bound 
 and to what country she belonged. It was 
 every one's opinion she approached us, and 
 no little pleasure was experienced at the idea 
 of having a vessel so near us, after having 
 been several days without one. The captain 
 seemed alarmed, and kept continually look- 
 ing at her with his glass, and shortly after- 
 wards the sailors were seen all busy cleaning 
 out the guns, and preparing them for action. 
 By and by it became whispered on board 
 that the vessel was a pirate, and the busy 
 manner in which the seamen were employed 
 at their guns tended to confirm the conjec- 
 ture. The captain caused all to come on 
 deck. His motives were immediately made 
 out; meanwhile the vessel, which was a good 
 sailer, kept growing nearer, and every thing 
 betokened hostility. We were all in agita- 
 tion; even the captain and the sailors turned 
 pale with excitement. Every eye was intent 
 on the vessel, and every muscle betokened 
 
 28
 
 9 '^xnt picture of emigration 
 
 alarm. She was now within the range of our 
 guns, which were ready for action. At length 
 she hoisted a colour, and immediately a large 
 spreading flag was unfurled on our ship. A 
 breathless silence succeeded; that moment 
 was indescribable. The flags then flying 
 were symbols of peace. Three cheers, spon- 
 taneously given, immediately succeeded. A 
 thrill of transport moved the ship, and not a 
 few wept for joy. Our captain, with a trum- 
 pet, asked their intentions; he was answered 
 in English from the other ship that they were 
 sailing to the West Indies, and having en- 
 countered a storm, they had injured their 
 time-keeper, and could not ascertain their 
 longitude. We gave them all the information 
 they required, and parted with cheerings 
 which were responded to by the other ship, 
 which we soon afterwards lost sight of.^ 
 
 The following day a sailor on the mast 
 announced the appearance of land, a declara- 
 tion which was eagerly received; during the 
 
 ^The author's recital serves vividly to remind the 
 present-day reader of the fact that barely one hundred 
 years ago the perils of piracy were braved by all who 
 went down to the sea in ships. At least one famous 
 pirate of the gulf region valiantly aided General 
 Andrew Jackson in the defense of New Orleans against 
 British attack in 1814, and for a decade thereafter 
 piracy continued to flourish in the waters adjoining our 
 eastern and southern seaboard. 
 
 29
 
 ^ ^xnt picture of emigration 
 
 remainder of the day the passengers were 
 constantly on the look-out, and before night 
 we had the unspeakable pleasure of knowing 
 for ourselves that land was visible. The next 
 day we passed several small islands clad in 
 all the beauty of summer; we were suffi- 
 ciently near some of them to discover ne- 
 groes at work besides their little huts, cocoa- 
 nut trees and many other kinds, the names 
 of which I cannot give, being not very near 
 them, and but imperfectly conversant with 
 the productions of tropical regions. The 
 weather was here excessively hot: but a large 
 sail-cloth being put up to shade us from the 
 sun, we almost invariably remained on deck, 
 feasting our eyes with the luxuriant and 
 beautiful appearance of the numerous little 
 islands we were continually passing. I am 
 not aware that the West Indian islands sur- 
 pass others in beauty, but on account of the 
 length of time we had been without seeing 
 land, we were incessant in our encomiums 
 upon them. Never, thought I, had I seen 
 anything so lovely; I could have wished this 
 the situation of our future abode, this the 
 America so long in anticipation. The two 
 following days no land was visible, a circum- 
 stance attended with considerable uneasi- 
 ness, as we had begun to consider our voy- 
 age at an end. On the morning of the third, 
 
 30
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 however, land was again visible, and this 
 was America. A sort of melancholy came 
 creeping over me as I gazed upon it; porten- 
 tous, perhaps, of the many hardships I was 
 destined there to endure. We were now in 
 the mouth of the Mississippi; that night a 
 large lantern was suspended on the mast, as 
 a signal for the pilot to come on board and 
 take charge of the ship. Early the next 
 morning, while it was yet dark, my husband, 
 who had been on deck most of the night, 
 came to invite me thither. I followed him 
 shortly afterwards, and beheld a fine large 
 city lighted in a most splendid manner: its 
 appearance was really brilliant, and gave me 
 more exalted ideas of the country to which 
 we were hastening. That morning, by break 
 of day, a small boat came cutting the water 
 almost with the speed of the wind; it was 
 rowed along by four black sailors on each 
 side; a dignified person was seated in the 
 midst of them; it was the pilot; he came 
 alongside the ship, and was taken on board 
 with his boat and men. After respectful 
 compliments had passed between him and 
 the captain, he undertook the management 
 of the ship, his own sailors obeying his com- 
 mands, while ours were relieved from duty 
 to enjoy themselves in chaunting their na- 
 tive melodies, which they did most heartily, 
 
 31
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 almost to the annoyance of the pilot and his 
 men. This was Sunday morning, the first in 
 November; we had been on board two 
 months and a few days — a period on which 
 I never look back without emotion, as it re- 
 minds me of the anxieties I then endured, 
 and of the consequences which that voyage 
 involved. 
 
 32
 
 chapter 3 
 
 AS I intimated in the preceding chap- 
 /-\ ter, we reached New Orleans on Sun- 
 -^ -^ day morning; but when I came to 
 survey the town more leisurely, I could 
 scarcely believe it was the Lord's day. I 
 remembered that frequently on our passage 
 I had heard it remarked that the time varied 
 with the time in England a few hours, and 
 for a moment I supposed that the Sabbath 
 varied also. The reader will perceiv^e the 
 cause of my surprise, when he is told that 
 the shops were every where open, stalls set 
 out in all directions, and the streets thronged 
 with lookers-on more in the manner of a fair 
 than a Christian Sabbath. This I was told 
 was the general method of spending that day 
 in New Orleans. With regard to the inhabi- 
 tants, their appearance was exceedingly pe- 
 culiar, their complexions varying almost as 
 much as their features; from the deep black 
 of the flat-nosed negro to the sickly pale hue 
 of the American shopman. This city is a 
 regular rendezvous for merchants and trades- 
 men of every kind, from all quarters of the 
 globe. Slavery is here tolerated in its gross- 
 est forms. I observed several groups of 
 
 33
 
 S QErue picture of Emigration 
 
 slaves linked together in chains, and driven 
 about the streets like oxen under the yoke. 
 The river, which is of immense width, affords 
 a sight not less unique than the city. No 
 one, except eye-witnesses, can form an ade- 
 quate idea of the number and variety of ves- 
 sels there collected, and lining the river for 
 miles in length. New Orleans being the pro- 
 vision market for the West Indies and some 
 of the Southern States, its port is frequented 
 not merely by foreign traders, but by thou- 
 sands of small craft, often of the rudest con- 
 struction, on which the settlers in the inte- 
 rior bring down the various produce of their 
 climate and industry.^ The town itself, from 
 its low marshy situation, is very unhealthy; 
 the yellow fever is an everlasting scourge to its 
 inhabitants, annually carrying off great num- 
 bers. As a trading port. New Orleans is the 
 most famous and the best situated of any in 
 America; but whoever values a comfortable 
 
 ^The flatboat commerce by which the surplus prod- 
 uce of the upper Mississippi Valley was brought to New 
 Orleans flourished for a generation or more, until the 
 era of railroad construction which immediately pre- 
 ceded the Civil War. An Illinois youth of recent adop- 
 tion who made the long journey to New Orleans the 
 year preceding Mrs. Burlend's arrival in America bore 
 the name of Abraham Lincoln. The journey he made 
 was typical of thousands of similar ones performed in 
 the period here alluded to. 
 
 34
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 climate or a healthy situation, will not, I 
 am sure, choose to reside there. 
 
 But to resume my narrative: having ar- 
 rived at the port, it was our intention to pro- 
 ceed immediately up the river to St. Louis; 
 but as no steam vessel left till the next day, 
 we remained on board in front of the town. 
 The custom-house officers had not yet been 
 on board to examine the ship, but as we had 
 nothing for which duty would be required, 
 our captain gave my husband a document to 
 present to the inspectors, by which we were 
 allowed to pass early the next morning. Be- 
 fore entering the steam vessel, we got the 
 remainder of our money, all in English sov- 
 ereigns, exchanged into American dollars. 
 We found that our expenses, since leaving 
 home, amounted to about twenty-three 
 pounds. On leaving the ship I felt a renewal 
 of my home-sickness, to use a quaint expres- 
 sion; it seemed to be the only remaining link 
 between me and England. I was now going 
 to be an alien among strangers. Hitherto I 
 had been accompanied by persons, who when 
 my pain on leaving home manifested itself, 
 could sympathize with me. I should have 
 preferred the meanest passenger on the ship 
 to any I saw on the packet. As, however, we 
 were all in haste to be on our way, I had little 
 time to spend on those tender associations. 
 
 35
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 I certainly left the ship with an aching heart; 
 the captain and cabin passengers had been 
 very kind to us during the voyage, and on 
 going away my children were severally pre- 
 sented with small tokens of approbation, of 
 which they were not a little proud. 
 
 I must now leave the ship to pursue my 
 route up the stream of the Mississippi to St. 
 Louis, a distance of not less than thirteen 
 hundred miles. The country on each side of 
 the river is of a dead level, but to all appear- 
 ance exceedingly productive, and cultivated 
 with considerable pains. On account of the 
 heat which prevails in these districts, the 
 productions of tropical regions are here 
 grown in great abundance. The extensive 
 plantations, notwithstanding their flat ap- 
 pearance, are exceedingly beautiful; and if 
 any thing could have made me forget that I 
 was an unsettled exile, the scenery of the 
 country bordering this river must have done 
 it. There was, nevertheless, one drawback: 
 these beautiful plantations are cultivated by 
 slaves, many of whom we saw as we passed 
 along. As we had regularly to stop by the 
 way to obtain timber for our fires, that being 
 the fuel invariably used by the steamers on 
 this river, we had frequent opportunities of 
 stepping ashore. On one occasion a passen- 
 ger seeing a negro smoking his pipe by his 
 
 36
 
 a Crue picture of Emigration 
 
 little cabin, which was just at hand, took the 
 liberty of going up to him for the purpose of 
 begging a little fruit, which hung in plenty 
 on the trees around. The negro, without 
 hesitation, granted his request; and our hero 
 immediately mounted a tree, which he par- 
 tially stripped of its juicy burden. This little 
 incident might have passed unnoticed, had 
 not the intruder on descending from the tree 
 made use of a kind of box, which was under- 
 neath, to break his fall; its structure was too 
 slender for so unusual a load, and in conse- 
 quence he burst in the top to the terror of the 
 negro, who immediately darted across the 
 orchard, leaving our companion to make the 
 best of his misfortune. The latter was soon 
 convinced that he had committed a blunder, 
 as the box was a bee-hive, and its occupants, 
 aware they had been insulted, would accept 
 no apology, but drawing their sabres at- 
 tacked their foe with tremendous fury. Poor 
 Yankee was no Leonidas; but with all the 
 speed his heels could muster betook himself 
 to the packet, where he was greeted with 
 roars of laughter by his less enterprising as- 
 sociates. 
 
 As we proceeded up the river the country 
 assumed a more rude and uncultivated ap- 
 pearance: the date and plantain tree of the 
 lower regions were exchanged for majestic 
 
 37
 
 ^ ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 forest trees and untrodden wilds. Further 
 down it was delightfully pleasant; here mag- 
 nificently grand eternal forests, in appear- 
 ance as interminable as the universe, with 
 here and there a patch of ground rudely cul- 
 tivated by the hand of a lonely settler, con- 
 stitute the scenery for thousands of miles 
 contiguous to this matchless stream. As to 
 the river itself, I shall not attempt a descrip- 
 tion of it; what has already been said proves 
 its magnitude to be immensely great; even 
 some of its branches, as the Ohio and the 
 Missouri, are to be classed among the largest 
 rivers in the world. The former^ is noted for 
 being very muddy, and hurrying in its un- 
 governable career vast quantities of floating 
 timber, which, decayed by age or other 
 causes, fall into it so as often to render it 
 dangerous for the steamers to pass along. 
 Of these the Mississippi contains acres, that 
 coming from above, have in the lapse of 
 years gradually settled together in places 
 where the current is least active. 
 
 Proceeding with my narrative, I must con- 
 fess I liked the packet much better than I 
 expected. We had engaged to find our own 
 provisions, but on account of their cheap- 
 ness, or partly because I acted the part of 
 
 ^The river here alluded to is obviously the Missouri, 
 rather than the Ohio. 
 
 38
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 matron to such as needed my assistance, we 
 were frequently presented with young fowls, 
 coffee, rice, &c., so that our food cost us very 
 little on the river. During this transit we 
 obtained considerable information respect- 
 ing Illinois, which tended in some degree to 
 lessen our disquietude. We were neverthe- 
 less very far from being at ease; our unset- 
 tled condition was ever the uppermost in our 
 thoughts, and shed a settled gravity over 
 our conduct. Whilst thus the subjects of 
 painful uncertainty, we were one night much 
 alarmed by the following attempt to rob us: 
 my husband and I were in our berths; I was 
 fast asleep, but he was awake, musing upon 
 our situation, when a black man, one of the 
 crew, knowing we were going to settle in the 
 country, and thinking no doubt we should 
 have money with us, came to the side of our 
 berths and began to search under my pillow, 
 so softly indeed as not to awake me; he was 
 going to examine under my husband's like- 
 wise, but as he was awake, he told him he 
 could get him anything he wanted; such un- 
 expected kindness was immediately under- 
 stood, and the villain disappeared in a mo- 
 ment. Although this attempt proved a com- 
 plete failure, we were induced to give up our 
 money to the captain the following day, 
 which he kept till we arrived at St. Louis. 
 
 39
 
 S Wvnt picture of emigration 
 
 As my husband kept the money under his 
 pillow, I have never looked back on this cir- 
 cumstance but with feelings of gratitude to 
 Almighty God for his protecting providence, 
 for had he succeeded, we should have been 
 in a most miserable situation, not even able 
 to reach the end of our journey; — destitute 
 and penniless in a strangt land, without 
 friends and without home. 
 
 The time occupied in passing from New 
 Orleans to St. Louis was about twelve days. 
 We reached the latter place about noon, and 
 found another steamer ready to convey us 
 forward to the situation at which we pur- 
 posed to remain. I had little opportunity of 
 surveying the town, and therefore can say 
 little respecting it; but was somewhat sur- 
 prised to find that this noted city should be 
 built principally of wood; its situation is not 
 the most eligible as it regards health, being 
 near the confluence of the Missouri and the 
 Illinois. It is however on that very account 
 likely to become a large and wealthy city, 
 and is indeed by some described as such 
 already.^ On entering the second steamer I 
 found I had made a poor exchange; the 
 
 1 Although St. Louis dates from 1764, the increase in 
 population was extremely slow for several decades. 
 Upon incorporation as a city in 1823, there were only a 
 few hundred inhabitants. By 1830, the year prior to 
 
 40
 
 a GDrue picture of emigration 
 
 weather was beginning to feel uncommonly 
 chill, and our accommodation was here very- 
 inferior, so that we felt exceedingly anxious 
 to be at our journey's end. 
 
 The place at which we intended to leave 
 the river was not more than one hundred and 
 twenty miles from St. Louis; we therefore 
 comforted ourselves with the idea that we 
 should soon be there. We were finally to dis- 
 embark at Phillip's Ferry, according to the 
 directions sent by the aforementioned Mr. 
 B. to his brother. We should then be within 
 two miles of his residence. Mr. B., therefore, 
 and Phillip's Ferry, occupied our thoughts 
 almost to the exclusion of every other sub- 
 ject. W^e had already travelled nearly seven 
 thousand miles. Our food had been princi- 
 pally dried provisions. For many long weeks 
 we had been oppressed with anxious sus- 
 pense; there is therefore no cause for wonder, 
 that, jaded and worn out as we were, we felt 
 anxious to be at our destined situation. Our 
 enquiries of the sailors 'how much further 
 we had to go,' almost exhausted their pa- 
 tience. Already we had been on the vessel 
 twenty-four hours, when just at nightfall the 
 
 Mrs. Burlend's visit, the number had increased to 
 almost 5,000. One hundred years later (1930) the U. S. 
 census revealed a population of 821,960, amply fulfilling 
 the forecast of the humble English immigrant of i8ji. 
 
 41
 
 S ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 packet stopped: a little boat was lowered 
 into the water, and we were invited to collect 
 our luggage and descend into it, as we were 
 at Phillip's Ferry;^ we were utterly con- 
 founded: there was no appearance of a land- 
 ing place, no luggage yard, nor even a build- 
 ing of any kind within sight; we, however, 
 
 ^Philips Ferry is still conducted, on or near the origi- 
 nal site, at Valley City, where the present Editor util- 
 ized it late in the month of August, 1936. The ferry was 
 established by Garret Van Dusen in 1822, who two 
 years later transferred it to Nimrod Philips. 
 
 The latter had come from Kentucky to Pike County 
 about 1 821; he died here a decade later. By his will, 
 made in 1826, he bequeathed the ferry to his son, 
 Andrew. This document, still on file in the Court 
 House at Pittsfield, we copy in full for the entertain- 
 ment of the reader: 
 
 "Illinois pike County in the name of God Amen 
 I Nimrod Philips of the State and County aforesaid 
 inten to travel and Not knowing but I may die be- 
 fore I return do make this my last will and testa- 
 ment first I give to Zerrelda Jean my youngest 
 child five head of Cattle a cow cald Cherry and her 
 Caves a horse Cald Jack three beds and furniture 
 and all the kitchen furniture and utensils this I 
 give to my youngest child by Nancy Philips onst 
 Nancy Norris Zerrelda Jean Philips is her name I 
 give to Nancy Philips my wife one loom and its 
 furniture 3 breeding Sows and their pigs six bar- 
 rows for her meat She is to have her choise of the 
 above named Hoggs She is to live where I now 
 live at the ferry My part of the crop of corn 
 that has been on the place this year to be hers 
 
 42
 
 ^i 
 
 -Tittifiekt ■; tniles Dettv 
 
 THE BURLEND 
 
 HOMESTEAD AND 
 
 VICINITY 
 
 From Map Prepared by 
 Jess M. Thompson
 
 a GCrue picture of emigration 
 
 attended to our directions, and in a few min- 
 utes saw ourselves standing by the brink of 
 the river, bordered by a dark wood, with no 
 one near to notice us or tell us where we 
 might procure accommodation or find har- 
 bour. This happened, as before intimated, 
 as the evening shades were rapidly settling 
 on the earth, and the stars through the clear 
 blue atmosphere were beginning to twinkle. 
 It was in the middle of November, and 
 already very frosty. My husband and I 
 looked at each other till we burst into tears, 
 and our children observing our disquietude 
 began to cry bitterly. Is this America, 
 thought I, is this the reception I meet with 
 after my long, painfully anxious and bereav- 
 ing voyage? In vain did we look around us, 
 hoping to see a light in some distant cabin. 
 It was not, however, the time to weep: my 
 husband determined to leave us with our 
 luggage in search of a habitation, and 
 
 She is to live on the place until Zerrelda is of 
 age and have the benefit of the improved land 
 Zerrelda is to have six dolers for 3 years Scholling 
 18 dollers 
 
 I give to Elizabeth Elledge my oldest daughter 
 one doller the rest of my estate and property is to 
 be equaly divided between my 3 children Andrew 
 Philips, Selah Philips, Asa Philips except Andrew 
 is to have the ferry this is my last will and testa- 
 ment 
 
 43
 
 S aCrue picture of emigration 
 
 wished us to remain where we then stood 
 till he returned. Such a step I saw to be 
 necessary, but how trying! Should he lose 
 himself in the wood, thought I, what will 
 become of me and my helpless offspring? 
 He departed: I was left with five young 
 children, the youngest at my breast. When 
 I survey this portion of my history, it 
 looks more like fiction than reality; yet it 
 is the precise situation in which I was then 
 placed. 
 
 After my husband was gone I caused my 
 four eldest children to sit together on one of 
 our beds, covered them from the cold as well 
 as I could, and endeavoured to pacify them. 
 I then knelt down on the bare ground, and 
 committed myself and little ones to the 
 Father of mercies, beseeching him 'to be a 
 lantern to my feet, a light unto my path, and 
 to establish my goings.' I rose from my 
 knees considerably comforted, and endeav- 
 oured to wait with patience the return of my 
 husband. Above me was the chill blue can- 
 opy of heaven, a wide river before me, and 
 a dark wood behind. The first sound we 
 heard was that of two dogs that came bark- 
 ing towards us, so as greatly to increase our 
 alarm; the dogs came up to us, but did us no 
 harm, and very soon after I beheld my dear 
 husband, accompanied by a stranger, who 
 
 44
 
 a tirue picture of (Emigration 
 
 conducted us to his habitation, whither our 
 luggage was shortly afterwards removed in 
 a waggon. 
 
 My husband had followed a sort of cattle 
 track, which led him to the house, which had 
 been concealed by trees and underwood 
 growing around it. And now, for the first 
 time in my life, did I fairly see the interior 
 of a log-house, which, however rude I might 
 think it, I felt, as the reader will readily be- 
 lieve, most happy to enter. It was much 
 more comfortable to sleep on a bed laid on 
 the floor before a fire of glowing embers, than 
 it would have been on the cold ground, which 
 a short time before I feared would be my 
 lodging. The following morning, after a 
 comfortable night's repose, we felt our health 
 and spirits improved. My husband began to 
 examine the soils and produce of the coun- 
 try, and I to collect what information I could 
 respecting American housewifery, manners, 
 religion, &c. Our hostess was a little woman, 
 exceedingly fond of smoking, as the Ameri- 
 cans generally are, particularly the females. 
 Before leaving England I had heard a great 
 deal said in behalf of American hospitality, 
 but these encomiums certainly require to be 
 qualified: they are exceedingly hospitable 
 to gentlemen who may be making a tour, 
 likewise amongst themselves as neighbours; 
 
 45
 
 ^ ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 but when they know a person really must 
 trouble them, they appear to be aware they 
 are conferring a favour, and expect an equiv- 
 alent. The little lady I have been describing 
 knew little of generosity; we understood very 
 soon that we should be expected to pay for 
 our harbour, although we used our own pro- 
 visions. I am forgetting that on one occa- 
 sion she generously told me I might give my 
 children the broth in which she had boiled 
 some cabbage, if I thought they would drink 
 it; I told her they had not been accustomed 
 to such fare. We remained here three days, 
 during which I became tolerably conversant 
 in the theory of American housekeeping, 
 and as Mrs. Phillips^ (that was the name 
 of our hostess) was very loquacious, she in- 
 itiated me into the peculiarities of Illinois 
 politeness. No person, however slender his 
 pretensions to knighthood, or how long so- 
 ever the time since his small-clothes were 
 new, is addressed without the courteous 
 
 ^The willof Nimrod Philips seems to indicate that the 
 Mrs. Philips whom Mrs. Burlend knew was a second 
 wife of Nimrod, whose maiden name was Nancy Nor- 
 ris. Of her we have learned nothing apart from the 
 vivacious picture limned by our author. An earlier wife 
 of Philips who was' a member of the EUedge family in- 
 termarried with the Boones, and on coming to Illinois 
 settled in Scott County on the east side of the Illinois 
 River from Pike. 
 
