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Title
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John Hughes letter book, 1826-1830.
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Description
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This volume contains letters that John Hughes of Frederick County, Maryland, wrote to his brother James and to other correspondents about his personal and financial affairs between 1826 and 1830. He primarily discussed his father's estate, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, property ownership and management, and national politics. Hughes occasionally described recurring "imaginations," which included visions of his brother James becoming a personal enemy.
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Finding Aid
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Creator
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Hughes, John (-1831)
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Format
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Mixed Material, Archive, Manuscript
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Access Rights
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The collection is open for research.
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Language
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English
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Extent
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1 volume
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Identifier
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OCLC Number: 881259899
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Subject
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Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, Decedents' estates, Frederick County (Md.) --Maps., Hallucinations and illusions, Presidents --United States --Election --1828, Real property --United States, United States --Politics and government --1825-1829, Letter books, Manuscript maps
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Transcription
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Locust Levil Fredck County Md Dec. 24. 1828
James Hughes Esq.
Dear Sir
Your favor of the 27th ult. Was thankfully read & would have been answered sooner but expected to have with you now. I had advertised my personal property for public sale but grain being the principle article & on the rise I concluded to postpone it till the spring, when I intend selling off & breaking up housekeeping & without making sale I had not funds to travel with my intended route which was by your City to Orleans & through the Floridas. Unexpectedly when I last wrote you I had to attend Court here as Mr. Keller had not drawn his suit as I had supposed & had another case, though nothing was done as Court adjourned on Saturday before the Presidential election, at which unfortunately from treating others as well passion sometimes with some of the Jacksonians who lied without measure I got in a frolic myself which brot. on the imaginations I have frequently had before of Men wishing to kill me who had sold themselves to the Devil & could come in any shape they pleased even through a Key hole & destroy me without my having any power to resist as I could not see them & unfortunately this time I thought you were one of them as I have before & the greatest foe I had amongst them, & actually believed you were several nights at my house, with thousands of Devils to take me alive & carry me to Hell. I conversed with you as if it was actually so & implored Mrs. R. Hughes to interact with you in my behalf which she did but to no effect, & I several times went on my knees & begged your pardon if I had offended you any way. & have frequently conversed with you when I believed you was at home. Always before this time I thought you took my part against them & frequently believed when I was in that way that you saved my life. as I have now completely my health & reason being near four weeks since I tasted a drop of any thing spiritous & from my present Ideas presume I never shall again, as I am impressed with the Idea that our world will be destroyed by fire in less than four years. I mean every soul & every thing on Earth & that by devils who will first Murder the inhabitants & plunder every thing before they set fire also believed Mary Ann was one of them in an sequence of that belief I have had no connexion with her since & sleep alone. Observing in Major Bares paper of Fredck that some of the Parisian astronomers of Paris has predicted that the Comet which will appear in 1832 will approach so near the Earth as to raise by its attraction the tides of the Ocean above the Highest Mountains of Europe which strengthens my opinion as to the destruction of things on this Earth. But trust in the Mercies of God it may not prove true, although I am determined to conduct myself as to be prepared to meet my fate should it happen, make no more improvements of any kind but endeavor to sell my Baltimore & other improved property here. I had my pocket picked of three 20$ Fredck County Bank notes after my horse threw me which was wrapped in paper & in my left hand pantaloon pocket, which from my left arm being disabled I could not use & had it [?] reserving sufficient in my right hand pocket to to defray my expenses had five dollars left in it on my returning home & had never Missed my money before As I could feel the paper which they did not take & concluded my notes were in it, have no idea who got it as I had to get the Landlord or his servant to help me off & on with my clothes, since the election I sprained my knee which laid me up two weeks & some of my servants did not finish securing there learn till 1st but have not been to Balt. Yet intend down after New Year please to write me (& don’t believe me Crazy now on account of this letter) but say whether you ever did converse with me from your place or not) with my best respects to Mrs. Hughes, Miss Bayley & Mr. [Letter?] I remain your sincere friend & Brother -
John Hughes
PS. I believe you could come from Louisville to my house in shape of a large Bird in [?] Hour or less, the way they all mostly go. JH
NB. Mr. [?] of Cumberland treated me rascally respecting my house, kept him upwards of 4 weeks & sent him home a mere skelleton with well upwards of 9$ for living
JH