 46
 
 a GDrue picture of emigration 
 
 epithet of 'Sir;' and this practice is ob- 
 served by the members of the same family 
 in their intercourse with each other; of 
 course the females are in like manner hon- 
 oured with 'Madam,' Ubi tu Cuius ^ ego 
 Caia. It is not etiquette in Illinois to sit 
 at the table after you have done eating; to 
 remain after you have finished your meal 
 implies that you have not had sufficient. 
 This custom I subsequently found a very 
 convenient one. 
 
 But I am forgetting the house. It was a 
 fair specimen of a log-house, and therefore a 
 description of it will give the reader a pretty 
 correct idea of the American peasantry. 
 There were two rooms, both on the ground 
 floor, separated from each other with boards 
 so badly joined, that crevices were in many 
 places observable. The rooms were nearly 
 square, and might contain from thirty to 
 forty square yards each; beneath one of the 
 rooms was a cellar, the floor and sides of 
 which were mud and clay, as left when first 
 dug out; the walls of the house consisted of 
 layers of strong blocks of timber, roughly 
 squared and notched into each other at the 
 corners; the joints filled up with clay. The 
 house had two doors, one of which is always 
 closed in winter, and open in summer to 
 cause a draught. The fire was on the floor at 
 
 47
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 the end of the building, where a very gro- 
 tesque chimney had been constructed of 
 stones gathered out of the land, and walled 
 together with clay and mud instead of ce- 
 ment. It was necessarily a great width, to 
 prevent the fire from communicating with 
 the building. The house was covered with 
 oak shingles; that is to say, thin riven 
 boards nailed upon each other, so as just to 
 over-reach. The floors of the house were 
 covered with the same material, except a 
 large piece near the fire, which was paved 
 with small stones, also gathered from the 
 land. There was no window to the house I 
 am describing, although many log-houses 
 may now be found having glas^ windows. 
 This inconvenience I pointed out to my host- 
 ess, who replied, 'upon the whole it was as 
 well without, for in winter the house was 
 warmer and in summer they had always the 
 door open, which was better than any win- 
 dow.' It is in reality true, that the want of 
 light is felt very little in a log-house; in 
 winter they are obliged to keep fine blazing 
 fires, which, in addition to the light ob- 
 tained from their low wide chimneys, enable 
 the inmates to perform any business that is 
 requisite. 
 
 It is however by no means to be under- 
 stood that an American log house equals in 
 
 48
 
 S ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 comfort and convenience a snug English cot- 
 tage. It is quite common to see, at least, one 
 bed in the same room as that in which the 
 fire is kept; a practice which invariably gives 
 both the bed and house a filthy appearance. 
 There was no chamber, only a sort of loft, 
 constructed rather with a view to make the 
 house warmer, than to afford additional 
 room, x^djoining one side were a few boards 
 nailed together in the form of a table, and 
 supported principally by the timber in the 
 wall. This was dignified with the name ' side- 
 board.' In the centre of the room, stood 
 another small table, covered with a piece of 
 coarse brown calico; this w^as the dining 
 table. The chairs, four in number, were the 
 most respectable furniture in the house, hav- 
 ing bark of ichory platted for bottoms. Be- 
 sides these there were two stools and a bench 
 for common use, — a candlestick made from 
 an ear of Indian corn, two or three trenchers 
 and a few tin drinking vessels. One corner of 
 the house was occupied with agricultural im- 
 plements, consisting of large hoes, axes, &c., 
 for stubbing, called in America grubbing, 
 flails and wooden forks, all exhibiting speci- 
 mens of workmanship rather homely. Vari- 
 ous herbs were suspended from the roof with 
 a view of being medicinally serviceable, also 
 two guns, one of them a rifle. There were 
 
 49
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 also several hams and sides of bacon, smoked 
 almost till they were black; two or three 
 pieces of beef, &c. Under one of the beds 
 were three or four large pots filled with 
 honey, of which Mrs. P. was not a little lav- 
 ish, as she used it to every meal along with 
 coffee. The furniture in the other room con- 
 sisted of two beds and a hand-loom, with 
 which the family wove the greater part of 
 their own clothes. In the cellar I observed 
 two or three large hewn tubs, full of lard, 
 and a lump of tobacco, the produce of their 
 own land, in appearance sufficient to serve 
 an ordinary smoker his life. 
 
 During our sojourn at Mr. Phillips', my 
 husband found Mr. B., and on the third day 
 after our arrival, brought that gentleman's 
 team, two stiff oxen yoked to a clumsy 
 sledge; on which we placed our beds, boxes, 
 &c. and bid good by to Mrs. P., who, as we 
 paid her for our harbour, contrived to shed 
 a tear or two at the thoughts of parting. 
 After arriving at Mr. B.'s house, I certainly 
 felt I had been a little cajoled. My husband 
 had seen him the day before, but had made 
 no mention of his condition. He was in the 
 fields when we arrived; but as the door was 
 unlocked, or rather lockless, we took the 
 liberty of introducing ourselves and luggage. 
 Mr. B. was at once a bachelor and solitaire. 
 
 50
 
 ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 He had left England precipitately, and what 
 is more unusual, a great part of his money, 
 which at this time he was daily expecting by 
 a remittance. The property he had taken 
 with him was all expended in land and cattle, 
 so that a little money was a desideratum. 
 Shortly after our arrival, Mr. B. made his 
 appearance, which, as I before intimated, 
 was rather mysterious. In his letters sent 
 to England, he had spoken of his situation as 
 *a land flowing with milk and honey'; but I 
 assure you patient reader, his appearance 
 would have led any one to suppose that he 
 gathered his honey rather from thorns than 
 flowers. He was verily as ragged as a sheep: 
 too much so for decency to describe. And 
 his house was more like the cell of a hermit 
 who aims at super-excellence by enduring 
 privations than the cottage of an industrious 
 peasant. The bed on which he slept was only 
 like a bolster which he had used on ship- 
 board, and laid upon a kind of shelf of his 
 own constructing. Then again the walls of 
 his house were of hewn timber as others, but 
 the joinings or interstices were left quite 
 open. The first night I passed in this miser- 
 able abode I was almost perished. My hus- 
 band was obliged to heat a flat iron, and 
 after wrapping it in flannel, apply it to my 
 feet, so little were we protected from the 
 
 51
 
 ^ ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 inclemency of the weather. Finding our com- 
 forts here so few, we determined to have a 
 home of our own as soon as possible. Mr. B. 
 was too busy in his farm to render my hus- 
 band much assistance in selecting a piece of 
 ground. Besides the condition of his haut-de- 
 chausse^ rendered it almost imperative upon 
 him to keep near home, especially as he was 
 a bachelor. 
 
 Before I proceed any further with my nar- 
 rative, perhaps it will be of advantage to the 
 reader to explain the method of purchasing 
 land in the United States. The land in the 
 various states has all been surveyed by direc- 
 tion of the government, and divided into 
 portions of eighty acres each. For the sale 
 of the land thus surveyed and laid down on 
 large plans, a land-office is established in 
 various central situations, where all the 
 allotments of a certain district are sold, and 
 the purchasers' names registered. Any per- 
 son, therefore, who wishes to purchase one 
 or more of these subsections, can see the 
 plan, and select any that are unsold. They 
 will even sell as small a quantity as forty 
 acres; but as they do this merely to accom- 
 modate new settlers, no person already pos- 
 sessing eighty acres, can purchase a smaller 
 quantity than that at a time. In some of the 
 
 ^Meaning, his trousers. 
 
 52
 
 S ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 older states the government lands are all 
 sold off. It must there be bought of private 
 owners; but in Illinois and other new states 
 there is plenty unsold. The government 
 price everywhere is one hundred dollars for 
 eighty acres. As there are myriads of acres 
 yet in its native luxuriant wildness, any per- 
 son may with impunity cultivate as much as 
 he chooses without paying anything; and, 
 as a further inducement, when a person be- 
 gins thus to cultivate, no other person can 
 legally purchase that land, till four years 
 have expired from the time of his beginning 
 to cultivate. By obtaining what is termed a 
 pre-emption the improvement arising from 
 his own industry is as secure to him for 
 four years as if he was the actual owner. 
 Should, however, he fail to pay for the land 
 before the term expires, an indifferent per- 
 son may then purchase it; but this seldom 
 happens. Every person purchasing land at 
 the office, must declare upon oath, if re- 
 quired, that no other party has an improve- 
 ment on it. And, if it be proved to be other- 
 wise, such purchase is in every case invalid; 
 and the fraudulent party liable to a heavy 
 fine. 
 
 An improved eighty acres was the first 
 land we purchased: we obtained it in the 
 following manner: — A person named Mr. 
 
 53
 
 S 2true picture of emigration 
 
 Oakes^ having heard that a family about to 
 settle was sojourning at Mr. B.'s came to 
 invite my husband to buy some venison, 
 which he had killed with his rifle just before. 
 My husband went with him, and in conver- 
 sation found he was disposed to sell his im- 
 provement right; for the four years were not 
 expired, and he had not entered it at the 
 land ofiice. For this right he wanted sixty 
 dollars. My husband told him he would call 
 upon him the next day, and returned to Mr. 
 B.'s after buying a quantity of nice venison 
 at a halfpenny per pound. The following 
 day, my husband and I visited at Mr. 
 Oakes's, who took us round the estate, 
 
 ^ There were, commonly, three waves of migration in 
 the settlement of any given portion of the frontier. 
 First of all came the traders, hunters, and trappers, 
 with no particular intention of improving the country. 
 Second came the "squatters," who occupied (without 
 troubhng to buy legal title) a tract of land and made 
 some slight improvements on it, frequently building a 
 cabin and reducing one or more acres to cultivation, 
 but relying largely upon hunting and on the natural 
 products of the forest for their support. In the wake of 
 the squatter came the permanent settler, who acquired 
 legal title to the soil and developed a home with the in- 
 tention of passing it on to his children. Oakes, the 
 individual here noted, was evidently a squatter, who 
 has left no record of his sojourn in the community. Of 
 him and his kind, Mr. Jess M. Thompson, local his- 
 torian, observes, "All seem to have vanished from the 
 community at an early day." 
 
 54
 
 S Crue picture of Emigration 
 
 shewed us the boundaries, which were 
 marked out by large stones set at each cor- 
 ner, termed the corner stones. 
 
 On the land there were about four hun- 
 dred sugar maples which Mr. Oakes had 
 tapped the preceding year. These trees grow 
 plentifully in the United States, and promise 
 with proper culture to supersede the use of 
 West Indian sugar in America. They like a 
 low situation and a deep soil, and grow to a 
 larger size than any trees in this country. 
 They are said to thrive the better the oftener 
 they are pierced. The method of obtaining 
 sugar from them is very simple. A small 
 cabin, or, as it is there termed, camp, is built 
 in the midst of the trees; two or three large 
 coppers, holding from five to ten gallons 
 each, are set within it, to boil the liquor, 
 which being drained from the trees into 
 hewn wooden troughs, is carried into the 
 camp. The incisions are made with an auger 
 in the beginning of March, when the sap is 
 beginning to rise. Into each of these holes a 
 tube is inserted, about an inch in diameter, 
 so as just to fill the hole, through this the 
 liquor flows as through a spout. The tree 
 from which these tubes are made, is admi- 
 rably adapted for the purpose, growing 
 somewhat like the elder, only its branches 
 are straighter and contain more pith. It is 
 
 55
 
 Si ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 usually called in Illinois the shoemaker's 
 tree,^ its botanical name I do not know. 
 The most suitable weather for the discharge 
 of this liquor is when the days are fine and 
 the nights frosty. After the liquor is thus 
 collected, it is boiled down to the consistency 
 of thin treacle. It is then strained through 
 a coarse woollen cloth, and afterwards boiled 
 again at a slower fire till it becomes hard and 
 firm like raw sugar. It is at present much 
 used in the United States, and always sells 
 at a higher rate than that from the West 
 Indies. On the land now under considera- 
 tion, Mr. Oakes had broken up about twelve 
 acres, three of which were sown with wheat, 
 and the remaining nine ready to be sown 
 with Indian corn, oats, &c. the following 
 spring. As we liked the situation and land 
 very much and were wishful to be settled, 
 the agreement was completed that evening, 
 and the money paid and possession obtained 
 the following day. The reader is aware that 
 the sixty dollars given to Mr. Oakes, were 
 only for his house, improvement right, sugar- 
 making utensils, &c. One hundred more we 
 paid at the land office, at Quincy, and we ob- 
 tained the usual certificate or title deeds; and 
 thus by the first of December, having spent 
 
 ^Apparently the co-author of Mrs. Burlend's narra- 
 tive nodded here. The tree in question is the sumac. 
 
 56
 
 S {Erue picture of emigration 
 
 about thirty pounds in travelling, thirty-five 
 more in land, &c. we were the rightful owners 
 of a farm of eighty acres, with a log house in 
 the centre of it.^ What more could we re- 
 quire? The reader will perceive in the next 
 chapter. 
 
 ^The farm which the immigrants thus obtained for 
 their home is legally known as the northeast ^ of the 
 northeast >^ of Section 6, Twp. 5 S, R. 2 W. of the 
 Fourth P. M. It lies about two miles east of Bethel 
 Cemetery, and about three miles north of the village of 
 Detroit, in northwestern Detroit Township. Three 
 miles to the northeast lies Valley City, formerly Philips 
 Ferry. The approach of the Burlends to the farm site 
 was, of course, by way of Philips Ferry. The original 
 cabin site was on the face of a sloping hillside, a few rods 
 from a spring which still gives forth a stream of clear, 
 cool water. 
 
 57
 
 Cljapter 4 
 
 DURING the time we were at lodgings 
 we had felt ourselves dependent, and 
 looked forward with anxious expec- 
 tation to the time when we might again taste 
 the sweets and independence of home, and 
 those enjoyments which are only to be ex- 
 pected at one's own fireside. That period 
 had now arrived. We had indeed a house 
 such as I have already described, but we had 
 no furniture except two large boxes, two 
 beds, and a few pots and cooking utensils; 
 besides, our provisions were just finished. 
 Till this time we had been using principally 
 the remains of biscuits, &c., purchased at 
 New Orleans. The first wants of nature 
 must be first attended to: whether we had a 
 chair to sit on or not, something to eat we 
 must have. Our nearest neighbour lived 
 about half-a-mile from us, and we were at 
 least two miles and a-half from any place at 
 which fiour was sold; thither, however, my 
 husband went, and as our money was grow- 
 ing scarce, he bought a bushel of ground In- 
 dian corn, which was only one-third the price 
 of wheaten fiour; it was there sold for thirty 
 cents a bushel. Its taste is not pleasant to 
 
 58
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 persons unaccustomed to it; but as it is 
 wholesome food, it is much used for mak- 
 ing bread. We had now some meal, but no 
 yeast, nor an oven; we were therefore obliged 
 to make sad paste, and bake it in our frying 
 pan on some hot ashes. We procured a little 
 milk of our nearest neighbour, Mr. Paddock, 
 which, on account of the severe frosts that 
 prevail in Illinois, we generally received in 
 lumps of ice. 
 
 Thus we lived the first few weeks at our 
 new estate. Hasty pudding, sad bread, and 
 a little venison which we had left, were our 
 ordinary food. The greater part of my hus- 
 band's time was spent in cutting and pre- 
 paring wood for our fires. About this time 
 we made further purchases of a cow and 
 calf, for which we paid fourteen dollars, a 
 young mare, which cost us twenty dollars, 
 two pigs, and a shallow flat-bottomed iron 
 pan, with a cover to it, to bake in. This is 
 the common, and indeed almost the only 
 kind of oven used in Illinois. It is vulgarly 
 called a skellit. To make it hot it is im- 
 mersed in glowing embers, the lid is then 
 removed till the dough is put in; it is then 
 replaced and ashes again thrown over it, till 
 the cake is baked. Hence it will be perceived 
 that a quantity of bread beforehand is un- 
 known in Illinois: their custom is to bake a 
 
 59
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 cake to each meal, which is generally very 
 good; eggs and milk being so plentiful, are 
 regularly used in their bread, along with a 
 little celeratus to lighten it, whereby it be- 
 comes very rich and nutritive. 
 
 The Illinois settlers live somewhat differ- 
 ently from the English peasantry; the former 
 have only three meals a-day, and not much 
 variety in them: bread, butter, coffee, and 
 bacon, are always brought to the table, but 
 fresh meat is a rarity, and is never obtained 
 as in England by going to a butcher for it. 
 In Illinois the farmers all kill their own cat- 
 tle, and salt what is not used immediately; 
 sometimes, however, they distribute por- 
 tions among their neighbours, with the view 
 of receiving as much again when they kill 
 theirs. It is by no means uncommon for an 
 old settler to have a couple of fowls, ducks, 
 a goose, or a turkey to dinner; and, generally 
 speaking, everybody has plenty of plain good 
 food. [The object contemplated in this work 
 requires that I should occasionally leave my 
 own history, to render more complete the 
 information I have to impart; I hope, there- 
 fore, the reader will not think me incoherent. 
 To proceed:] we bought the live stock above 
 described of Mr. Oakes, and as it was winter, 
 we wanted something with which to feed 
 them. Indian corn is nearly the only winter 
 
 60
 
 a tKrue picture of (Emigration 
 
 food used in Illinois; and as the culture and 
 management of it occupy a great portion of 
 the farmer's time and industry, it may be 
 not out of place to explain the method of 
 cultivating it: the land intended for Indian 
 corn should be ploughed and harrowed once 
 or twice to make the earth loose and mellow, 
 that the roots may strike with greater free- 
 dom; furrows are then made at the distance 
 of about a yard from each other: these are 
 afterwards crossed by other furrows made 
 at right angles to the first, and about the 
 same distance apart; by this means the field 
 appears divided into numberless little square 
 portions, each somewhat less than a square 
 yard as if hollowed at the centre; into each of 
 these crossings four seeds are thrown, and 
 slightly covered with a hoe; this is done in 
 the beginning of March, and after the young 
 blades make their appearance the plough is 
 occasionally drawn along between the rows, 
 for the purpose of checking weeds and keep- 
 ing the mould as light as possible; as these 
 groups of plants are so far apart, kidney 
 beans, melons, and pumpkins are frequently 
 sown among them, for which the strong 
 stems of the corn are excellent supports. 
 Indian corn usually ripens about the be- 
 ginning of October, and is of an immense 
 produce. There are commonly four or five 
 
 6i
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 ears to each stem, each ear having from five 
 hundred to a thousand grains in it.^ As the 
 ears ripen they gradually assume a pendent 
 form, and are in that position severally over- 
 hung with the leaves of the plant, which 
 form a sort of sheath, securely protecting 
 them from rain; in this manner, when prop- 
 erly ripened, it will remain in perfect safety 
 all winter uncut; and it is by no means un- 
 common to sow the land with wheat before 
 the corn crop is all removed. It is not always 
 allowed to ripen; part of the crop is often 
 cut, when the corn is about half-fed, which 
 being dried in the sun, the stem and leaves 
 make excellent hay; in this state it is both 
 hay and corn, and is in fact the only hay the 
 farmer preserves for winter, of which he 
 makes small stacks of a peculiar construc- 
 tion, so as not to require thatching. Noth- 
 ing can be more beautiful than a field of 
 Indian corn in full blossom, and perhaps 
 
 ^It seems probable that Edward Burlend, who never 
 saw America, misunderstood what his mother actually 
 told him concerning the corn crop. A yield of four or 
 five ears of corn to a single stalk is so uncommon that 
 the Editor, who grew up on an Iowa farm cannot re- 
 member ever having seen a single example. The Illinois 
 River bottom land is very rich and still produces splen- 
 did crops of corn, but the statement that a yield of four 
 or five ears to the stalk was common, even a century 
 ago, is evidently erroneous. 
 
 62
 
 S tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 nothing in nature displays the munificence of 
 Providence more strikingly than this match- 
 less plant. In order to supply our cattle with 
 winter meat, we applied to Mr. Paddock, our 
 nearest neighbour, who sold us part of a field 
 unreaped; some of it we cut down and took 
 home, the rest we allowed to stand and 
 turned our cattle to it. The reader may think 
 it strange that we should turn cattle into the 
 fields in the depth of winter, especially as 
 the winters are there more severe than in 
 England; it is however the regular custom: 
 the cattle are inured to it, as they are never 
 kept up any part of the year, either day or 
 night. The two pigs we had bought we were 
 obliged to kill shortly after we purchased 
 them, as we wanted them for our own use, and 
 we wished to spare the small stock of Indian 
 corn we had on hand. The reader must also 
 know our money was nearly done: I believe 
 we had not more than four or five dollars re- 
 maining; part of it we were obliged to spend 
 in sulphur, to cure what is called the Illinois 
 mange, from which we were all suffering. 
 
 This complaint invariably attacks new set- 
 tlers, shortly after their arrival, and is a com- 
 plete scourge until it is removed. The body 
 breaks out all over in little spots, attended 
 with intolerable itching. It is generally at- 
 tributed to the change of water, but as theirs 
 
 63
 
 a 3Crue picture of ©migration 
 
 possesses no peculiarity of taste, I cannot 
 understand how that can be the cause. We 
 were soon cured after using the sulphur, and 
 never felt anything more of it.^ 
 
 It has already been said that when we en- 
 tered our house we had no furniture; this in- 
 convenience my husband, although no joiner, 
 had undertaken to remove, by making for 
 himself and me each a stool, and a low bench 
 for our children, or more properly a log of 
 wood, squared and laid across the hearth for 
 a seat. He had also contrived to make a 
 table, which if not as neat as those used in 
 England, was quite as substantial: having 
 met with a section of a strong tree about two 
 feet long, he rolled it into the house, and set 
 it upon its end; had it been a little longer, its 
 
 ^The "Illinois Mange," a well-known pioneer afflic- 
 tion, as the name itself indicates, seems not to trouble 
 present-day denizens of Pike County. Mr. Francis 
 Allen, a grandson of our author and now eighty years 
 of age, who has lived his entire life in the county, in- 
 formed the Editor that he had never heard of the dis- 
 ease. Jess M.Thompson, however, local historian (and 
 a great-grandson of Mrs. Burlend) is familiar with its 
 early-day prevalence in the county. He relates that 
 local opinion attributed its occurrence to the rotting of 
 plowed-under vegetation. Another theory attributed 
 its ravages to the decayed fish which perished with the 
 drying-up of ponds along the river bottoms. At Atlas, 
 Pike County, the disease assumed the proportions of an 
 epidemic in 1 821, when many of the settlers died from it. 
 
 64
 
 S ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 upper surface would have been just what we 
 wanted; we however nailed a few boards 
 upon it, making them fit as well as we could, 
 and having covered it with a cloth to conceal 
 its roughness, it was far from being con- 
 temptible, at least for persons like us, who 
 had been some days without any. As to 
 bedsteads, we were a few weeks before we 
 got any; of course we had them to make our- 
 selves, and as we were ill furnished with 
 tools and unaccustomed to such employ- 
 ment, when they were finished they served 
 rather to shew how little ornament is abso- 
 lutely necessary, than our skill as expert car- 
 penters. 
 
 Hitherto the light of the fire had served us 
 instead of a candle, which was very incon- 
 venient, as I wished to sew a little in the eve- 
 nings. It is certainly true that days are 
 never so short as in England, nevertheless 
 we were very wishful to have some candles. 
 The inhabitants commonly make their own, 
 in tin moulds; but as we had neither moulds 
 nor tallow, we were obliged to put a little 
 lard into a saucer, and light a piece of rag 
 previously inserted in it; by this we could see 
 to sew and read pretty well; but as the rag 
 frequently got immersed in the melted lard 
 it was very troublesome, and by constant 
 use we had three or four saucers broken with 
 
 6s
 
 ^ ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 the heat, a circumstance much to be re- 
 gretted, as pots of all kinds are dear in Illi- 
 nois. To prevent a recurrence of this misfor- 
 tune we ultimately made use of our kettle 
 lid, inserting the knob or holder into a piece 
 of board to make it stand. 
 
 Our next great inconvenience was want of 
 soap: having however learnt from Mrs. Phil- 
 lips the method of making it, we were by this 
 time in a state of readiness for supplying our- 
 selves. The reader will remember we had 
 before this time killed two pigs, the entrails 
 of which we had cleaned and preserved, 
 along with the bits of offal, rendering, scraps, 
 &c., and now the finest of our ashes were 
 collected and put into a large wooden trough, 
 and boiling water poured over them, whence 
 we obtained a strong solution of potash, 
 which we poured off and boiled down; fresh 
 ashes were then used as before, and a fresh 
 solution obtained; the whole was next boiled 
 down to about one third of the original quan- 
 tity, by which means the solution became so 
 caustic, that it would have taken the skin off 
 one's fingers in a moment. In this state the 
 waste meat and entrails were mixed with it, 
 which it very soon assimilated. After it had 
 obtained the consistency of soft soap, it was 
 poured into a vessel appropriated for the 
 purpose, to be ready for use. 
 
 66
 
 3 tKrue picture of emigration 
 
 This is the manner the American peas- 
 antry supply themselves with soap. Their 
 practice of burning wood furnishes them 
 with potash, which they saturate with other 
 ingredients as above described. Since we 
 were thus obliged to provide necessaries for 
 ourselves in a manner very different from 
 that to which we had been accustomed in 
 England, it may be asked if there are no 
 shops in that country. Illinois, it must be 
 known, is very thinly populated, and on that 
 account it is not the situation for shopkeep- 
 ers. There are, however, in various places, 
 what are termed store keepers, who supply 
 the settlers with articles the most needed, 
 such as food, clothing, implements of hus- 
 bandry, medicine, and spirituous liquors: for 
 which they receive in exchange the produce 
 of their farms, consisting of wheat, Indian 
 corn, sugar, beef, bacon, &c. As these store- 
 keepers exercise a sort of monopoly over a 
 certain district, their profits are great, and 
 they often become wealthy. Besides their 
 store, they often have a saw-mill and a corn- 
 mill, at which they grind the corn they ob- 
 tain from the farmers, for the purpose of 
 sending it to New Orleans, or some other 
 place where it can be readily sold. Stores 
 therefore are in Illinois, nearly what markets 
 are in England, only there is more barter in 
 
 67
 
 ^ Crue picture of emigration 
 
 the former country. The mills in that neigh- 
 bourhood are chiefly turned by water. 
 
 We were destined to be unfortunate with 
 the young mare we had purchased of Mr. 
 Oakes. Having been accustomed to run in 
 the fields with other horses, she would not 
 settle with our cow and calf. Every day she 
 was lost; no fences could turn her. We were 
 therefore obliged to sell her, or rather ex- 
 change for one not near so good; only she 
 was expected to have a foal the following 
 spring. Shortly after we had parted with the 
 young mare, my husband found two strange 
 horses in the field feeding upon our corn, he 
 turned them out and returned home. On 
 going to the field again they were there a 
 second time; he felt assured some one had 
 turned them in, as the fences were all good. 
 The next morning explained the circum- 
 stance, for the horses being in the field as 
 before, he was about to drive them out, when 
 a tall man hastened towards him, and bade 
 him desist, telling him that the horses were 
 his and he intended them to be there. My 
 husband remonstrated with him on the in- 
 justice of such behaviour, and persevered in 
 his attempts to drive them out; at which the 
 person, whose name was Brevet, went up to 
 him, and struck him a blow on the forehead 
 with his fist, and threatened further violence 
 
 68
 
 S tCrue picture of €misration 
 
 if he did not allow them to remain. Seeing 
 that physical force was the only available 
 argument, my husband began to prepare for 
 resistance; but calling to mind the situation 
 of his family, and not knowing what perfidy 
 might be resorted to, he wisely concluded to 
 leave the man and his horses where they 
 were. I mention this circumstance princi- 
 pally to shew how much we were indebted to 
 an over-ruling Providence for the preserva- 
 tion of my husband's life on this occasion. 
 We afterwards learnt that Brevet was a pest 
 to the neighbourhood, and that he had told 
 one of his acquaintances of this interview, 
 and declared he would have stabbed my 
 partner with a large dirk which he always 
 carried with him, if he had resisted. In a 
 short time afterwards he left the neighbour- 
 hood, dreaded or detested by all who knew 
 him. 
 
 We have already seen that considerable 
 labour is required to prepare fuel, as a good 
 fire in America is essential during the winter 
 season. The frosts are intensely keen, a wide 
 river is sometimes iced over in a single night, 
 so as to be unnavigable. Every thing of a 
 fluid nature, exposed to the weather, is 
 formed into a solid. For two or three months 
 the milk freezing as soon as it is taken from 
 the cows, affords no cream, consequently no 
 
 69
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 butter. It is nevertheless possible to obtain 
 butter, by keeping the churn near the fire, 
 and churning cream and milk both together; 
 but as this method is exceedingly trouble- 
 some it is seldom practised. The nights in 
 winter are at once inexpressibly cold, and 
 poetically fine. The sky is almost invariably 
 clear, and the stars shine with a brilliancy 
 entirely unknown in the humid atmosphere 
 of England. Cold as it was, often did I, dur- 
 ing the first winter, stand at the door of our 
 cabin, admiring their lustre and listening to 
 the wolves, whose bowlings, among the leaf- 
 less woods at this season, are almost unceas- 
 ing. These animals are numerous in Amer- 
 ica; and, unless the sheep be regularly folded, 
 their depredations are extensively injurious, 
 as they lacerate the throats of nearly all the 
 flock; sometimes also they will seize young 
 pigs, but as they fear the old ones, unless 
 they are impelled by hunger, these animals 
 are not in much danger. The timid submis- 
 sive sheep is always their favourite prey. 
 
 The reader will perceive we had not much 
 intercourse with the rest of the world. For a 
 while no one seemed to notice us, except 
 Mr. B., our neighbour Mr. Paddock, and 
 one Mr. Burns, who lived about two miles 
 off, (all are Misters in America.) But indeed 
 the villainous conduct of Mr. Brevet had 
 
 70
 
 9 tErue picture of emigration 
 
 made us so suspicious, that we scarcely 
 knew whether to wish for an increased circle 
 of acquaintance, or entire seclusion. One 
 thing was very afflictive, our being deprived 
 of Christian Sabbath ordinances. We always 
 honoured that day, by abstaining from our 
 accustomed labour; we read our Bible, and 
 meditated thereon: but Sabbath after Sab- 
 bath passed away without our once being 
 able to assemble with those who 'keep holy 
 day,' or in the great congregation to unite our 
 tribute of praise, with the aspirations of 
 those whose sentiments are 'how amiable 
 are thy tabernacles O Lord of Hosts!' At 
 this time we were five miles from any place 
 where public worship was regularly con- 
 ducted; subsequently preaching-houses much 
 nearer were opened, the character of which 
 will be noticed in its proper place. 
 
 The motives which occasioned this work 
 to be written require that a strict regard to 
 truth be maintained; and, in matters of fact, 
 that nothing be introduced calculated to 
 mislead, either by deterring or alluring; this 
 rule has hitherto been carefully observed. 
 Am I then asked if we thus far were satisfied 
 with the step we had taken, my answer is, we 
 regretted it very much. We had indeed 
 plenty of corn-bread and milk, but neither 
 beer nor tea; coffee was our chief beverage, 
 
 71
 
 S Wvnt picture of Emigration 
 
 which we used very sparingly, for want of 
 money. All the water we wanted we had to 
 thaw, and during the nights, on account of 
 the severe frosts, we were very cold indeed; 
 although we always kept the fire burning. 
 Our bed-clothes we had taken with us from 
 England, and we were unable to procure any 
 more, as they were dear, and our means 
 almost exhausted. We had indeed some 
 good land, but it was nearly all uncultivated, 
 and we had nothing to sell except our cattle,, 
 which we wanted. The only ground of hope 
 we had was in our industry and persever- 
 ance. My husband worked very hard; the 
 little time we had to spare, after feeding the 
 cattle and procuring fuel, was spent in split- 
 ting trees to make rails. All the fences here 
 are made of rails, there are no thorns in the 
 neighbourhood. The method of fencing is 
 peculiar: they use no posts; but having pre- 
 pared their rails, they lay one down on the 
 ground, where they wish to make a fence; 
 not precisely in the same direction as the line 
 of their intended fence, but making a small 
 angle with it. Another rail is then laid down 
 with its end overreaching the first, with 
 which it forms a cross like the letter X, only 
 instead of the crossing being at the centre, 
 it is near the end of each rail. A third is then 
 made to cross the second as before, and so on 
 
 72
 
 3 tErue picture of €misration 
 
 to an indefinite length. On each side of these 
 several crossings a stake is driven into the 
 ground to prevent their being removed. 
 Other rails are then placed upon these, cross- 
 ing each other in a similar manner, till the 
 fence is as high as it is required. Generally 
 they are about nine rails high. From the 
 description here given, the reader will per- 
 ceive that the fences are not straight as in 
 England, but in a continued zig-zag. The 
 reason for this difference is, timber and land 
 are of comparatively little value in America, 
 while their method requires less labour than 
 ours. 
 
 In this manner we spent our first winter; 
 we had plenty of work; our amusements even 
 tended to advantage. Great numbers of 
 quails frequented our home-stead to feed on 
 our small stock of Indian corn; we caught 
 several of them with snares, which were ex- 
 cellent eating. My husband also shot a few 
 rabbits, of which there are vast numbers in 
 America. We likewise saw several deer, but 
 as we had no rifle, we could not kill any. We 
 observed several kinds of birds, which we 
 had not before seen, one in particular, which 
 we took to be a species of turkey, engaged 
 our attention; my husband tried several 
 times to kill one, without effect. One Satur- 
 day, however, he was successful, and brought 
 
 73
 
 tirue picture of emigration 
 
 home his game with as much apparent con- 
 sciousness of triumph, as if he had slain some 
 champion hydra of the forest. The following 
 day we expected Mr. B., who by this time 
 had received his money, to dine with us. We 
 accordingly dressed our bird, and congratu- 
 lated ourselves with the idea of having our 
 countryman to dine with us on a fine boiled 
 turkey. Sunday morning arrived, and in 
 due time our turkey was in the pot boiling 
 for dinner. Mr. B. came; we told him how 
 happy we were on account of the treat we 
 were going to give him. He was surprised 
 at our story, as those birds are difficult to 
 obtain with a common fowling-piece, and de- 
 sired to see the feet and head. But the mo- 
 ment he saw them, he exclaimed 'it's a buz- 
 zard,' a bird which, we subsequently learnt, 
 gormandizes any kind of filth or carrion, and 
 consequently is not fit to be eaten. We were 
 sorely disappointed; our turkey was hoisted 
 into the yard, and we were obliged to be con- 
 tented with a little bacon, and a coarse In- 
 dian corn pudding, for which our stomachs 
 were not altogether unprepared, although 
 recently in anticipation of more sumptuous 
 fare. The reader may think we were stupid 
 not to know a turkey; the bird in question is 
 very much like one, and indeed on that ac- 
 count is called in Illinois a turkey-buzzard. 
 
 74
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 As spring approached we felt some symp- 
 toms of those hopes which had animated us 
 in England with reference to our success as 
 emigrants. Man's career in prospective is 
 always brilliant; and it is providentially or- 
 dered that it should be so. Could we have 
 foreseen our destiny, the prospect would 
 have thrown us into despair. It would have 
 robbed us of much present enjoyment, and 
 unfitted our minds for the difficulties with 
 which we had to struggle. I am, however, 
 anticipating my history. The symptoms to 
 which I referred originated with the idea of 
 being the cultivators of our own land. How 
 those prospects were realized, the sequel will 
 explain. By the beginning of March our 
 Indian corn was done, and it had served so 
 long only through the greatest care. There 
 was however by this time a little fresh grass 
 in the woods, to which we were very glad to 
 turn our little stock, consisting as before 
 stated of a cow and calf, and a mare near 
 foaling. As this method of summering cattle 
 in America is peculiar to that country, and 
 affords to the farmer considerable advan- 
 tages, I shall endeavour to be explicit in the 
 account of it, which I am about to give. I 
 must then premise that all unenclosed lands, 
 whether purchased of government or other- 
 wise, are considered common pasturage; and 
 
 75
 
 Si WvvLt picture of Emigration 
 
 as there are in Illinois thousands of acres in 
 that state, any person can keep as many 
 cattle during summer as he chooses. They 
 are turned out at spring, and thus run where 
 they please. A person unacquainted with 
 these habits would naturally be afraid of 
 losing them in such immeasurable regions. 
 This, however, seldom happens. There are 
 few animals having a sufficiency of food that 
 are fond of ranging over strange domains. 
 Even in this country we observe foxes and 
 hares to have their favourite haunts, from 
 which it is difficult to break them. Domesti- 
 cated animals manifest this principle of at- 
 tachment still more strongly. Hence no 
 American farmer, having his cattle on the 
 range, would fear being able to find them in 
 a few hours; and indeed a person unac- 
 quainted with the haunts of any certain 
 herd, would most probably go directly to- 
 wards them. Rivers and smaller streams 
 have certainly some confining influence, but 
 independent of that, their habits are to fre- 
 quent those situations only to which they 
 are accustomed. In that country cattle have 
 a great liking for salt, and indeed it seems 
 essential to their health, particularly in sum- 
 mer. An English farmer would smile to see 
 a herd of cattle contending with each other 
 over a few handfuls of dry salt which had 
 
 76
 
 ^ tlrue picture of emigration 
 
 been thrown on the floor for them. This is 
 seen every day in America. The milch cows 
 require more of it than the rest, and unless 
 they are regularly served with it, their milk 
 becomes unpleasant. This induces them to 
 come to their stand to be milked twice-a- 
 day. Oxen and heifers will take no harm if 
 they have a little twice-a-week, or even not 
 so often. Where so many different herds of 
 cattle run at large, there is a greater danger 
 of their intermixing than of their being lost. 
 To prevent this, great care is taken by each 
 grazier at the spring to mark his own. Some 
 cut their ears in various ways. Others burn 
 certain marks on their horns with a hot iron. 
 There is not, however, much confusion. The 
 cattle which have been fed together during 
 winter, most generally associate with each 
 other in summer; all having an unaccount- 
 able attachment to the master beast of the 
 herd, apparently considering his presence a 
 source of protection or honour. For this rea- 
 son the owner usually suspends a bell round 
 this animal's neck, which enables him to 
 find his cattle with greater ease. Hence the 
 phrase, 'bear the bell,' is common even in 
 this country. In this manner the cattle 
 graze during summer, and when the pastur- 
 age fails, they cease to range; but besetting 
 their master's cabin with incessant lowings 
 
 77
 
 a ®rue picture of Cmi'station 
 
 remind him that winter is approaching, and 
 that their claims to his bounty deserve at- 
 tention, and must have it. At this time if 
 any strange cattle have joined the herd, the 
 law requires that the farmer cause them to 
 be valued, and their mark to be taken down 
 and sent to four of the nearest mills for pub- 
 licity; if they are not owned within a year 
 they belong to the herd. 
 
 I must now leave our small herd of cattle 
 running in the woods, to acquaint the reader 
 with our first summer's performances and 
 success. The first fruits of our industry were 
 derived from our sugar orchard, the care of 
 which devolved principally on me. We were 
 in want of nearly all kinds of implements of 
 husbandry, without the means of procuring 
 them, except by running into debt, a prac- 
 tice which we felt reluctant to adopt. Our 
 sugar trees therefore at this time afforded us 
 a seasonable boon. The weather was favour- 
 able, and by hard working we made nearly 
 three hundred weight, besides a barrel of 
 molasses. We disposed of the greater part 
 of it to a store-keeper named Mr. Varley, at 
 the rate of seven or eight cents per pound. It 
 must not be understood that we got money 
 for it. Business is seldom transacted after 
 that manner in Illinois. My meaning is we 
 were allowed to take anything we wanted 
 
 78
 
 ^ tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 from the store by paying for it with sugar at 
 the above rate. Our first care was to have 
 some Indian corn for seed, and some more 
 meal for our own use, which at that time we 
 wanted. We likewise obtained a little coffee, 
 two or three hoes, and a Yankee axe, which 
 is much larger and broader than the one 
 used in this country, and better adapted for 
 the every-day business of hewing large 
 blocks of timber for fuel and other purposes. 
 And now, kind reader, if thou hast any in- 
 tentions of being an emigrant, I cordially 
 wish thee success; but before thou forsakest 
 the endearments of thy present home, con- 
 sider the situation in which we were placed 
 with a helpless family dependent upon us. 
 Thou hast seen us expend our little money 
 with the utmost frugality; thou art ac- 
 quainted with our possessions, real and per- 
 sonal. It was now the middle of March, 
 when Indian corn, the most useful produce 
 of that country, must be sown, or the season 
 would be past. We had land and seed, but 
 no plough, nor any team, except an old mare, 
 that we feared would scarcely live while she 
 foaled, and consequently we could not yoke 
 her. What could we do? If we did not sow 
 we could not reap; we should have nothing 
 to feed our cattle with the ensuing winter. 
 Labor omnia vincit was our motto. We set 
 
 79
 
 a tKrue picture of emigration 
 
 to work with our hoes; I, husband, and son, 
 the latter under ten years of age, and day 
 after day, for three successive weeks, did we 
 toil with unwearied diligence till we had 
 sown and covered in nearly four acres. We 
 should probably have sown more, had not 
 the rains which fall in torrents at this season 
 prevented us. Whilst referring to the 
 weather, it will be proper to observe that 
 during the month of April in Illinois, a great 
 quantity of rain usually falls, accompanied 
 almost invariably with thunder storms of a 
 most awful character. A person who has 
 lived only in England can have but an im- 
 perfect conception of these electrical phe- 
 nomena. They happen most frequently in 
 the night, which considerably increases their 
 power of striking terror through the most 
 intrepid bosom. The weather is at this time 
 close and sultry, and as the sun declines the 
 sky becomes gradually overcast; midnight 
 arrives, a pitchy darkness overhangs the 
 earth; by and by the wind begins to roar in 
 the trees, and the hoarse thunder in the dis- 
 tance announces the coming of the storm. 
 As it approaches the thunder claps wax 
 louder and louder, while the lightning be- 
 gins to play across the gloomy firmament, 
 in a most awful and terrific manner. Every 
 moment the voice of the thunder acquires 
 
 80
 
 ^ 3Crue picture of emigration 
 
 additional compass, never ceasing even for a 
 moment; but before one peal has well broken 
 on the ear, it is drowned by another still 
 more tremendous and loud. The lightning 
 is even more overpowering than the thunder. 
 One moment all is in obscurity, a second the 
 heavens seem rent asunder, the bright blue 
 lightning dancing in all directions with a 
 frightful and deadly velocity; meanwhile the 
 rain descends in torrents, threatening to 
 sweep away the foundation of the dwelling. 
 The length of time these storms continue is 
 generally about an hour. The first I wit- 
 nessed made an impression on my mind that 
 will never be forgotten; my senses were com- 
 pletely disordered: I became alarmed at the 
 slightest noise, and for a while felt more 
 afraid of a thunder storm than of any calam- 
 ity which appeared in the power of misfor- 
 tune to inflict upon me. Probably my late 
 anxieties and bereavement preying on my 
 mind had indisposed my nerves for such 
 phenomena, at once terrific, awful, and sub- 
 lime. But whatever was the cause, I have 
 great pleasure in stating that I soon got the 
 better of my timidity. Trees have frequently 
 been struck near our house, but hitherto 
 no accident has befallen us. We now con- 
 sider these storms rather as annoying than 
 dangerous; one reason perhaps is that a 
 
 8i
 
 ^ tBxnt picture of emigration 
 
 dry log house is a bad conductor of the 
 electric fluid. 
 
 About this time we were sorely tormented 
 with another scourge, which unlike the one 
 just noticed, possessed exceedingly little of a 
 poetical or sublime character. It certainly 
 operated on the nerves powerfully enough, 
 but that in a manner rather calculated to 
 move the lower than the more elevated pas- 
 sions of our nature. I refer to the musqui- 
 toes; swarms of which infest that country 
 during spring and autumn, much to the 
 annoyance of its inhabitants. This trouble- 
 some insect is not unlike the gnat, which in 
 this country so often terminates its existence 
 by flying into the candle. Its bite is slightly 
 venomous, causing small blisters somewhat 
 like those occasioned by the sting of a nettle, 
 only the pain attending it is more acute. 
 They are the most numerous in low situa- 
 tions, or among thick woods where the heat 
 is less oppressive. This insect cannot bear 
 great heats, and on that account is never 
 seen during the hottest weather, except in 
 very shady places. It is always most trouble- 
 some in the nights; and as it makes a con- 
 stant humming when it flies, it is a most 
 noisy as well as a most unwelcome guest in 
 a lodging room. I do assure the reader I have 
 lain for hours together with a handkerchief 
 
 82
 
 3 ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 in my hand, fanning them from my face, 
 when a little sleep would have been a more 
 seasonable relaxation. Various methods are 
 practised to drive them off or avoid them. 
 We frequently made a fire at the door, and 
 covered it with green leaves to make as much 
 smoke as possible, and thereby to banish 
 them from the neighbourhood; but the mo- 
 ment the smoke was dissipated they again 
 made their appearance as numerous as flies 
 in England on a summer day. Many persons 
 make what are termed musquito hangings 
 for their beds; these are constructed of laths 
 strung together so closely as not to allow a 
 space for them to pass through. They sel- 
 dom are seen on the prairies, or indeed in 
 any place remote from thick shady woods; 
 thus some of our neighbours have been 
 quite free from them, while we were tor- 
 tured incessantly. We however had the ad- 
 vantage of being near fuel, a consideration 
 of great importance in that country, espe- 
 cially as the soil of wood land is always 
 more valuable than that of the prairies, 
 and when cleared is likewise free from mus- 
 quitoes. 
 
 Having referred to the prairies, it may 
 perhaps be necessary to be a little more ex- 
 plicit. Many persons in England have a 
 wrong idea of the uncultivated lands in 
 
 83
 
 ^ ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 America, imagining they are all wood. This 
 is by no means the case. In Illinois there are 
 thousands of acres with not a tree upon it, 
 but covered with a sort of strong wild grass, 
 growing sometimes three or four feet high. 
 These lands are termed prairies, and require 
 only to be broken up with a prairie plough, 
 and they become at once fine arable land. 
 As I before intimated, this kind of land, 
 though the soonest cultivated, is not the 
 most productive being, as the farmers term 
 it, of a stronger quality than the other. The 
 soil of both prairies and woodland is quite 
 black, probably owing to the vegetable mat- 
 ter, which for ages has decayed thereon. At 
 the season of the year now under notice, 
 these prairies present to the eye a most 
 charming appearance. Let the reader im- 
 agine himself by the side of a rich meadow, 
 or fine grass plain several miles in diameter, 
 decked with myriads of flowers of a most 
 gorgeous and varied description, and he will 
 have before his mind a pretty correct rep- 
 resentation of one of these prairies. Noth- 
 ing can surpass in richness of colour, or 
 beauty of formation many of the flowers 
 which are found in the most liberal profu- 
 sion on these extensive and untrodden wilds. 
 The naturalist would here meet with abun- 
 dance of materials for his genius to arrange, 
 
 84
 
 ^ ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 while the poet, reminded of his elegies, would 
 
 perceive how — 
 
 "Many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
 And waste its sweetness on the desert air." 
 
 In contrasting the hues of flowers grown in 
 America with those in England, I must ac- 
 knowledge that the former country presents 
 the more splendid; but if they are superior in 
 colour, they are much inferior in odour. Per- 
 haps the superabundance of light and heat, 
 which produces such fine colour, is prejudi- 
 cial to the production of odoriferous plants, 
 as any thing at all approaching the fragrance 
 of the honey suckle or sweet briar, I never 
 witnessed in America. In the woody dis- 
 tricts, the trees most commonly met with 
 are the oak, ichory, walnut and sugar maple, 
 besides a great deal of underwood and wild 
 fruit trees of the plum family. i\s all these 
 grow in a wild state, it is not to be supposed 
 that the trees are as numerous as they are in 
 the plantations of this country. The strong 
 timber trees grow at various distances from 
 each other, sometimes being as near to each 
 other as they can possibly grow, at others 
 twenty or thirty yards apart. They not only 
 vary considerably in this respect, but also in 
 magnitude and age. Not a few are to be 
 found in the last stage of decay, their patri- 
 archal dignity gradually submitting to the 
 
 8s
 
 S Wxnt picture of Cmisration 
 
 all-subduing influence of time. Numbers 
 more are quite hollow, in which bees, owls, 
 and rabbits severally find shelter and propa- 
 gate their species. Every thing here bears 
 the mark of ancient undisturbed repose. 
 The golden age still appears, and when the 
 woodman with his axe enters these territories 
 for the first time, he cannot resist the impres- 
 sion that he is about to commit a trespass on 
 the virgin loveliness of nature, that he is go- 
 ing to bring into captivity what has been 
 free for centuries. 
 
 In resuming the thread of my narrative, I 
 have to state, that as soon as we had sown 
 our Indian corn, and planted a few potatoes, 
 we began to prepare for taking in more land, 
 although we had four or five acres unsown of 
 that which Mr. Oakes had broken up. We 
 hoped, nevertheless, that before another sea- 
 son we should be able to plough and sow in a 
 regular manner. Accordingly my husband 
 worked hard every day with his grubbing 
 hoe and axe, tearing up the roots of under- 
 wood and cutting down some of the largest 
 trees. When trees are cut down in America, 
 as little regard is paid to the timber, they do 
 not cut them off level with the ground as in 
 England, but about three feet from it. The 
 remaining part is burnt after it has been ex- 
 posed to the sun's rays a few months. Many 
 
 86
 
 S Wvnt picture of emigration 
 
 trees however are allowed to remain stand- 
 ing, after the bark has been cut, to cause 
 them to die. In this state they remain even 
 after the land is sown, for, being destitute of 
 foliage, they do no harm to the crop. 
 
 While my husband was thus engaged I 
 frequently went to him, and, assisted by our 
 little boy, gathered the most portable pieces 
 of brushwood, and took them to our cabin to 
 be ready for fuel; thus, by continued exer- 
 tions, we had cleared three or four acres by 
 the end of May, and made a fence half round 
 the piece we intended to enclose as our next 
 field, consisting of about eight acres. Before 
 this time our old mare had foaled, and as we 
 partly expected, only survived that event a 
 few weeks. Near our house there is a sort of 
 rivulet, termed in lUinois a branch, in which 
 one Sunday evening, after we had walked 
 ten miles in going to and from the chapel, we 
 found her laid; we got her out with the help 
 of a rope, and after a while she appeared 
 little worse; a week or two afterwards, how- 
 ever, her foal came by itself neighing to our 
 door; we were immediately assured that 
 something had befallen its mother, and set 
 out in search of her, whither the foal, going 
 before, led us as naturally as if it had been 
 endowed with reason; she had again fallen 
 into the branch, and was quite dead. The 
 
 87
 
 ^ Wvnt picture of emigration 
 
 foal, notwithstanding its loss, throve very- 
 well, and subsequently became a very valu- 
 able brood mare. 
 
 In the month of June, notwithstanding 
 our economy, we were obliged to purchase 
 some meal on credit. Mr. Varley, the store- 
 keeper, very willingly allowed us to have as 
 much as we wanted, and indeed offered to 
 sell us anything else on the same terms. His 
 miller, however, as soon as he knew we were 
 not giving ready money, only partly filled 
 the bushel, thereby making it dearer to us 
 than before, and we dared not complain to 
 his master for fear he should refuse it alto- 
 gether. The debt we contracted was very 
 small, — not a dollar — for which we had 
 bread for the family not less than six weeks; 
 the expiration of which brings us to the end 
 of our first wheat harvest, a season conspicu- 
 ous in my history on account of the severe 
 trials I then experienced. 
 
 88
 
 CJjapter 5 
 
 TOWARDS the end of June our three 
 acres of wheat began to look ripe, and 
 we consequently had to consider how 
 we should reap it; we had no sickles, nor were 
 any to be had under a dollar each; we there- 
 fore, self and husband, resolved to go to our 
 friend Mr. B., who lent us two, for which we 
 were thankful enough, although they were 
 poor ones. As we were returning home, my 
 husband had the misfortune to stumble over 
 a log of wood, and having a sickle in his 
 hand, he pitched upon the edge of it with his 
 knee, and cut it severely. We were then a 
 mile from home, and the wound bled pro- 
 fusely. I bound it up with a handkerchief, 
 and after a little faintness he was able to pro- 
 ceed. The next day, on examining the cut, 
 we found it to be more serious than we had 
 imagined: the symptoms were also bad; in- 
 stead of being warm and irritable, it was cold 
 and numb. In vain did we apply lotions, it 
 kept growing worse and worse. The follow- 
 ing day it began to swell very much, and to 
 be exceedingly painful at a distance from the 
 cut. The pain took away his appetite for 
 food, and symptoms of inflammation and 
 
 89
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 fever became rapidly apparent. My situa- 
 tion requires no comment: I could not but 
 perceive I was likely to lose my dearest 
 earthly friend, and with him all visible 
 means of supporting myself, or maintaining 
 my family. I was almost driven to frenzy. 
 Despair began to lay hold of me with his iron 
 sinews; I longed to exchange situations with 
 my husband; there was no one near to assist 
 or encourage me. My eldest child alone 
 manifested any signs of sympathy: the poor 
 boy went up to his father's bed, and with 
 affectionate and child-like simplicity said, 
 'don't die, father, don't die.' Meanwhile the 
 swelling increased; my husband had taken 
 nothing but a little coffee for two days. 
 Here was a crisis: I saw a short time would 
 determine whether I was to be reduced to a 
 situation the most wretched imaginable, or 
 see my husband restored to me again. The 
 latter idea seemed to contain all I had in this 
 world to cling to. I could not give it up. I 
 fomented the swelling with increased dili- 
 gence, till at length he began to perspire, and 
 his leg to possess its wonted sensibility. A 
 change for the better had evidently taken 
 place, and by degrees all the bad symptoms 
 disappeared. 
 
 On perceiving this, I felt myself the hap- 
 piest woman on earth, although my situation 
 
 90
 
 a tKrue picture of emigration 
 
 was still embarrassing. Our wheat was quite 
 ripe, indeed almost ready to shake, and if 
 not cut soon, would be lost. We had no 
 means of hiring reapers, and my husband 
 could not stir out. I was therefore obliged to 
 begin myself; I took my eldest child into the 
 field to assist me, and left the next in age to 
 attend to their father and take care of the 
 youngest, which was still unweaned. I 
 worked as hard as my strength would allow; 
 the weather was intolerably hot, so that I 
 was almost melted. In little more than a 
 week, however, we had it all cut down. 
 Meanwhile my husband had continued to 
 mend, and was now able to leave his bed and 
 sit in a chair, or rather on a stool placed near 
 the wall for support to his back, and made 
 further comfortable with the help of a pillow 
 or two. The wheat was still unhoused, and 
 exposed to the rays of the burning sun, by 
 which it was in danger of being dried so as to 
 waste on the slightest movement. It was 
 absolutely necessary that it should be gath- 
 ered together forthwith. Having neither 
 horses nor waggon, we here encountered 
 another difficulty. The work, however, could 
 not be postponed. With a little trouble I got 
 two strong rods, upon which I placed a num- 
 ber of sheaves near one end of them; I then 
 caused my little son to take hold of the 
 
 91
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 lighter end, and in this manner we gathered 
 together the whole of the three acres. My 
 partner had by this time so far recovered as 
 to be able to move about with the help of a 
 strong staff, or crutch, and thus he came to 
 the door to shew me how to place the sheaves 
 in forming the stack. The reader may prob- 
 ably suppose I am endeavouring to magnify 
 my own labours, when I tell him I reaped, 
 carried home, and stacked our whole crop of 
 wheat, consisting, as before stated, of three 
 acres, with no other assistance than that of 
 my little boy under ten years of age. 
 
 My statements are nevertheless uncol- 
 oured facts, and what renders them still less 
 credible, the work was performed in addition 
 to the attendance necessarily required by 
 my young family and sick husband, and dur- 
 ing the hottest part of the year, in a climate 
 notorious for excessive heat. I would not be 
 understood to represent the climate of Illi- 
 nois as greatly prejudicial to the health of 
 English emigrants. My health had hitherto 
 been much better there than in England, a 
 circumstance which I attribute in part to the 
 beneficial effects of the voyage, but still more 
 to the difference in the state of the atmos- 
 phere between America and England. The 
 reader must know that previous to leaving 
 this country I was slightly affected with 
 
 92
 
 S ®rue picture of (Emigration 
 
 asthmatic symptoms, which entirely left me 
 for a number of years after my arrival in 
 America. A dry air is always allowed to be 
 favourable to persons troubled with the 
 above disease; and it is no less notorious that 
 the atmosphere of England is comparatively 
 moist and humid, its insular situation being 
 probably a principal cause. Physical causes, 
 however, I pretend not to understand; I 
 merely refer to them because they seem to 
 bear upon the facts I have to narrate, and 
 because I deem it necessary to be precise and 
 perspicuous on a subject of such importance 
 to the emigrant as is the climate of the coun- 
 try to which his capabilities may be invited. 
 The atmosphere of Illinois then is much drier 
 than that of the British islands. This is ap- 
 parent from the comparatively few rainy 
 days that occur in that country: in summer 
 the droughts are excessive and long, from 
 which the corn crops sometimes suffer se- 
 verely; and in winter, during the two coldest 
 months, scarcely any rain falls. Spring and 
 autumn are often very rainy; but, even then, 
 the number of fine days is not less than those 
 in England during the same season. When 
 it does rain it falls in torrents, and is gener- 
 ally accompanied with thunder and light- 
 ning, as before stated; a circumstance which 
 corroborates the statements above-named 
 
 93
 
 ^ tirue picture of emigration 
 
 relative to the dryness of the air. A conti- 
 nental situation like that of Illinois must 
 necessarily be affected with greater extremes 
 of heat and cold than a country surrounded 
 by water like Britain. The influence of the 
 sun's rays in the latter place is considerably 
 diminished by the process of evaporation, 
 for which such facilities are offered where 
 water abounds; while on the other hand the 
 cold is less intense on account of the abun- 
 dance of caloric given out by water to the 
 superincumbent air, when the temperature 
 of the latter descends below the freezing 
 point. 
 
 The striking difference between the cli- 
 mate of America and England therefore is, 
 that the extremes of heat and cold are con- 
 siderably greater in that country than in 
 this; hence tobacco and cotton may be culti- 
 vated with success, though the climate in 
 Illinois is scarcely hot enough for the latter; 
 every farmer, however, cultivates tobacco 
 for his own use, in the same manner as the 
 peasants in this country grow cabbages and 
 potatoes; it is sown in beds like onions, at the 
 spring of the year, and though of all seeds 
 apparently the slowest to manifest the vege- 
 tative principles, when it has begun to put 
 forth its leaves it grows with unaccountable 
 rapidity. At this period of its growth it is 
 
 94
 
 S Crue picture of emigration 
 
 much infested with a species of green cater- 
 pillar of an enormous size, from whose rav- 
 ages the plants require to be daily protected, 
 or they would shortly disappear. When ripe 
 its appearance is very much like that of the 
 rhubarb cultivated in our cottage gardens in 
 England after it has seeded, only the leaves 
 of the tobacco plant are larger and not so 
 heavy. In this state they are cut and dried 
 in the sun a day or two, and afterwards 
 gathered together to cause them to sweat, 
 which gives them that peculiar fragrance 
 common to tobacco. 
 
 As a further illustration of the tempera- 
 ture of the climate, it may be remarked that 
 melons, pumpkins, cucumbers and peaches 
 ripen early without any assistance from art. 
 The woods abound with wild plum-trees, for 
 which the climate is nevertheless too hot, as 
 they frequently wither on the trees before 
 they are fully ripe, and are eaten by pigs, or 
 remain to decay and fertilize the ground. 
 Grapes, strawberries and raspberries like- 
 wise grow wild in great abundance; the set- 
 tlers gather them near their houses, in order 
 to make wine of them; but there are thou- 
 sands of bushels left to decay where they 
 grew, after birds and insects have devoured 
 as many of them as they choose. The rasp- 
 berries are of a different species from those 
 
 95
 
 ^ 2Crue picture of Emigration 
 
 grown in England; the bushes themselves are 
 quite similar in appearance, and the flavour 
 of the fruit not much different; but when the 
 berries are ripe they are quite black like the 
 fruit of the bramble. Of all the fruits that 
 are met with in the woods, nuts are the most 
 plentiful; hazels and filberts are found in all 
 directions. During the first two years of our 
 residence in that country my children gath- 
 ered bushels of them, and even recently I 
 have often been surprised that no bad con- 
 sequences have ensued from the quantities 
 they have eaten. There are two different 
 kinds of walnut, termed the black and the 
 white walnut, and indeed the ichory is con- 
 sidered as belonging to the same genus, but 
 its fruit is different. 
 
 Notwithstanding the beauty and luxuri- 
 ance of the vegetable productions of Illinois, 
 the summary account here given being a 
 mere sketch, the animal kingdom is still 
 more remarkable for numbers and variety. 
 The naturalist must not search for entertain- 
 ment in the description about to be given: as 
 a common and unscientific observer I saw 
 and admired them, and as such alone I am 
 able to describe them. 
 
 America is certainly and emphatically the 
 country for the feathered tribe, whether 
 numbers, variety, or beauty be the subject 
 
 96
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 of special consideration; nor will any one 
 wonder that they are so numerous when he 
 considers the comparative safety with which 
 they rear their young, and the abundance of 
 food that must be found in a country highly 
 productive, whose seeds and fruits are the 
 undisputed property of the first finder. Dur- 
 ing the breeding season, their noise, I cannot 
 call it music, is, in the woods, one continued 
 gabble; as their species are so numerous, 
 their tones possess every degree of hoarse- 
 ness, chatter and chirp, that can possibly be 
 conceived. To represent their performances 
 in writing is a thing absolutely impossible, 
 especially to persons accustomed to identify 
 their vocal powers with something like mu- 
 sic. Some idea of their noise may be gath- 
 ered by imagining an assembly consisting of 
 magpies, jays, and turkeys, together with a 
 few of the minor species as the gold-finch, 
 the spink, and the sparrow, all giving full 
 play to their vocal energies, and each en- 
 deavouring to make his own favorite note as 
 significant as possible; there is nothing of 
 that fine flowing sweetness with which the 
 "early lark" and "sooty blackbird" an- 
 nounce the approach of summer in this coun- 
 try. But if their voices like that of the 
 peacock are offensive to the ear; like that 
 majestic bird's their plumage is exceedingly 
 
 97
 
 S tErue picture of emigration 
 
 beautiful. I must not be understood to In- 
 clude all kinds of birds met with in Illinois, 
 in the description now given; one kind is 
 completely black like the rook, and this sort 
 is a downright pest to the ripe and ripening 
 crops; assembling in flocks almost like a 
 cloud, they require all the farmer's vigilance 
 to prevent their flying away with the fruits 
 of his industry. Of the parrot, the owl, and 
 the jay families there are great numbers, 
 but the humming bird is the most interest- 
 ing little bird of any I notice, of which there 
 are hundreds buzzing about during the sum- 
 mer season. As it would be out of keeping 
 with the character of this work to describe 
 the peculiar habits of the various classes of 
 birds seen in America, I deem it unnecessary 
 to give the names by which they are known 
 among the unlettered inhabitants of Illi- 
 nois, especially as those names are mostly 
 provincial terms; notwithstanding they are 
 so numerous there are very few that I could 
 recognize as species common in my own 
 country. In vain did I listen for the cuckoo 
 at the spring of the year, and happy should 
 I have been to see the tame confiding red- 
 breast hopping about our door, but it never 
 appeared. 
 
 Proceed we next to notice another class of 
 animals, which, though not as numerous as 
 
 98
 
 a Wvnt picture of (Emigration 
 
 the one just described, are now by no means 
 rare during warm weather in IlHnois: snakes 
 are the creatures now referred to, of which 
 there are not only a great variety, but vast 
 numbers of each species, many of which are 
 exceedingly venomous. One kind called the 
 black snake, alias the racer, is noticed for 
 pursuing people who may chance to come 
 near them during the breeding season; it is 
 large and completely black, its bite is not 
 venomous, nor does it attempt to pursue in- 
 truders, unless they shrink from its intimi- 
 dating appearance, and even then it generally 
 returns to its post as soon as it fancies it has 
 driven them off; sometimes however, it will 
 wrap round a person's legs, and if the in- 
 dividual in that situation attempts to fly, he 
 is almost sure to fall; he may however, soon 
 release himself with a small stick or a knife; 
 as it is the only snake in America that will 
 approach man without being previously irri- 
 tated, it is fortunate that its bite is not ven- 
 omous: one kind about the size of a small eel 
 is able to raise itself nearly in a perpendicu- 
 lar direction; when struck it immediately 
 appears to be broken or disjointed into three 
 or four pieces not unlike the herb or weed 
 termed foxtail, when its joints are disunited; 
 a third called the copperhead has a most 
 angry appearance, and its bite is venomous, 
 
 99
 
 a 3Drue picture of emigration 
 
 but it usually endeavours to get away on the 
 approach of man. The species are too nu- 
 merous for me to attempt to enumerate them 
 here; it seldom happens that any one is in- 
 jured by them, but as they are known to lurk 
 in concealed situations, hollow trees, and 
 some even among the branches, they cause 
 people to be constantly on their guard when 
 they have to enter situations favorable for 
 them to lie in. 
 
 The rattlesnake, however, is not to be de- 
 spised, for although it is not so numerous as 
 some of the other kinds, it is more dreaded 
 than them all; this formidable foe never at- 
 tacks man except in self-defence, and then 
 its bite, if no antidote be taken, is speedily 
 fatal. The usual medicine given to a person 
 thus bitten, is a strong infusion of a herb 
 called the rattlesnake's master. The rattle 
 from which the reptile has its name, is situ- 
 ated at the end of its tail, and composed of 
 thin hollow bones articulated so as to make 
 a rattling noise when the animal moves, 
 thereby warning other animals of its ap- 
 proach; the number of bones contained in 
 the rattle varies according to its age, one 
 being added every year, from which it ap- 
 pears to live about twelve years, as snakes 
 are sometimes killed with that number of 
 bones in the rattle; when about to strike an 
 
 lOO
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 animal it coils itself up like the contraction, 
 (&) to enable it to dart forward its head with 
 greater rapidity, and without any part of its 
 body touching the ground, except the tail, on 
 which it supports itself during the time. 
 This reptile is becoming less and less numer- 
 ous, as none are allowed to escape when once 
 observed. They are usually found in pairs, 
 and often among the growing corn. A neigh- 
 bour of ours was once bitten with one on 
 which he had accidentally trodden. He 
 killed it immediately afterwards, and then 
 hastened to the nearest house, but before he 
 could reach it he was obliged to hollow to 
 make the occupiers know what was his mis- 
 fortune, as he felt his tongue and limbs be- 
 ginning to grow stiff; the antidote was imme- 
 diately administered, but not before he had 
 become insensible; he however, recovered. 
 When an individual attacks these reptiles he 
 should be cautious how he approaches them 
 when in their favourite coiled position. 
 When they are extended at length on the 
 ground, they may be approached with safety, 
 as they are then not able to dart forward 
 their heads as they do when they attempt to 
 inflict a wound. 
 
 Insects are likewise numerous in America, 
 and many of them of a larger size than any 
 to be met with in England. There is a species 
 
 lOI
 
 S ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 of ant found on the prairies, about half the 
 size of a working bee. In traversing these 
 grounds, particularly in summer, a person 
 will naturally feel inclined to rest himself 
 occasionally, and may probably select for 
 himself, as a seat, some little hillock, of 
 which there are many. If he does, however, 
 I will venture to assert he will be caught 
 trespassing, and have to pay the smart too. 
 
 The butterflies in America are really splen- 
 did, nothing can surpass them in design, 
 depth of colouring, or in the delicacy with 
 which their finely powdered wings are fin- 
 ished. I have sometimes observed in very 
 hot weather, when I happened to throw to 
 the door a little greasy or soapy water, that 
 the place thus moistened has been covered 
 in a few minutes with butterflies of the rich- 
 est and most brilliant dress. All the hues 
 that the prism can elicit from the ''parent 
 of colours," have been there manifested, and 
 that with such a beautifully variegated com- 
 bination, as to render imitation utterly im- 
 practicable. 
 
 The plan proposed in this narrative re- 
 quires that mention be made only of such 
 objects as would come under the notice of 
 common observers, whereby a tolerably cor- 
 rect idea of the general state of the country 
 may be obtained. I cannot however close 
 
 1 02
 
 S 3Drue picture of emigration 
 
 these succinct observations on insects, with- 
 out noticing one which flies about during the 
 evenings in summer, and emits a light con- 
 siderably brighter than that of the glow 
 worm. When I first beheld it, I was not 
 aware of its existence. It was one evening 
 as husband and I were returning from the 
 chapel, on a road that was principally- 
 through an uncultivated piece of wooded 
 land. As we were passing along, we ob- 
 served in many places what we took to be 
 sparks of fire dancing about most mysteri- 
 ously. Our curiosity was excited not a little, 
 but not knowing what to think, we dared not 
 approach them, for fear they were connected 
 with something super-human. Superstition 
 certainly got hold of us, and we hastened 
 home imagining some strange catastrophe 
 was about to occur. On reaching home we 
 found a neighbour waiting our arrival, to 
 whom we related what we had witnessed. 
 He smiled at our simplicity, and told us they 
 were light bugs, the name they are known by 
 in Illinois; fire-flies I believe is a more gen- 
 eral term, which gave us no small satisfac- 
 tion, as we had been much disturbed to 
 know what such a prodigy could imply. 
 
 A few pages back I attempted to describe 
 the appearance of a winter night. I may 
 now be allowed to make a few remarks on 
 
 103
 
 S ®rue ^itiuvt of emigration 
 
 the peculiarities of a night in summer. As 
 our situation in America is about fourteen 
 degrees further south than Yorkshire, I 
 scarcely need say that the shortest summer 
 night there is longer than the shortest in 
 England by two or three hours. In this 
 country, as the shades of twilight gradually 
 usher in the more sombre aspect of night, 
 a delightful silence seems to repose on the 
 bosom of nature. Hence Milton: "Now 
 came still evening on and twilight grey," &c. 
 The reverse of this is nearer the truth in Illi- 
 nois. It would be a burlesque on language 
 for any one during a night in summer, to 
 repeat Grey's admired line, — "All the air a 
 solemn stillness holds." I have already 
 stated that owls are very numerous, they 
 are also very noisy during the night. There 
 is another bird, however, that outdoes them 
 in this respect. It is about the size of a lark, 
 and has a loud voice, but only three notes, 
 which it keeps continually repeating. It 
 thus appears to keep crying: "Whip away," 
 or "Whip poor Will," as some will have it. 
 Hence one or other of these terms is the 
 name of the bird, which I believe is common 
 through all North America. Unceasing as 
 are the noises made by these nocturnal per- 
 formers, there is a species of frog, known as 
 the bull-frog, whose voice completely drowns 
 
 104
 
 S 3true picture of (Emigration 
 
 the preceding; it abounds in small creeks 
 and ponds, of which there are many in some 
 districts, though none near our farm. The 
 moment this animal observes darkness ap- 
 proaching, it begins its tremendous croak- 
 ings, which, as its name suggests, are more 
 like the bellowing of a bull than the voice of 
 a frog. 
 
 Other animals might be mentioned with 
 propriety, as being peculiar to that country, 
 as the mink, the opossum, and the raccoon; 
 but as these are fully described in works on 
 natural history, I forbear to enlarge, after 
 I have related the following little incident. 
 The foot-print of the last-named animal is 
 precisely like that which a little child, just 
 able to walk, would make. There is the 
 rounded heel, the hollow under the rise of 
 the metatarsus, the toes, and toe nails, as 
 exactly delineated as if it had been actually 
 made with the foot of a child. This impres- 
 sion we observed before we knew anything 
 about it. My husband's curiosity led him to 
 trace it across a ploughed field, as he really 
 thought these prints had been made either 
 by fairies or the diminutive offspring of some 
 concealed Indians, and was a long time be- 
 fore he could be persuaded they were made 
 by a quadruped. If the reader consults a 
 volume on natural history, he will find this 
 
 105
 
 Wvnt picture of Cmisration 
 
 animal classed among the plantigrada, which 
 will partly account for the above circum- 
 stance. 
 
 The continuation of my narrative presents 
 my partner recovered from his lameness, and 
 busy thrashing our wheat in the open air: we 
 had a small barn, but as the ground is almost 
 as hard as a boarded floor at the season I am 
 now speaking of, the corn is often thrashed 
 in the open air. Many farmers thrash as 
 soon as harvest is over, and, without win- 
 nowing it, place it on a large heap, and cover 
 it with a thick coat of straw and another of 
 earth, as farmers preserve potatoes in Eng- 
 land. In this state it will keep very well for 
 several months if required. As the cattle lie 
 out all the year round, the straw is of no use, 
 they therefore burn it out of their way. The 
 time had not yet arrived for us to practise 
 this system of preserving corn; we wanted 
 the full worth of our wheat, and that as soon 
 as we could get. As we had no winnowing 
 machine we were obliged to winnow with the 
 wind, which, though a troublesome method, 
 is frequently practised in Illinois, for the 
 same reason as that which induced us to 
 practise it on this occasion. The farmers in 
 that country are much troubled with a weed 
 that grows amongst the wheat, and of which 
 it is next to an impossibility to clear it. This 
 
 1 06
 
 S ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 was the first time we had anything to do 
 with it. Its appearance when growing can 
 scarcely be distinguished from wheat till it 
 begins to ear; on this account it is called 
 'cheat,' and not undeservedly, as it some- 
 times stands on the ground as abundant as 
 the crop itself, and yet it is so valueless, that 
 even the poultry will not eat it. I have not 
 seen anything in England that resembles it 
 more nearly than the weeds termed by York- 
 shire farmers droke and darnel. It is more 
 like the former than the latter. 
 
 Having thrashed and winnowed our wheat 
 in the manner above described, our next con- 
 sideration was how we were to sell it. The 
 produce of the three acres might be about 
 eighty bushels, one-fourth of which was but 
 imperfectly cleared of cheat, and was there- 
 fore unsaleable. We had only five sacks, 
 which we had taken with us from England, 
 but these even we did not require, as we 
 subsequently learnt the store-keepers were 
 accustomed to furnish the settlers with bags 
 for their corn. My husband took a specimen 
 of wheat, which as it had been sown too spar- 
 ingly on the ground was a fine sample. Mr. 
 Varley offered half a dollar per bushel in 
 money, or a few cents more in barter. We 
 borrowed a waggon and a yoke of oxen of one 
 of our neighbours, and carried to the store 
 
 107
 
 S tCrue picture of ©migration 
 
 fifty bushels. The first thing we did was to 
 settle our meal account; we next bought two 
 pairs of shoes for self and husband, which by 
 this time we wanted as we did other articles 
 of apparel, which we knew we could con- 
 veniently procure. The truth is, we had in- 
 tended to have a little more clothing, but 
 finding the prices so extravagant, we felt 
 compelled to abandon that intention. For a 
 yard of common printed calico, they asked 
 half a dollar, or a bushel of wheat, and pro- 
 portionate prices for other goods. We gave 
 ten bushels of wheat for the shoes. I may 
 just remark that the prices are considerably 
 lower at the present time for all kinds of 
 wearables than they were then. Our next 
 purchase was a plough, bought in hopes that 
 we should, at some time, have cattle to draw 
 it, as we were tired of the hoeing system. 
 We also bought two tin milk bowls; these 
 and the plough cost about twenty bushels. 
 We obtained further a few pounds of coffee, 
 and a little meal; the coffee cost us at the 
 rate of a dollar for four pounds; and thus we 
 laid out the greater part of our first crop of 
 wheat. We had only reserved about twenty 
 bushels for seed, besides a quantity imper- 
 fectly cleared of cheat, which was unfit either 
 for sale or making bread. On balancing our 
 account with Mr. Varley, we found we had 
 
 1 08
 
 ^ ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 to take about five dollars, which we received 
 in paper money, specie being exceedingly- 
 scarce in Illinois. 
 
 The interval between this time and the 
 latter part of September, was spent in fur- 
 ther clearing the field which we had before 
 fenced somewhat more than half round. Our 
 Indian corn was likely to be a failing crop, 
 partly because it had been sown late, and 
 partly for want of a plough it had been but 
 imperfectly cultivated. The autumnal rains 
 had now begun to fall, and while other peo- 
 ple's corn was ripe, a great part of ours was 
 quite green, and not likely to ripen before the 
 frosts. The little that was ready, we cut, and 
 made it into small stacks, to be ready for 
 seed the ensuing spring. October arrived; 
 it was the season for sowing wheat, and we 
 were little better prepared than we had been 
 the preceding spring; for although we had a 
 plough we had no team. We could readily 
 have hired one had we possessed the means. 
 Five or six dollars were all the money we 
 had, and we fully purposed to buy a pig or 
 two with them, as we had been some Vv^eks 
 without any animal food, except a few fowls 
 for which we had bartered one of our china 
 tea-cups. Our inability to raise a team and 
 sow our wheat, was a source of very great 
 anxiety. The hoeing system had answered 
 
 109
 
 ^ tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 so indifferently that we felt determined, if 
 possible to have it ploughed. We knew a 
 Mr. Knowles who ploughed for hire; his 
 house was about two miles from ours. My 
 husband waited upon him and offered him 
 one-fifth of the produce of eight acres for 
 ploughing and harrowing it. Reward, it is 
 said, sweetens labour: of this Mr. Knowles 
 was conscious; but the idea of waiting for the 
 reward till the ensuing harvest did not suit 
 his genius: in short, he declined undertaking 
 the work on any such terms. My husband 
 was coming away almost in despair; but hap- 
 pening to look at his watch, Mr. Knowles 
 accosted him in a tone of surprise that he 
 should want any one to work on credit while 
 he possessed such a watch as that, telling 
 him at the same time, that he would plough 
 and harrow the whole eight acres for it. I 
 need scarcely say they immediately agreed, 
 as the watch had been bought in England a 
 year or two before for something less than a 
 sovereign. We were thus relieved from our 
 distressing anxiety, and got the wheat sown 
 as conveniently as we could possibly wish. 
 
 This acquaintance with Mr. Knowles led 
 to a further bargain between him and my 
 husband for three young pigs just taken in 
 from the range; for which we paid him the 
 small sum of three dollars. They were 
 
 no
 
 ^ 5Drue picture of emigration 
 
 scarcely fat enough to kill; we therefore gave 
 them a little unsaleable wheat which fed 
 them very rapidly, so that in about a month's 
 time they became nice pork, weighing be- 
 tween nine and ten stones each. By this 
 time our little stock of cattle required to be 
 fed daily with Indian corn, part of which 
 was uncut, and what is worse some of it was 
 unripe. That which had ripened was excel- 
 lent fodder, the greater part of which we had 
 cut: the little that remained in the field, be- 
 ing ripe, suffered no harm; whereas, the last 
 sown, not ripening before the frosts came on, 
 was much injured, the cattle would scarcely 
 touch it. There is nothing peculiar in this: 
 water, it is well known, expands when it is 
 frozen. Hence, all sorts of succulent plants 
 or soft grain, having their vessels filled with 
 a watery or juicy substance, must of neces- 
 sity, when frozen, experience a disarrange- 
 ment of their parts, and have their vascular 
 structure destroyed, and consequently be 
 liable to putrefaction and mould. 
 
 In the various transactions I have had to 
 enumerate, I have overlooked our potato 
 crop which was abundant; for although we 
 had only planted half a rood, we had more 
 than sufficient for our own use. The reader 
 must be aware that no manure is used for 
 any thing that is grown: the land is as fat as 
 
 III
 
 ^ Wvut picture of emigration 
 
 nature requires, and tillage would, in its 
 present state, rather injure it than other- 
 wise. We had not sown any turnips this 
 year; they are generally sown in July, imme- 
 diately after the wheat crop is reaped, and 
 often on the land on which it has grown. In 
 all probability we should have endeavoured 
 to sow some, had not my husband at this 
 time been an invalid. 
 
 The first Sunday in November was the an- 
 niversary of our landing in America, for we 
 have now gone through the principal events 
 of our first year's residence in that country. 
 It was further distinguished as being the day 
 on which the yearly feast is held at the little 
 village where we had lived in England. This 
 circumstance, trifling as it is, had a tendency 
 to bring to our recollection in a most vivid 
 manner, bygone associations and endear- 
 ments, the value of which we only discovered 
 when they were lost. Does the reader ask for 
 an explanation? Let him consider for a while 
 our condition; and if experience has taught 
 him anything of the nature of those feelings 
 which the love of one's country inspires; if 
 he knows even what emotions are kindled by 
 being removed from old and congenial at- 
 tachments, he will perceive we had reasons 
 for being sad on the occasion here referred 
 to. The difficulties and privations we had 
 
 112
 
 3 2Crue picture of emigration 
 
 already endured were not forgotten. The 
 tattered appearance of our children's clothes, 
 compared with what they had worn in Eng- 
 land, made an impression on our minds, 
 which even patient endurance could not re- 
 sist. We were again on the eve of a hard win- 
 ter with less warm clothing to meet it, than 
 we had the preceding winter by the wear of 
 a twelvemonth. This was one of the gloomy 
 days in our history. The previous winter we 
 had been prevented from attending religious 
 worship on account of distance, we were now 
 prevented from another cause, — want of de- 
 cent clothing. It was on this occasion that 
 we perceived something more than poetry in 
 the lines of Cowper: 
 
 "When I think of my own native land, 
 In a moment I seem to be there; 
 
 But alas! recollection at hand 
 
 Soon hurries me back to despair." 
 
 There was however one cheering consider- 
 ation: in all respects except clothing, we were 
 better situated than we had been the forego- 
 ing season. We had four acres more of wheat 
 sown this year than the year before; we were 
 now in possession of a plough; our cattle had 
 likewise increased in value; the cow had 
 calved again, and the former calf had grown 
 a fine-looking heifer, we therefore saw, after 
 all, we were gaining ground. 
 
 113
 
 a 5Crue ^itiuxt of emigration 
 
 In accordance with my pretensions, I 
 ought here to state that both I and husband 
 had the ague very bad this month; happily 
 not both at the same time. This complaint 
 is too well known to require any description 
 of it from me. It generally attacks new set- 
 tlers at the end of their first summer, and, 
 even afterwards. At the fall of the leaf it is 
 by no means an uncommon complaint. As 
 land becomes better cultivated and drained, 
 this disease is less frequent. At the present 
 time, notwithstanding its prevalence in 
 autumn, it rarely proves fatal, except in 
 instances where the constitution has mani- 
 fested previous symptoms of decline, and 
 like a withered leaf is ready to be blown 
 down by the first fresh breeze that blows. 
 The inhabitants have various specifics, real 
 and imaginary: a weak infusion of common 
 pot-herbs drunk hot appears to be as effica- 
 cious as anything. When the patient ceases to 
 shake, the ague is said to be broken, and un- 
 less fever ensue, as it sometimes happens, he 
 is in a short time quite well. 
 
 After we had recovered, for a while nothing 
 occurred worthy of note. As, in the winter 
 previous, our chief employment consisted 
 in attending to the cattle, preparing fire- 
 wood, and splitting rails. As before, our cat- 
 tle remained out day and night, generally 
 
 114
 
 ^ ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 resorting, during the latter, to some shel- 
 tered situation. About Christmas, a person 
 with whom we had had several interviews, 
 named Mr. Vanderoozen,^ came to our house 
 and wished us to buy two young steers and 
 a milch cow. We replied we could not pur- 
 chase them for want of money. "That rea- 
 son," said he, ''shall not prevent you: I am 
 going to keep a shop at St. Louis, and shall 
 often have to come up into the country, you 
 may pay for them when it is convenient, 
 meanwhile I shall expect interest for my 
 money." At the time I am now speaking of, 
 the usual interest paid for the loan of money 
 was twenty-five per cent per annum. It has 
 since very properly declined to twelve per 
 cent. Having considered Mr. Vanderoozen's 
 proposal, we felt inclined to accept it; the 
 only impediment was in the failure of our 
 Indian corn crop. By using the remainder of 
 our unsaleable wheat, however, we presumed 
 we should be able to winter them, and felt 
 assured that when spring arrived they would 
 be able to do well, and greatly add to our 
 advantages. The bargain was accordingly 
 
 ^ Garret Van Dusen, a resident of Pike County from 
 
 1 821 to about 1850. He was a Kentuckian and an early- 
 commissioner of Pike County, a farmer, and a stock 
 trader. Nothing further is known concerning him, or 
 his family. Information supplied by Jess M. Thompson.
 
 a titrue picture of emigration 
 
 struck: my husband gave him a promis- 
 sory note for thirty dollars, with interest 
 for the same at the same rate. We thus ap- 
 peared to have increased our possessions, 
 and endeavoured to brave our privations 
 and the severity of the weather as well as 
 we could. We were obliged, nevertheless, to 
 economize our winter fodder, which was seen 
 in the condition of our cattle; by degrees 
 they began to lose their ifiesh, a circumstance 
 which made us doubly anxious for the return 
 of spring. 
 
 After much anxiety and unceasing dili- 
 gence to preserve the health of our stock, the 
 first of March arrived. In a fortnight more 
 we expected there would be plenty of fresh 
 grass in the wilds, and we consequently 
 looked forward to the time with pleasure, 
 little anticipating how sudden a check to our 
 satisfaction we were about to receive. On 
 the third of March, who should darken our 
 door but Mr. Vanderoozen, who had, as he 
 expressed himself, called upon us for the 
 money we owed him; that is to say, the 
 thirty dollars we had agreed to give him for 
 the steers and cow. Thunderstruck at a re- 
 quest so unexpected and unreasonable, we 
 expostulated with him on the terms of the 
 agreement, and explained our inability to 
 answer his demands. Unfortunately the note 
 
 ii6
 
 a 3true picture of (Emigration 
 
 we had given him contained no intimation as 
 to the time our creditor had allowed us. All 
 our expostulations were unheeded; he with- 
 drew, assuring us he would immediately 
 make use of the means the law allowed him 
 for obtaining his money. He was as good as 
 his word; the following day an Esquire* 
 waited upon us with a writ, which allowed 
 us only a few days to prepare for its de- 
 mands. Our only method of preventing the 
 seizure of our property forthwith was either 
 to replevin or pay the money. The idea of a 
 law-suit was neither adapted to our feelings 
 nor circumstances; but how were we to raise 
 the money? It is not so easy to raise money 
 for cattle in Illinois as in England; besides 
 ours were at that time looking ill, and would 
 consequently be undervalued. Should an 
 execution be issued our cattle would be 
 driven to the appointed place for the sale of 
 distrained goods, and sold by auction, be the 
 price what it would. In all probability our 
 whole stock thus sacrificed would be inade- 
 quate to the debt and expenses, which would 
 place our very land in jeopardy. Now it was 
 that we regretted having bought them on 
 credit. Remorse the most pungent preyed on 
 our heart-strings. The emaciated appearance 
 
 *A legal officer, so named, whose duties embody both 
 those of attorney and policeman.
 
 Si ®rue picture of CmiQtation 
 
 of our cattle condemned our cupidity, and 
 upbraided us with all our contrivances to 
 economize their provender. 
 
 Meanwhile the time approached for us to 
 answer the demands of our creditor, or sub- 
 mit to the process of the law. We had only- 
 one plan in view which appeared at all likely 
 to avert the threatened calamity. Our 
 friend Mr. B. had been privy to this specu- 
 lation, and had commended our resolves. 
 He had plenty of money in his possession, as 
 he had made no heavy purchases since he 
 obtained the remittance, and he was natu- 
 rally thrifty. Two days before the time 
 expired, my husband went to him and 
 explained the conduct of Vanderoozen, re- 
 questing him either to buy some of our cattle 
 or lend the money, for which ample interest 
 should be paid. It is unpleasant to record 
 this part of the conduct of our countryman, 
 yet truth demands that I should say he re- 
 fused to do either, alleging that he did not 
 want any more cattle, nor did he like to lend 
 his money. This refusal rendered our wretch- 
 edness complete. After my husband had 
 heard his denial his feelings were too heavily 
 laden for him to urge any more. He came 
 home melancholy enough, without having 
 made any reply to his refusal. I shall never 
 forget his return that evening. During his 
 
 ii8
 
 a tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 absence my mind had been in a state of vac- 
 illation between hope and fear; but the mo- 
 ment I saw his countenance hope entirely 
 fled. What kind of a night we experienced, 
 those alone can conceive who have struggled 
 earnestly and perseveringly with adversity 
 without success. In vain did we extend our 
 languid limbs on our homely couch. Spirits 
 so disordered as ours, were beyond the pow- 
 ers of sleep to lull into forgetfulness. The 
 entire labours of a twelve month were 
 doomed to disappear. On other occasions 
 when my spirits had been depressed, I had 
 laid my cause before the Supreme Ruler, and 
 found relief; but at this time I felt no dispo- 
 sition to look upward. We seemed despised 
 and forsaken by all. In this state of mind 
 we continued until morning, when a knock 
 was heard at the door, to which my husband 
 attended. Will the reader here believe my 
 story? Shall I not rather be charged with 
 fabrication? I can, however, tax no one with 
 incredulity, inasmuch as I doubted my hus- 
 band's assertion myself, when, returning 
 from the door, he told me that Mr. B. had 
 brought us the money, and gone away say- 
 ing he could not rest any longer without 
 lending it. 
 
 This account I am aware has too much of 
 the air of fiction, appears too nearly allied to 
 
 119
 
 ^ 3Crue picture of Emigration 
 
 the marvellous to obtain general credit. It 
 might have been suppressed, but as I am 
 prompted to regard it as an instance of the 
 over-ruling power of that being "who 
 maketh the wrath of man to praise him," 
 I deem it to be my duty to record it as it oc- 
 curred, and where it is now placed. The 
 story is now easy to conclude: the following 
 day, to the surprise of our creditor, we paid 
 the money, and thereby put an end to the 
 proceedings. We had no sooner settled this 
 affair than we turned out our cattle into the 
 woods, having previously marked them on 
 the right ear. The sugar trees were now 
 ready for tapping, and as we were anxious 
 to pay Mr. B. as soon as we could, we re- 
 solved to make the best of them, especially 
 as sugar is an article for which money can be 
 easily obtained. We made incisions into a 
 great many trees, and shortly had our large 
 kettles boiling down the liquor; the greatest 
 difficulty we experienced arose from an in- 
 sufficiency of troughs to place at the bottom 
 of the trees. We were obliged to cork up the 
 holes of the greater part to prevent the 
 liquor from wasting, while the rest alter- 
 nately were running into the troughs. Not- 
 withstanding this hindrance, we made at 
 least three hundred and fifty pounds of 
 sugar, which enabled us to return our friend 
 
 1 20
 
 9 Wxnt picture of emigration 
 
 fifteen dollars, half the sum we had bor- 
 rowed. For the loan of the remainder my 
 husband agreed to work for him five days in 
 the year, till we could return it. The sugar 
 this year did exceedingly well; for besides 
 raising the above sum, we exchanged about 
 forty pounds of it for a sow and a litter of 
 pigs, which we kept near home till they knew 
 the premises, and afterwards allowed them 
 to run at large till autumn. 
 
 Thus, the reader will perceive our circum- 
 stances kept improving, as ^ve had now two 
 milch cows, two steers almost ready for the 
 yoke, one young heifer, a calf, a fine young 
 mare, and the family of pigs just named. 
 In agricultural pursuits every season pre- 
 sents its peculiar task to the husbandman, 
 and situated as we were that task was not a 
 small one; the season for sowing Indian corn 
 had again arrived, and again we were unpre- 
 pared with a team. In the whole round of 
 our agricultural labours nothing so much 
 perplexed us as the sowing of our corn; we 
 had only four acres this spring as we had 
 sown eight with wheat, and all our other 
 land was unbroken up; having no fixed plan 
 in view and not knowing what means to 
 adopt to get in the seed, we were agreeably 
 surprised one morning to behold a person in 
 the field busy ploughing; this was Mr. Burns, 
 
 121
 
 9 3Crue picture of emigration 
 
 the person named on a previous occasion, 
 with whom we had formed an intimacy, or 
 rather a friendship, which up to the time 
 I am writing has only increased in degree 
 and in value; in any country such a per- 
 son as he would be valuable as a friend, 
 but in the thinly inhabited regions of the 
 "far west," his worth cannot be fully set 
 forth; his kindness towards us at this time 
 is, however, a specimen; he and his wife had 
 been at our house the previous week, and 
 perceiving our coming difficulty, gave us the 
 above seasonable boon; we thus saw the 
 whole of the twelve acres systematically 
 sown: the wheat was a fine thriving crop, we 
 therefore began to feel ourselves more com- 
 posed, and to use a good old English phrase 
 "more at home." 
 
 Hitherto we had no garden, my husband 
 therefore dug up about a rood of fine dry 
 land, and fenced it round with brush-work 
 after the Yorkshire style of dead fencing; the 
 greater part of it we planted with potatoes, 
 and the rest with other kinds of vegetables, 
 obtaining the seeds and plants from older set- 
 tlers; before our wheat crop was ripe we had 
 finished the fence round the new field, and 
 rooted up the greater part of the underwood 
 growing thereon; most of the stronger tim- 
 bers we allowed to stand, having previously 
 
 122
 
 ^ ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 cut the bark on the trunk to prevent their 
 growing; the rest we decapitated, and kin- 
 dled fires round their stems to burn them 
 away; this employment and the attending to 
 our cattle, employed the whole of our time 
 till the wheat harvest, and I assure the 
 reader we were not idle: at the usual time, 
 about the end of June, we began to cut our 
 wheat, retaining the old sickles which we had 
 borrowed the year before. 
 
 Mr. B., who by this time had got married, 
 intimated to my husband that he should re- 
 quire his help a few days, according to agree- 
 ment for the loan of the money. As our 
 corn^ was ripe and in that state requiring 
 immediate attention, my husband tried to 
 mow some of it down with an old scythe we 
 had taken with us from England; this was 
 tremendous heavy work, as the crop was 
 abundant. Scarcely anything that occurred 
 to us, taking into account the comparative 
 insignificance of the article was more vexa- 
 tious than the want of something with 
 which to sharpen our tools; I have heard my 
 husband say he would cheerfully work a 
 fortnight for a good Yorkshire scythe-stone 
 and a wrag-whetstone; the stone we used for 
 that purpose was a very poor one, being a 
 
 ^The allusion is to the wheat crop, not the Indian 
 corn. 
 
 123
 
 ^ tCrue picture of Emigration 
 
 sort of flinty limestone which we found on 
 the land; subsequently we met with another, 
 much superior, apparently a piece of sand- 
 stone, but so fine as not to appear granular. 
 Not knowing how soon Mr. B. might require 
 assistance, my husband continued mowing, 
 while I and our son used the sickles, thus 
 cutting down in the whole about an acre per 
 day, leaving from necessity the mown part 
 abroad on the ground, to be taken up and 
 bound into sheaves afterwards; we had fin- 
 ished within a day's work before Mr. B. re- 
 quired my husband's help; my son and I, 
 therefore, were left to cut the remainder, 
 which we did in two days; we then proceeded 
 to take up the remainder and bind it into 
 sheaves. 
 
 While thus employed a circumstance oc- 
 curred, which at the time was quite alarm- 
 ing; the excessive heat of the sun, added to 
 another cause which the reader will under- 
 stand when he is told that the September fol- 
 lowing I was confined of twins, made me feel 
 much fatigued, and caused me to rest on a 
 sheaf several times during a day: one time 
 while thus seated, a large full-grown rattle- 
 snake crawled idly out of the sheaf on which 
 I was sitting; horrified with the sight, and 
 scarcely knowing what I did, I seized my 
 rake and struck it on the head several times, 
 
 124
 
 ^ tCrue picture of dCmigration 
 
 whereby it soon died; this event, although 
 not of two minutes continuance, proved a 
 lasting warning to me to be cautious, and 
 even to this moment I never call it to mind 
 without feelings of peculiar uneasiness; the 
 sudden start made me so feeble for a while 
 that I could not proceed with my labour. I 
 however took care not to rest on a sheaf: 
 shortly after, as we expected, we saw an- 
 other, apparently in search of its mate, 
 which I destroyed in like manner; when they 
 were dead, my children took them home as 
 trophies of triumph, to shew to their father 
 in the evening, who at the recital of my 
 story, joined with me in thanks to Heaven 
 for preservation in such imminent danger. 
 
 The following day my husband being with 
 us, we expected to get through this part of 
 our business in the harvest field; having 
 nearly finished before dinner he took one of 
 the children with him, during the noontide 
 recess, to look at the fires kindled around the 
 trees as before explained; trivial as this cir- 
 cumstance appears, its consequences were 
 dreadful; by some means the little child set 
 fire to her dress, which frightened her so 
 much that she immediately ran among the 
 sheaves which were lying on the ground just 
 at hand; my husband, all intent to the situa- 
 tion of the girl, did not perceive that the 
 
 125
 
 3 tlTrue picture of emigration 
 
 sheaves were on a blaze till he had put out 
 the fire on the child's clothes; he immedi- 
 ately gave an alarm, I ran to the door, but 
 who can depict my feelings when I beheld 
 our fine crop of wheat, the greatest treasure 
 we possessed, and that on which our hopes 
 principally rested for the speedy supplying 
 of our various pressing necessities, blazing 
 and cracking with prodigious vehemence. I 
 need scarcely say every nerve was strained 
 to its utmost to extinguish it; a small stream 
 or branch ran at a short distance; guided by 
 the first impulse of reason, we hastened 
 thither immediately with the first vessels we 
 could lay hold of, but although we ran both 
 ways to the utmost of our strength, the 
 flames spread further and further, we soon 
 perceived this method would be unavailing. 
 Here was a trial for all our powers, mental 
 and bodily. To extinguish the flames was im- 
 possible, the straw was so dry, and the heat 
 became intolerable. There is generally a 
 time for consideration, and a time for active 
 labour. It was not so here, while we were 
 considering our property was burning, and 
 that with a speed indescribable. Directed, 
 I cannot but think by Providence, we hit 
 upon a plan which promised success. This 
 was to make a separation between the side 
 that was on fire and the other. It was no 
 
 126
 
 Si ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 sooner conceived than we began to effect it. 
 We removed the sheaves with all the expedi- 
 tion in our power to cut off all communica- 
 tion with the bulk of the crop. As much as 
 we were able, we removed to the further 
 side: but to save the side in question, we 
 were obliged, from want of strength, to 
 throw some to the devouring element. A 
 division was at last happily completed, and 
 the vacant space was too wide for the flames 
 to cross, although in some instances they 
 appeared to bound from one sheaf to an- 
 other. Want of additional fuel alone extin- 
 guished the flames. Not a particle of com- 
 bustible matter was left unconsumed where 
 the fire had raged; it was one entire plain of 
 smouldering black ashes, we thus lost about 
 an acre and had it not been for one appar- 
 ently insignificant circumstance, the whole 
 would have been inevitably lost: the fire pre- 
 vailed only where the wheat had been mown, 
 had it once obtained possession of the long 
 shorn stubble, all our attempts would have 
 ended in woeful disappointment, as it was, in 
 our situation the loss was no trifle, yet the 
 uppermost emotions in our minds were 
 rather those of pleasure than of pain, and 
 with sufficient reason; we had seven acres 
 remaining, whereas, half-an-hour before we 
 had feared it was all lost. 
 
 127
 
 S tCrue picture of (Emigration 
 
 After we were fully assured the fire was 
 out we sat down and wept; but our tears 
 were, if I may use the expression, tears of 
 thanksgiving. We called to mind the vari- 
 ous difficulties through which we had suc- 
 cessfully struggled, and we looked upon this 
 as another pledge of ultimate success. We 
 may indeed date the commencement of a 
 moderately comfortable existence from this 
 occurrence. The wheat was very fine indeed, 
 but, as before, mixed with cheat; we had 
 about two hundred and twenty bushels, 
 forty of which were unsaleable on account 
 of this troublesome weed. It is unnecessary 
 to trouble the reader with all the particulars 
 of our future proceedings, as it would be a 
 repetition of customs and exercises I have 
 already described. 
 
 Having been tolerably minute in detailing 
 our various transactions and difficulties for 
 nearly two years, till, as the reader has seen, 
 our narrative begins to wear a brighter as- 
 pect, it will now be sufficient for the purpose 
 here contemplated to give a sketch of the 
 most prominent features of our future pro- 
 ceedings: we purchased several articles of 
 wearing apparel with our wheat, paid off a 
 small account for salt, and obtained gearing 
 for a yoke of oxen, purposing to plough our 
 land this fall with young oxen bought of 
 
 128
 
 Si ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 Vanderoozen, besides supplying our imme- 
 diate wants in clothing, which we did only 
 sparingly, we were enabled to leave in the 
 hands of Mr. Varley, forty dollars, for which 
 he agreed to pay us interest if we allowed it 
 to remain in his hands six months. We 
 should have paid Mr. B., but as my husband 
 had worked for him five days we considered 
 it as our own to the end of the year. There 
 was one trivial advantage in our wheat tak- 
 ing fire; we intended to sow an acre of tur- 
 nips, and this part having no stubble on, it 
 was the part we selected as being the most 
 ready for the plough. We engaged Mr. 
 Knowles to plough the land, giving him 
 three dollars for his labour. We made a fur- 
 ther arrangement with this gentleman to 
 plough our late enclosed field with his prairie 
 plough at the fall of the leaf, and in the mean- 
 time we endeavoured to cleanse of roots the 
 part unfinished; it is exceedingly heavy work 
 to break up the land with this plough, re- 
 quiring four yoke of oxen to draw it; we paid 
 him four dollars per acre for doing it. Ac- 
 cording to our intentions we yoked our two 
 young steers to plough the land for wheat, 
 our kind friend ^lr. Burns, voluntarily spend- 
 ing the first day with us to give my husband 
 a little instruction relative to driving and 
 gearing them. They served our purpose very 
 
 129
 
 S ^rue picture of emigration 
 
 well, which gave us unspeakable pleasure and 
 satisfaction; nor did we value this advantage 
 unduly, considering the anxieties we had felt 
 on former occasions for want of it. 
 
 During the summer, our cattle throve very 
 well; the cow we purchased of Vanderoozen 
 had calved again, and our other cow and the 
 heifer were both near calving. Cattle begin 
 to breed much sooner in Illinois than in Eng- 
 land; this may partly be attributed to the 
 climate, which causes them to grow to ma- 
 turity sooner in that country than in this; 
 another reason is, being allowed to range at 
 large during summer, where cattle of both 
 sexes abound, the farmer has no means of 
 preventing this circumstance. We have be- 
 fore noticed that it is customary for the 
 farmers to kill as many of their hogs and 
 horned cattle at the fall of the leaf, as they 
 do not intend to keep over winter. They are 
 often in excellent condition when they come 
 up, not exactly what an English butcher 
 would call prime beef. Hogs are scarcely fat 
 enough to be killed, they are usually served 
 with a little corn a few weeks after they have 
 ceased to range, and thereby become very 
 good bacon. Fat cattle is a source of income 
 to the farmer, from which we had hitherto 
 derived no benefit, nor at present had we 
 aught but our pigs which we purposed to 
 
 130
 
 3 3Crue picture of emigration 
 
 kill, and of these we had not sufficient to 
 offer any for sale, as we wished to keep some 
 over winter to breed the ensuing season. 
 
 The interval between this and the follow- 
 ing autumn contained nothing deserving 
 particular note. We sowed the new field 
 with Indian corn. It was readily ploughed, 
 having been broken up as before stated the 
 previous fall, and exposed to the frosts dur- 
 ing winter. The weather was too hot during 
 the sugar season, which prevented our realiz- 
 ing as much from that article as we had done 
 the foregoing year. It however enabled us 
 to pay Mr. B. the money we owed him with- 
 out entirely exhausting our little fund of 
 reserve. After reaping our wheat this sea- 
 son, our neighbour, Mr. Paddock, expressed 
 a wish to sell us the pre-emption right to his 
 land. Like many persons in Illinois, this 
 individual wanted industry, as he rarely 
 worked more than half of his time. He had 
 been more than three years on it, and would 
 consequently lose all right to it in a short 
 time, unless he paid the government de- 
 mands — one hundred dollars, before the pe- 
 riod expired. Notwithstanding his love of 
 ease, he was not without the means to pay 
 for it; but preferred, as he said, a change, and 
 intended to migrate to another unimproved 
 situation, and there spend four years, or
 
 ^ 3frue picture of emigration 
 
 perhaps longer, if no one thwarted his inter- 
 ests. As his land was contiguous to ours 
 on one point, we thought it would be a good 
 speculation to purchase it, especially as the 
 price he set upon the improvement was very 
 moderate. He had fourteen or fifteen acres 
 broken up, besides the house, which was a 
 tolerably good one of the kind. He valued 
 his labour at fifty dollars, and offered to re- 
 ceive payment in either cattle or wheat at a 
 fair price. We hesitated a long time before 
 we decided, foreseeing that unless we paid 
 for it at the land office the succeeding spring, 
 we should be liable to lose it. We however 
 finally determined to have it, and as our cat- 
 tle had again done well, we gave him a good 
 cow, a heifer, and seventy bushels of wheat, 
 which he disposed of at his pleasure. Mr. 
 Paddock, after this, speedily vacated the 
 house, wishing to erect another before the 
 frosts should set in. The only instrument we 
 received as a proof of the bargain, was the 
 pre-emption certificate, which Mr. Paddock 
 had obtained from the recording office, en- 
 dorsed with his name, ratifying the agree- 
 ment. This was, however, sufficient testi- 
 mony. One day shortly after, a Mr. Carr, 
 hearing that Paddock had removed, came to 
 his late possessions and found my husband 
 repairing a fence. He seemed to interest 
 
 132
 
 a tBvnt picture of (Emigration 
 
 himself very much in the situation, and asked 
 several questions respecting the pre-emption 
 right, &c. His questions were evaded as 
 well as civility would allow. They, however, 
 served to premonish us that Mr. Carr had 
 some sinister plans affecting that property, 
 and we knew that if he took possession of the 
 house it would be a very troublesome affair. 
 Though these considerations were based 
 only on conjecture, the disreputable charac- 
 ter of Mr. Carr, added to his suspicious man- 
 ner, gave them much of the force of reality. 
 Perplexed with these ideas, we scarcely knew 
 what course to adopt. At one time we 
 thought it advisable to set fire to the house 
 and burn it down; then again we wished it 
 not to be known that we feared for its safety; 
 besides it would be very useful to keep farm- 
 ing implements in, or it would serve as a pig- 
 gery or sheep cot if we wanted. We would 
 have gone immediately to the land office and 
 paid for it, if we had possessed sufficient 
 money; we expected, however, our sugar- 
 orchard would make up the deficit the fol- 
 lowing spring. To quiet our apprehensions 
 in the present instance, our only feasible 
 method appeared to be, that we should take 
 possession of the house ourselves. But here 
 was another obstacle: it was impossible that 
 we could leave our present establishment, on 
 
 '^33
 
 S ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 account of our cattle and dairy being kept 
 there. We found we should be obliged to di- 
 vide our family, and have one part at Mr. 
 Paddock's late residence and the other at our 
 own. My husband would have cheerfully 
 gone to the newly purchased situation, had 
 not his presence and services at home among 
 the cattle been indispensable. It evidently 
 therefore became my duty to undertake the 
 unpleasant task of leaving home, to occupy 
 a house which we feared an unprincipled 
 intruder wished to inhabit. I had however 
 grown accustomed to hardships even more 
 severe than this. I took with me our two 
 youngest children, something with which to 
 warm our food, and a bed. As the house was 
 only half a mile from our own, I frequently saw 
 the other parts of the family during the day; 
 but the nights seemed dreary and long. For 
 a few days nobody came near us, and I would 
 have gladly hoped our fears were groundless. 
 They eventually proved but too true, as 
 the following account sufficiently manifests. 
 One afternoon, after I had been living in this 
 manner about a week, a person drove a 
 clumsy waggon to the door, containing a 
 little furniture, a woman, and two children. 
 I shut the door, and endeavoured to fasten 
 the latch, there being no lock. But the man, 
 who I afterwards learnt was Mr. Carr, 
 
 134
 
 S tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 quickly forced it open, and bidding his wife 
 walk in, said to her, — well, my dear, this is 
 our house: how do you like it? without seem- 
 ing to notice me in the least. He then car- 
 ried in their furniture, and then, for the first 
 time, found leisure to speak to me. He told 
 me they could do without my company 
 pretty well, and wished me to be a good 
 neighbour and go home. There were two 
 rooms; I took my bed and other articles into 
 the other which was unoccupied, and felt 
 very anxious to see my husband. He came 
 in the evening, and saw what had occurred. 
 Mr. Carr held up a paper as a defiance, and 
 told him that it was the certificate obtained 
 at the land office, Quincy, as a title to the es- 
 tate. We were assured he could not have 
 purchased it legally; and we even doubted 
 that he had paid for it at all. When my hus- 
 band attempted to enter the house, Mr. Carr 
 shut the door, and resisted with all his force; 
 but being inferior in strength, admittance 
 was obtained. On perceiving us engaged in 
 a whispered conversation, he intimated that 
 if we intended to spend the night in his 
 house, he would go and make use of ours, to 
 which we made no reply. 
 
 The result of our deliberation was, that 
 my husband should ride over to Ouincy, a 
 distance of fifty miles, take the pre-emption
 
 a ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 certificate with him, and ascertain whether 
 through perjury he had purchased the land. 
 Shortly after, my husband went home, and 
 on his arrival found Mr. Carr, whom, as I 
 afterwards learnt, he quickly made scamper. 
 Next morning he called with a quantity of 
 provisions, and took leave of me for his jour- 
 ney, which would take him three days; no 
 one but myself knowing the purport of his 
 leaving home. It was most uncomfortable 
 for me to be thus left with only two little 
 children under the same roof with a family 
 whose sentiments towards me were the most 
 unfriendly imaginable, and whose character 
 stood assuredly not very high for probity. 
 In the fullest and worst sense of the word, I 
 was a prisoner, not daring to leave the room, 
 and exposed to the jeers and taunts of a ma- 
 licious man who left no means untried, short 
 of personal violence, to expel me from the 
 house; telling me my husband had sent me 
 there to get rid of me, with a thousand other 
 fabricated and tantalizing remarks. 
 
 The third day, which was the Sabbath, 
 having sent for my Bible, I endeavoured to 
 solace myself by perusing its sacred pages. 
 This made him more furious than ever; ut- 
 tering the most blasphemous imprecations, 
 he vowed *he would be both rid of me, and 
 my cursed religion before long.' About ten 
 
 136
 
 S l^rue picture of emigration 
 
 in the forenoon, two or three of his friends 
 came to see him, who, finding or knowing 
 how matters stood, assisted him in his at- 
 tempts to deride me. I really thought I now 
 must surrender, and had it not been for the 
 man's wife, who checked their scorn, I am 
 apt to think I should have been obliged to 
 withdraw. After dinner my situation took a 
 favourable turn. By some means or other 
 many of our neighbours having learnt where I 
 was and on what account, came to the house 
 to see me. For a while my keeper refused ad- 
 mittance to all, till by and by there was quite 
 a crowd at the door. I conversed with some 
 females whom I knew through an aperture in 
 the wall, which served for a window; and as 
 many of them wished to enter, a number of 
 men favourable to our interests told my dis- 
 appointed persecutor if he did not allow the 
 females to visit me, they would convince him 
 he was no master. Awed by this declaration, 
 he opened the door and the house was imme- 
 diately filled, Mr. Carr and his party appear- 
 ing completely nonplused. And, so strangely 
 had matters changed, that religious worship 
 was held in the place that evening, suggested 
 by a few pious friends, who seeing my Bible, 
 had thought it their duty to propose it. 
 
 This was too much for Mr. Carr; he entirely 
 left the premises during service. Towards 
 
 137
 
 ^ Crue picture of emigration 
 
 nightfall the arrival of my husband was an- 
 nounced, who was much surprised to find 
 me so well attended. He told Mr. Carr, 
 in the presence of the persons congregated, 
 where he had been, and how his perjury was 
 detected. He likewise gave him to under- 
 stand that he would probably find he had 
 acted imprudently as well as wickedly. But 
 the most agreeable part of the intelligence to 
 me was, that there was no necessity for me 
 to remain any longer in the house. I there- 
 fore very willingly left it and accompanied 
 my husband to our own habitation, having 
 first thanked my friends for their kind inter- 
 ference and regard. The sum of the particu- 
 lars is, that Mr. Carr had paid for the land, 
 having previously sworn there was no im- 
 provement on it; although a pre-emption 
 certificate had been obtained at the record- 
 ing office, Pittsfield. Of course the purchase 
 was illegal, and Carr liable to a heavy pen- 
 alty. The following morning, we learnt our 
 firmness had acted powerfully on the mind 
 of our opponent, as his wife called upon us to 
 say that her husband was willing to make a 
 compromise, and would either pay us for our 
 claims on the estate or sell his certificate. 
 This proposal required some consideration; 
 we therefore gave her no definite answer, but 
 told her if her husband wished to have an
 
 Si tCrue picture of dtmigration 
 
 interview with us, notwithstanding his base 
 conduct, we would treat him with civihty. 
 In the meantime, we considered it best to 
 sell our pre-emption right, if he would pro- 
 duce the money, as we knew we could not 
 buy his certificate at that time. In a day or 
 two our opponent waited upon us wishing to 
 have us pacified, as he knew he had acted 
 criminally. We told him we would allow him 
 peaceable possession on the payment of 
 eighty dollars for the improvement, which 
 he agreed to pay, and shortly afterwards the 
 affair was settled, eventually to our advan- 
 tage, though it cost us some anguish of mind. 
 The peculiarity of the American law respect- 
 ing the purchase of land, although framed 
 originally with the view of assisting new set- 
 tlers, is not infrequently a source of strife; 
 at the present time there are many persons 
 who have cultivated land for numbers of 
 years, without paying anything for it; and 
 there is no means of knowing, except by ap- 
 plying at the land office. Should, however, 
 this counsel escape them, some one would be 
 sure to go and purchase it, or even reap some 
 of the corn when ripe, the original cultivator 
 having no legal power to prevent them. 
 
 There is another peculiar clause in these 
 laws respecting original rights; I refer to the 
 erection of mills. I have before stated that 
 
 139
 
 S 3Drue picture of emigration 
 
 water mills are the most common; the reason 
 of this is obvious. When, therefore, a person 
 purchases a section of land, it is his interest 
 to examine whether there is a mill-seat on 
 any stream that may run through it; if there 
 is, he must apply to the recording office to 
 have it "condemned." This prevents any 
 other person from erecting a mill within a 
 certain distance; I believe two miles. If, 
 however, after two years the site is not built 
 upon, the owner loses his prerogative. This 
 law caused a piece of knavery to be prac- 
 tised upon us; the branch running through 
 our farm had a very good site on it for a mill; 
 some of our friends advised us to get it con- 
 demned; we did so, rather with a view of 
 selling the site than of erecting a mill our- 
 selves. About a year and a half afterwards, 
 a person called upon us named Phillips, the 
 identical person at whose house we had spent 
 the first night in Illinois, with a view of buy- 
 ing it; after a little deliberation we sold it to 
 him for one hundred and fifty dollars; not 
 having cash by him, as he said, he would call 
 again in a short time and pay for it; my hus- 
 band desired to have the agreement drawn 
 up in a proper form, but as Mr. Phillips 
 averred his word was his surest bond it was 
 omitted. He, however, proved a villain and 
 the tool of another; for, by continuing to 
 
 140
 
 S tirue picture of emigration 
 
 evade payment by specious promises, he con- 
 trived to keep us in suspense till the two 
 years had expired, when another person, his 
 employer, immediately began to erect a mill 
 very near our farm; thus were we defrauded 
 of our right to be millers. 
 
 Perhaps the foregoing incidents may place 
 the inhabitants of the western world in an 
 unfavourable light; as a few remarks appear, 
 therefore, to be called for, not indeed to un- 
 say what has been said, "facts are stubborn 
 things;" but to serve as an explanation of 
 the occurrences above narrated. It must be 
 borne in mind that ignorance is a predomi- 
 nant feature in their character, indeed it can 
 hardly be otherwise; not that they are less 
 gifted than the Europeans from whom they 
 have originated, but because their opportu- 
 nities for cultivating their minds are so lim- 
 ited; besides, their pursuits and manner of 
 living do not require much intellectual train- 
 ing; a really learned man would be in soli- 
 tude amongst them, and his talents, like the 
 vaticinating genius of an ill-fated Cassandra, 
 unappreciated or unperceived. The Ameri- 
 can government has, indeed, very humanely 
 appropriated a certain portion of land for the 
 maintenance of schools through the length 
 and breadth of the country; this endowment 
 naturally varies with the value of the land. 
 
 141
 
 S tCrue picture of Emigration 
 
 In the States where the land has become 
 more valuable by an increased population, it 
 is pretty good, and consequently commands 
 men of talent; but in the remoter regions 
 there are numberless school allotments for 
 which no candidate could be found. In Illi- 
 nois the teachers of these endowed schools, 
 and there are few of any other class, except 
 in large towns, do not assuredly make great 
 pretensions to literary distinction. Happen- 
 ing to be one of a party at the examination of 
 a candidate for the school-land near our 
 house, I was surprised to see how easily the 
 bonus was obtained; the reader will perhaps 
 smile when he is told that the spelling book 
 was the only standard by which his qualifica- 
 tions were tested; what may be expected 
 from the pupils of such masters is left for the 
 arithmetical capabilities of the reader to de- 
 termine. I may, however, remark, that were 
 it not for the influx of European emigrants 
 and settlers from the more eastern states, all 
 traces of a scientific nature would very soon 
 disappear. 
 
 I have introduced this trait of character 
 with a view to qualify the opinions which 
 some of the foregoing facts might give rise to. 
 In human nature, all the world over, there 
 are certain bold mental and moral features, 
 which, under similar training, seldom fail to 
 
 142
 
 S ®rue picture of Emigration 
 
 shew themselves. I would by no means be 
 understood to imply that ignorance and dis- 
 honesty are synonymous terms, or that an 
 acquaintance with the arts and sciences pre- 
 vents a person from being a knave. x-\ll that is 
 here meant is included in the well-known sta- 
 tistical fact, that crime is the most prevalent 
 where the attainments of society are of the 
 lowest order. This is a truth which modern 
 investigation has fully established, although 
 the ancients were not ignorant concerning it. 
 
 "Ingenuas didicisse fideliter artes 
 Emollet mores^ nee sinit esseferos" 
 
 The influence of Christianity on the mor- 
 als of mankind is considered sufficient with- 
 out the aid of education to restrain vicious 
 propensities. True Christianity practically 
 enjoyed, must, I am persuaded, make its pos- 
 sessor a good man and a good citizen. But I 
 am equally certain that the blessings that 
 accrue to society thence arising, bear a direct 
 proportion to the state, as to intelligence, in 
 which that society is found. For proofs of 
 this assertion, I refer not to the experience 
 of times gone by, when 
 
 "A second deluge learning over-ran, 
 
 And the monks finished what the Goths began." 
 
 I intend rather to make good my position by 
 a short account of the religious peculiarities 
 
 143
 
 ^ 3true picture of Emigration 
 
 of the people whose character I am attempt- 
 ing to pourtray. 
 
 Prior to leaving England, I had been for 
 nearly twenty years a member of the Wes- 
 leyan Methodist Society, and consequently 
 felt wishful, as soon as our circumstances 
 would allow, to join the religious body called 
 the Methodists in that country. I attended 
 a class meeting held in a house about two 
 miles from our residence; but the manner in 
 which it was conducted was by no means 
 congenial to my views and sentiments. The 
 company being assembled and seated, the 
 one acting as leader, rose from his seat, 
 which was a signal for the others to do the 
 same. A sort of circle or ring was then imme- 
 diately formed, by the whole assembly tak- 
 ing hold of hands, and capering about the 
 house surprisingly. Their gesture could not 
 be called dancing, and yet no term that I can 
 employ describes it better. This done, wor- 
 ship commenced with extempore prayer, not 
 indeed in language or style the best selected, 
 but with this I have nothing to do. I have 
 no right to question the sincerity of the indi- 
 vidual, and if his taste differed from mine, it 
 is no proof that his was wrong. The follow- 
 ing part of the service was exceedingly ex- 
 ceptionable. All the persons present being 
 again seated, an individual started from his 
 
 144
 
 ^ tKrue picture of Emigration 
 
 seat, exclaiming in a loud and frantic shriek, 
 "I feel it," meaning what is commonly 
 termed among them the power of God. His 
 motions, which appeared half convulsive, 
 were observed with animated joy by the rest, 
 till he fell apparently stiff upon the floor, 
 where he lay unmolested a short time, and 
 then resumed his seat. Others were affected 
 in a similar manner, only in some instances 
 the power of speech was not suspended, as 
 in this, by the vehemence of enthusiasm, for 
 I cannot give it a more moderate name. 
 
 Finding in this mode of worship little that 
 I could really respect, I resolved not long 
 afterwards to absent myself from them alto- 
 gether. I found moreover that some of the 
 most rapturous members were far from be- 
 ing exemplary in their conduct, practically 
 considered. As to their other forms of re- 
 ligious worship I have few remarks to offer. 
 The Americans are fond of the word liberty; 
 it is indeed the burden of their song, their 
 glory, and their pride. In some respects this 
 is praiseworthy — an essential ingredient in 
 national honour and national greatness; but 
 in my opinion it is carried too far when it 
 enters the sanctuary. It may be pleasant to 
 hear of religious bodies worshipping under 
 their own vine and fig tree, in the manner 
 best adapted to their views and feelings. 
 
 H5
 
 ^ ®rue picture of emigration 
 
 Views and feelings, it is well known, are de- 
 pendent on educational precepts and original 
 impressions. These therefore must vary, and 
 experience shews they do vary proportion- 
 ally to the endowments or discipline of the 
 individual. And yet religion is only one, the 
 gospel is only one; and consequently no two 
 conflicting creeds can be both right. How 
 far a person's private judgment ought to be 
 at liberty to originate, select, or improve 
 modes of faith and worship, I pretend not to 
 determine. If it be a privilege which all 
 classes of the community may claim with 
 propriety, no consequences can be more nat- 
 ural than those which have hitherto thence 
 arisen, viz: the continual appearance of new 
 sects or denominations. Either from consti- 
 tutional peculiarity or educational bias, the 
 minds of mankind possess faculties for think- 
 ing and feeling too widely different for them 
 ever to be consentaneous, especially in mat- 
 ters where much is left imperfectly defined, 
 probably as a test of obedience and faith. 
 
 I have been led into this digression, be- 
 cause, on hearing some of the preachers in 
 Illinois, I have often thought them out of 
 their place when they have been attempting 
 to substantiate whimsies of their own, rather 
 than truths fairly deduced from the Word 
 of God. The fact is, too little regard is paid 
 
 146
 
 a tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 either to the fitness of the preacher or the 
 sanctity of the office. If an individual's in- 
 clinations prompt him to become a preacher, 
 little or no further explanation is demanded. 
 This, of course, can only be understood to 
 refer to the thinly inhabited districts, where, 
 I assure the reader, it is not necessary to be 
 very fastidious, in order to find ample reason 
 for doubting whether, under the name of re- 
 ligious worship, there is not a mixture of 
 superstition and unhallowed excitement. Be- 
 sides the usual Sabbath observances, camp 
 meetings are frequently held in the open air. 
 These are commonly termed two-day meet- 
 ings, though they are frequently kept up the 
 greater part of the week. They are attended 
 by persons of different denominations, and 
 conducted in a very irregular manner; one 
 part of the assembly being on their knees, 
 while another is listening to an exhortation 
 from one of the preachers. 
 
 It is now requisite that I should once more 
 resume my narrative. The reader is aware I 
 do not pretend to preserve it unbroken to the 
 present time. The greatest difficulties inci- 
 dent to emigrants, commonly occur at the 
 commencement of their enterprising career; 
 what our beginning was, has been explained 
 in detail; it remains, therefore, only to de- 
 scribe our present condition. Before I can 
 
 147
 
 ^ tlTrue picture of emigration 
 
 properly effect this purpose, it will be neces- 
 sary to state the particulars of that event 
 which induced me, once more, to visit the 
 shores of Old England; "my own sweet na- 
 tive earth." Mr. B., the reader has been in- 
 formed, got married about four years after 
 our arrival; being an industrious and frugal 
 man, his affairs kept continually improving; 
 he put out, as loans, several hundred dollars, 
 for which he received good interest: his cat- 
 tle, also, was numerous, from which he ob- 
 tained a good livelihood, by keeping under 
 the plough as much land as grew them prov- 
 ender for winter. He lived, however, only a 
 few years; I shall never forget, poor man, the 
 last time he was at our house. I was rather 
 unwell; after seeing me he went round our 
 farm with my husband, and then called in 
 again to bid me good evening, saying, he 
 hoped I should be better when he came 
 again; but '* how frail at best is dying man;" 
 that very night he began in the typhus fever, 
 which terminated his earthly existence in a 
 few days; he died childless and without will. 
 Being in regular correspondence with my 
 children in England, although I have till now 
 felt it my duty to be silent on that subject, 
 lest the reader should be entirely bewildered 
 with the recital of anxieties arising from so 
 many sources, I sent them an account of his 
 
 148
 
 S tirue t^icture of emigration 
 
 death, and wished them to name it to his 
 brother; this being done, the latter, who has 
 a large family in England, and is conse- 
 quently anxious to better his condition, took 
 it into his head to visit the deceased's widow 
 in America, hoping to become entitled to some 
 of his property; accordingly he left his fam- 
 ily to take care of his home, and in company 
 with another person wishful to emigrate, 
 sailed for New Orleans early in the present 
 year. Neither we, nor Mr. B.'s widow, were 
 aware of his coming; we were all taken by 
 surprise; well do I remember the first appear- 
 ance of these two Yorkshiremen, who had 
 agreed to introduce themselves as strangers. 
 Little did we think when we saw them ram- 
 bling in our farm like two incurious travel- 
 lers, that they were objects of such interest 
 to us as they proved to be; self and husband 
 were in the fields when they found us. I fan- 
 cied I perceived a likeness of the Mr. B., in 
 one of them, and challenged him as his 
 brother; I was right: silence confirmed the 
 conjecture, and we immediately invited them 
 into the house, and treated them with good 
 Old English hospitality, eagerly devouring 
 all the tidings we could elicit from them. I 
 dare say we were thought tediously inquisi- 
 tive, as we kept our guests in talk till after 
 midnight, before we allowed them to retire. 
 
 149
 
 tirue picture of €misration 
 
 The following day was spent in looking 
 over our farm, and as the reader has been 
 made acquainted with our difficulties, it is 
 but just that he should know how we were 
 situated on this occasion. In the first in- 
 stance I may state that the house we at pres- 
 ent occupy has been recently erected, and 
 though in externals there is nothing to boast 
 of, it is much superior to the one we occupied 
 during former years. The situation itself is 
 more airy and open. Our furniture is also 
 more in accordance with modern times than 
 that we occupied at the commencement of 
 our career. The three-footed stools which 
 then served as our ordinary seats, have long 
 since been banished the house, and desig- 
 nated with the humble title of milking stools; 
 and in short our house has been entirely re- 
 furnished, and useful articles of various kinds 
 have been procured. It is however not so 
 much either in the house or its furniture that 
 our success manifests itself: were these to be 
 made the principal objects by which posses- 
 sions are estimated, there are after all few 
 cottagers in England that would not be on an 
 equality with us, with this exception, theirs 
 are generally rented, while ours is our own 
 freehold. I may further observe, with refer- 
 ence to the furniture of our house, that we 
 have for many years had abundance, and I 
 
 150
 
 ^ Wvnt picture of (Emigration 
 
 might say a superabundance of those essen- 
 tials of housekeeping, which, if not the most 
 ornamental in a sitting room, are not the 
 least valuable in a family; that is to say, we 
 have known no lack of good food, such as 
 beef, pork, butter, fowls, eggs, milk, flour, 
 and fruits, all of which we have, as York- 
 shire farmers say, within ourselves; but as I 
 intimated before, our out-door possessions 
 were the objects that chiefly engaged the at- 
 tention of our guests. At this time we had at 
 least twenty head of horned cattle, of which 
 we kill or sell off" some at every autumn; we 
 have seven horses, including one or two 
 foals; besides pigs, sheep, and poultry, the 
 number of which I am not able to state as 
 they keep continually breeding, and are 
 never to be seen altogether. Our land, which 
 is of excellent quality and very productive, 
 pleased our visitants very much, who went 
 round the greater part of it, although it ex- 
 tends to a great distance from our house, as 
 we have by purchases made at sundry times 
 three hundred and sixty acres, more than 
 half of which is cultivated. Not wishing to 
 manage the whole ourselves, we have two 
 small farms let off, for which we receive as 
 rent a dollar an acre. It is not difficult to let 
 land broken up at the above rate. Many 
 who do not possess the means for purchasing 
 
 151
 
 ^ tCrue picture of emigration 
 
 land, are glad to rent a few acres on which to 
 grow provender for their cattle during win- 
 ter, and food for themselves. 
 
 I wish to make no boast of our possessions; 
 but having told the difficulties we experi- 
 enced at our commencement, I ought in fair- 
 ness to state what our success has been; I do 
 this and no more; the lapse of a dozen years 
 has wonderfully changed the appearance of 
 things. We have seen a neighbourhood rise 
 around us; and in some situations, where at 
 our first coming, everything appeared in its 
 native wildness, small villages have now be- 
 gun to rise. Means of comfort are now within 
 our reach. We remember the time when we 
 knew not where to apply for an article if at 
 all out of daily use; but by the increase of 
 population, we can now easily obtain any- 
 thing we require, either as food, physic, or 
 clothing, and were we disposed to give up 
 labour, we could live very comfortably on 
 the fruits of our former toil. One thing I 
 would notice as a cause of our ultimate pros- 
 perity, is, that having a family, we have been 
 greatly assisted in the culture of our land, 
 without having so much to hire as we should 
 otherwise have been obliged. Were I asked 
 what is my opinion respecting emigration, I 
 would refer the enquirer to the foregoing 
 narrative; here are facts, let him consider 
 
 152
 
 S 3Crue picture of Emigration 
 
 and judge for himself. If our success has 
 been ultimately greater than at one time we 
 anticipated, or even than that of many of 
 our neighbours, as indeed it has, it must be 
 borne in mind that our industry and perse- 
 verance have been unremitting. If our cat- 
 tle and lands have kept increasing, that 
 increase is but the reward for the number- 
 less anxieties we have experienced, and the 
 privations we have undergone. Few would 
 undertake the latter to secure the former. 
 
 Before concluding my narrative, I beg to 
 state that I do not sympathize with those 
 who assert that to leave one's country and 
 become an emigrant, implies a want of pa- 
 triotism. There are a few facts bearing on 
 this question which I may be allowed to 
 mention. Is not, I would ask, the popula- 
 tion of the United Kingdom as great at the 
 present time as its means can comfortably 
 support and employ, and if so, how would 
 the mother country be able to maintain the 
 millions now in America, that have sprung 
 from her? 
 
 The soil and mineral productions of Amer- 
 ica are of the most valuable character: — rich 
 in all that is calculated to make a commu- 
 nity great, independent, and happy. The 
 same all-bountiful parent that has given to 
 Great Britain her vast resources, whereby
 
 ^ 2Crue picture of Emigration 
 
 her densely peopled towns, and villages scat- 
 tered over a thousand hills derive subsist- 
 ence, has been at work in America. Looking 
 at the question in its more enlarged and true 
 character, assuming that the entire earth is 
 under the dominion of man, how can we sup- 
 pose that some parts of England, whose nat- 
 ural character is sterility, should be brought 
 under a barely remunerating culture, while 
 there are millions of acres elsewhere, as pro- 
 ductive as any soil on which the common orb 
 of day has shone, still a wild uninhabited 
 wilderness. These are questions to which 
 time is giving and must give a proper an- 
 swer, and in so doing the mother country it- 
 self will be no loser. 
 
 The greatness of England, it has been long 
 understood, is dependent upon its manufac- 
 tures and commerce, and if so, I would fur- 
 ther ask what country has contributed so 
 much to foster those manufactures and sup- 
 port that commerce as the United States of 
 America? Thinking and feeling like one that 
 is proud of her relation to England and that 
 loves her own country, I consider it no dis- 
 grace to the British nation that I have trav- 
 elled thousands of miles in America, from 
 New Orleans to Illinois, and then thence on 
 the Ohio by Cincinnati and Philadelphia to 
 New York on my way home, that I have 
 
 154
 
 a Crue picture of (Emigration 
 
 visited cities, some of which already number 
 hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, and 
 never found a place where using my own 
 English tongue, I had any difficulty in mak- 
 ing myself understood or of comprehending 
 all I heard spoken. 
 
 But to complete my narrative. The object 
 of one of our guests, as already explained, 
 was to settle in the country. Not having 
 sufficient money to establish himself as an 
 occupier of land, he became a day-labourer 
 with immediate employment. Being entirely 
 unacquainted with the method of farming as 
 practised in Illinois, his first wages were only 
 fourteen dollars per month and his board. 
 With this he appeared satisfied, and said he 
 found things better than he anticipated. As 
 to Mr. B.'s brother, his purpose was to ob- 
 tain something from the widow of the de- 
 ceased, to which he certainly had a legal 
 claim. Finding that his share would be all in 
 land (i6o acres) he soon manifested signs of 
 impatience to be going back to England for 
 his wife and family in order to occupy it. 
 The idea of a person leaving us to go direct 
 to the country, on which a large share of my 
 affections will ever be placed, increased the 
 desire, which I had never ceased to indulge, 
 of visiting once more the shores of Old Eng- 
 land. The purpose thus suggested was
 
 M tBxnt picture of emigration 
 
 weighed over with feelings such as the sensi- 
 tive reader will not require me to explain. 
 No feeble motives could have prompted me 
 to take the step I am here describing; con- 
 nected with the thought of coming to Eng- 
 land, dear as it was, I saw I should have to 
 cross the Atlantic twice during the remain- 
 der of the summer, besides much tedious in- 
 land travelling. It required me to resist the 
 entreaties of my children, who, with tears in 
 their eyes, daily urged me not to leave them. 
 But I will not go through these sad details. 
 I will not repeat the arguments my neigh- 
 bours employed to induce me to stay: how 
 they reminded me that old age was begin- 
 ning to number me among its victims; that 
 it was in vain for me to think I could do as 
 I had done. My decisive reply to these and 
 many other obstacles which comfort, pru- 
 dence, maternal and conjugal love suggested, 
 was, "it must be now or never." 
 
 Decided, therefore, to carry out the re- 
 solve to which I had come, I prepared to 
 accompany our guest, and finally left Illi- 
 nois for England on the 20th of April, where 
 we arrived after a prosperous voyage on the 
 19th of June; and thus am I again, for a few 
 short summer weeks, in my own country. I 
 will not trouble the reader further with my 
 story. If the account I have given of our 
 
 156
 
 91 ^rue picture of emigration 
 
 proceedings, adverse and successful, does not 
 allure his fancy with ideas of visionary pros- 
 perity as the invariable result of crossing the 
 seas, it may perchance tend to make him a 
 little better satisfied with his present condi- 
 tion, though it should only be a snug little 
 cottage in the land where his childhood was 
 reared. If it does this, it will be something — 
 my purpose will be served — and thus, reader, 
 I wish thee farewell. 
 
 Note. — The writer^ feels it due to state 
 that the subject of this narrative, as implied 
 above, returned, after a stay in England of 
 about three months, taking with her the 
 daughter,- mentioned at the first outset as 
 being left, the husband of the same, and their 
 two children, besides a family or two of con- 
 nections. Since their departure three or four 
 other families from their own immediate 
 neighbourhood have followed. 
 
 ^Edward Burlend whose role in writing the narrative 
 is recited in our Historical Introduction. 
 
 ^Mary Burlend, the daughter alluded to on page 9 
 as remaining behind in England when the family mi- 
 grated to America in 1831. On Feb. 10, 1840, she mar- 
 ried, in her native Yorkshire, Luke Yelliott. In 1846 
 the YeUiotts followed the Burlends to Pike County, 
 Illinois, where they established their permanent home, 
 in which John and Rebecca Burlend were sheltered 
 during their declining years. See History of Pike 
 County y Illinois (Chicago, i88c), 444.
 
 Index
 
 Snbex 
 
 A Catechism of English History ^ author of, xxi. 
 Ague, afflicts settlers, 114. 
 Allen, Francis, I, husband of Sarah Burlend, 9. 
 Allen, Francis, II, aids editor, xxix-xxx, 64. 
 Amy Thornton; or the Curate's Daughter y author of, xxi. 
 Ants, of Illinois, described, 192. 
 
 Atlantic Ocean, emigrants cross, 14-32, 156-57; tem- 
 pest on, 18-22; tedium of voyage, 22; beauty, 23; 
 
 pirates on, 28-29. 
 Atlas, epidemic at, 64. 
 
 A True Picture of Emigration, authorship of, xxii-xxvii. 
 Barter, in pioneer Illinois, 78-79. 
 Bay of Biscay, vessel driven to, 21. 
 Bees, incident narrated, 37. 
 Bethel Cemeten,', burial place of English emigrants, 
 
 xxvii-xxviii, 8-9; Burlend home near, 57, 
 Bethel church, Rebecca Burlend attends, xxviii, 
 Bickerdike, Charles, leads English migration to Pike 
 
 County, 8, 41, 149-50, 155; characterized, 50-52; 
 
 deahngs with Burlends, 70, 74, 89, 11 8-1 9, 131; 
 
 marriage, 123; death, 148. 
 Birds, of Illinois, described, 96-98. 
 Blacksnake, described, 99. 
 Boone family, settles in Scott County, 46. 
 Bread, Illinois method of making, 59-60. 
 
 Brevet, , misconduct related, 68-71. 
 
 British Museum, possesses works of Edward Burlend, 
 
 xxi. 
 Buck, Prof. S. J., bibliography cited, xxiii. 
 Bull-frogs, described, 1 04-105. 
 Burlend, Charlotte, career, 9. 
 
 161
 
 Snbex 
 
 Burlend, Edward, as author, xx-xxiv, 62, 157; intro- 
 duces narrative, 5; remains in England, 9. 
 
 Burlend, Hannah, career, 9. 
 
 Burlend family, economic condition, 7; departure for 
 America, 8-14; crosses Atlantic, 15-32; ascends 
 Mississippi, 33-40; arrival in Pike County, 41-57; 
 American career narrated, 58-157. See also the 
 various members of the family. 
 
 Burlend, John, I, husband of Rebecca Burlend, xx; 
 characterized, xxx; attitude toward migration to 
 America, 7-15; rescues son, 27; foils robber, 39; 
 seeks family shelter, 43-45, 50; contest with squat- 
 ter, 68-69; as hunter, 73-74; injured, 89-92; tracks 
 raccoon, 105; sells watch, no; buys livestock, 
 1 15-19; plants garden, 122; fights fire, 125-27; pur- 
 chases land, 131-32; fights land jumper, 132-40; 
 old-age home, xxix, 157. 
 
 Burlend, John, II, career, 9; daring, 27; aids parents, 
 80; sympathy for father, 90. 
 
 Burlend (Yelliott), Mary, remains in England, 9; re- 
 moval to America, xxix, 157; shelters parents, 
 xxix-xxx, 157. 
 
 Burlend, Rebecca, as author, xviii-xx; revisits England, 
 xxiv-xxv, 148, 155-57; burial place, xxvii; character- 
 ized, xxviii-xxxi; attitude toward leaving England, 
 7-15; farewell emotions, 16-17; describes tempests, 
 18-22, 80-81; moonlight reflections, 23-24; ad- 
 venture with fire, 26-27, 126-27; fondness for 
 ocean vessel, 35-36; harvests maple sugar, 78; 
 plants corn, 80; clears land, 87; harvests wheat, 
 90-92; adventure with rattlesnake, 124-25; with 
 land jumper, 134-38; religious views, 144-47; °^^' 
 age home, xxix, 157. 
 
 Burlend, Sarah, career, 9. 
 
 Burland, William, career, 9. 
 
 Burns, , neighbor of Burlends, 70; extends aid, 
 
 121-22, 129. 
 
 162
 
 Snbex 
 
 Burton, Rebecca, see Rebecca Burlend. 
 Butterflies, of Illinois, described, 102. 
 Buzzard, as food, 73-74. 
 Camp-meetings, described, 147. 
 
 Carr, , land jumper, 132-39. 
 
 Cattle, method of rearing, 75-78, 130. 
 
 Cemeteries, Bethel, xxvii-xxviii, 8-9, 57; Swillington, 
 
 xx-xxi. 
 Cheat-wheat, 106-107, 128. 
 Climate, of Illinois, described, 69-70, 80-82, 92-95, 
 
 104. 
 Commerce, of England, 16; of New Orleans, 34. 
 Copperheads, described, 99-100. 
 Corn meal, as food, 58-59. 
 
 Dalby, Thomas, husband of Hannah Burlend, 9. 
 Detroit, Burlend home near, xxviii, 57. 
 Elledge, Elizabeth, inheritance of, 43; mother, 46. 
 England, emigrants remove to Illinois, xxvii, 8-14; 
 
 farewell to, 16-17; sources of national strength, 
 
 154-55- 
 Farrand, James, reports second edition of Burlend 
 
 narrative, xxv. 
 
 Fences, rail, described, 72-73. 
 
 Ferries, see Philips Ferry. 
 
 Fire-flies, described, 103. 
 
 Flatboats, in Mississippi River trade, 34. 
 
 Flowers, of Illinois prairies, described, 84-85. 
 
 Furniture, described, 49, 64-65, 150-51. 
 
 Griggsville, residents of, xxv, 9. 
 
 Gulf of Mexico, piracy in, 29. 
 
 Home^ Burlends cross ocean on, 15-32, 35. 
 
 Hospitality, of Americans, 45-46; of Burlends, 74, 
 
 i49-56._ 
 Illinois, bibliography of Travel and Description^ xxiii; 
 houses of settlers, 47-52; land system, 52-55, 
 131-40; bread-making, 59-60; climate, 69-70, 
 80-82, 92-95, 104; cattle-rearing, 75-78, 130; 
 
 163
 
 Sntrex 
 
 mosquitoes, 82-83; prairies, 83-84; flowers, 85; 
 
 trees, 85-86; birds, 96-98, 104; snakes, 99-101; 
 
 insects, 101-102; animals, 104-106; threshing 
 
 methods, 106-107; ague, 114; culture, 141-43; 
 
 religious practices, 144-47. 
 Illinois mange, described, 63-64. 
 Illinois River, emigrants ascend, 40-42. 
 Illinois River Valley, as home of Burlends, xxviii; 
 
 fertility, 62. 
 Indian corn, crop described, 60-63; planted, 79-80, 
 
 121-22; harvested, 109; damaged by freezing, in. 
 Insects, of Illinois, described, 101-103. 
 Irish Channel, emigrants traverse, 18. 
 Jackson, General Andrew, defense of New Orleans, 29. 
 KiNziE, Mrs. Juliette A., author of Lakeside Classics 
 
 volume, xvii-xviii. 
 
 Knowles, , dealings with Burlends, no, 129. 
 
 Lakeside Classics , authors of, xvii; list of volumes pub- 
 lished, 169. 
 Land, system in Illinois, 52-55, 131-40; method of 
 
 clearing, 86-87. 
 Leeds, sale of Burlend narrative in, xxvii. 
 Liberty, religious, abuse of, 145-47. 
 Library of Congress, lacks Burlend data, xxi. 
 Lighting, pioneer methods described, 65-66. 
 Lightning, display of, in Illinois, 80-82. 
 Lincoln, Abraham, visits New Orleans, 34. 
 Liverpool, stay of Burlends in, 9-14. 
 Log houses, described, 47-52. 
 Maple trees, sugar-making described, 55; sugar 
 
 harvested, 78, 120-21, 131. 
 Matanuska, emigrants mentioned, xix. 
 Medicine, Rebecca Burlend practices, xxix-xxx. 
 Methodists, religious services of, 144-45. 
 Mills, laws governing erection of, 139-41. 
 Mississippi River, route via, 15, 35; emigrants ascend, 
 
 31, 35-41; fuel used by steamers, 36. 
 
 164
 
 Snbex 
 
 Missouri River, characterized, 38. 
 
 Mosquitoes, among settlers, 82-83. 
 
 Negroes, bee-hive incident, 36-37; thief, 39. See also 
 Slavery. 
 
 New Orleans, route via, 15; Andrew Jackson defends, 
 29; emigrants reach, 31-32; described, 33-34; as 
 market for interior produce, 67. 
 
 Noises, of Illinois nighttime, described, 104-105. 
 
 Oakes, , Pike County squatter, xxviii; sells pre- 
 emption right, 54-57; Hvestock, 59-60, 68. 
 
 Ohio River characterized, 38. 
 
 Paddock, , neighbor of Burlends, 59, 70; sells pre- 
 emption right, 131-32. 
 
 Philips, Andrew, owns ferry, 42-43. 
 
 PhiHps, Asa, inheritance of, 43. 
 
 Philips (Norris), Nancy, inheritance of, 42-43; char- 
 acterized, 45-46. 
 
 PhiUps, Nimrod, career, 42-43; defends Burlends, 
 140-41. 
 
 Philips, Selah, inheritance of, 43. 
 
 Philips, Zerrelda Jean, inheritance of, 42-43. 
 
 Philips Ferry, arrival of Burlends at, 41-44. See also 
 Valley City. 
 
 Pike County, as home of Burlends, xxiv; English 
 migration to, xxv-xxvii, xxxi, 8; epidemic in, 64. 
 
 Pike County Republican ^ cited, 9. 
 
 Piracy, encountered, 28-29. 
 
 Pittsfield, home of Burlend descendants, xxi, xxiii-xxv, 
 xxix. 
 
 Potatoes, raised, iii. 
 
 Prairies, described, 83-84. 
 
 Preemptions, explained, 53; conflict over, 131-39. 
 
 QuiNCY, land office at, 135. 
 
 Raccoons, described, 105-106. 
 
 Racer, see Blacksnake. 
 
 Rattlesnakes, described, loo-ioi; encounter with, 
 124-25. 
 
 165
 
 3nbex 
 
 Religion, status of, in Pike County, 71; services de- 
 scribed, 144-47. 
 
 Rhodes, Albert, remembers Rebecca Burlend, xxx. 
 
 Sabbath, disregard of in New Orleans, 23'^ Burlends 
 observe, 71. 
 
 St. Louis, route via, 35; growth, 40-41. 
 
 Salt, fondness of cattle for, 76-77. 
 
 Schools, government endows, 141-42. 
 
 School teachers, educational standards, 142. 
 
 Scott County, Boones settle in, 46. 
 
 Sea-sickness, afflicts emigrants, 18. 
 
 Skillet, use, described, 59. 
 
 Slavery, at New Orleans, 33-34; on lower Mississippi, 
 
 Snakes, of IlHnois, described, 99-101. 
 
 Soap, pioneer method of making, 66-67. 
 
 Squatters, in Illinois, mentioned, xxviii; role explained, 
 54; misconduct, 68-69. 
 
 Stores, pioneer, described, 67-78; operations, 78-79, 88, 
 107-108, 129. 
 
 Sugar, see Maple trees. 
 
 Sulphur, as remedy for Illinois mange, 63-64. 
 
 Sumac tree, described, 55-56. 
 
 Swillington, home of Edward Burlend, xx. 
 
 Tempests, described, 18-22, 80-81. 
 
 The JVesleyan Emigrants, see y/ True Picture of Emi- 
 gration. 
 
 Thief, attempts robbery, 39. 
 
 Thompson, Jess M., owns copy of Village Rhymes ^ 
 xxi; on authorship of True Picture of Emigration, 
 xxiii-xxiv; as source of information, xxv, 9, 54, 
 64, 115. _ 
 
 Tillson, Mrs. Christiana H., author of Lakeside 
 Classics volume, xvii-xviii. 
 
 Trees, varieties encountered on Mississippi, 37-38; 
 impede navigation, 38; of Illinois, described, 85-86; 
 destroyed, 86-87, 122-23. 
 
 166
 
 3fnbex 
 
 Turkey buzzard, as food, 73-74. 
 
 Valley City, Burlend home near, xxviii, 57. See also 
 
 Philips Ferry. 
 Van Dusen (Vanderoozen), Garret, establishes ferry, 
 
 42; sells livestock, 1 15-18, 129. 
 Varley, — , pioneer storekeeper, 78-79, 88, 107-108, 129. 
 Venison, as food, 54, 59. 
 Village Rhymes, authorship of, xx-xxii. 
 Weather, see climate. 
 West Indies, emigrants traverse, 27-30. 
 Whalen, Hazel, supplies information, xxv-xxvi. 
 Wheat, harvested, 89-92, 123-24, 128, 131; threshed, 
 
 106-107; sold, 107-108; sowed, 109-110; field 
 
 burned, 125-27. 
 Whetstones, needed, 123. 
 Whip-poor-wills, described, 104. 
 Winters, of Illinois, described, 69-70. 
 Wolves, prevalence of, 70. 
 
 Women, as authors of Lakeside Classics, xvii-xviii. 
 Yelliott, Luke, husband of Mary Burlend, 157; see 
 
 also Mary Burlend. 
 Yellow fever, afflicts New Orleans, 34. 
 Yorkshire, home of Burlends, xviii-xx, 5, 7, 9; Rebecca 
 
 Burlend revisits, xxiv-xxv, 155-57; faniilies migrate 
 
 to Illinois, xxxi, 157. 
 
 167
 
 NUMBER TITLE YEAR 
 
 1. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin 1903 
 
 2. Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the 
 
 United States from Washington to Lincoln. . 1904 
 
 3. Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the 
 
 United States from Johnson to Roosevelt.. . . 1905 
 
 4. Fruits of Solitude by William Penn 1906 
 
 5. Memorable American Speeches 
 
 I. The Colonial Period 1907 
 
 6. Memorable American Speeches 
 
 II. Democracy and Nationality 1908 
 
 7. Memorable American Speeches 
 
 III. Slavery 1909 
 
 8. Memorable American Speeches 
 
 IV. Secession. War, Reconstruction 1910 
 
 9. The Autobiography of Gurdon Saltonstall Hub- 
 
 bard 1911 
 
 10. Reminiscences of Early Chicago 1912 
 
 11. Reminiscences of Chicago During the Forties 
 
 and Fifties 1913 
 
 12. Reminiscences of Chicago During the Civil War 1914 
 
 13. Reminiscences of Chicago During the Great Fire 1915 
 
 14. Life of Black Hawk 1916 
 
 15. The Indian Captivity of O. M. Spencer 1917 
 
 16. Pictures of Illinois One Hundred Years Ago. . . 1918 
 
 17. A Woman's Story of Pioneer Illinois by Chris- 
 
 tiana Holmes Tillson 1919 
 
 18. The Conquest of the Illinois by George Rogers 
 
 Clark 1920 
 
 19. Alexander Henry's Travels and Adventures in 
 
 the Years 1760-1776 1921 
 
 20. John Long's Voyages and Travels in the Years 
 
 1768-1788 1922 
 
 21. Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon 
 
 or Columbia River by Alexander Ross 1923 
 
 22. The Fur Hunters of the Far West by Alexander 
 
 Ross 1924 
 
 23. The Southwestern Expedition of Zebulon M. 
 
 Pike 1925 
 
 24. Commerce of the Prairies by Josiah Gregg 1926 
 
 25. Death Valley in '49 by William L. Manly 1927 
 
 26. Bidwell's Echoes of the Past — Steele's In Camp 
 
 and Cabin 1928 
 
 27. Kendall's Texan Santa Fe Expedition 1929 
 
 28. Pattie's Personed Narrative 1930 
 
 29. Alexander Mackenzie's Voyage to the Pacific 
 
 Ocean in 1793 1931 
 
 30. Wau-Bun, The "Early Day" in the North-West 
 
 by Mrs. John H. Kinzie 1932 
 
 31. Forty Years a Fur Trader by Charles 
 
 Larpenteur 1933 
 
 32. Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard 1934 
 
 33. Kit Carson's Autobiography 1935

 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 004368392