(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part one of a three-part series. The letter will continue next issue with part two.)

At the History Buffs’ April meeting at the Sonestown Legion, Jay Myers shared his family’s history from its beginnings in England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The family traveled to Illinois via the Erie Canal, later moving to Pennsylvania. Jay used journals, letters and genealogy to describe the experiences of the trip on the Canal and other interesting family stories. Nearly 50 people were present for “A Trip on the Erie Canal” presentation. He also shared poems written by relatives and a letter written by Benjamin, the son of George, Jay’s third great-grandfather. The history focuses on Jay’s mother’s ancestors, the Shepard family. According to Jay, his ninth great-grandfather, Ralph Shepard, was born in 1606 near London, England. Starting in 1625 during the reign of Charles 1, the religious non-conformists in England faced persecution, which increased in 1633 when William Laud became Archbishop of Canterbury. Puritans began immigrating to America. In 1635, Ralph, 29, his wife, Thanklord, and two-year-old daughter came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony aboard the ship, Abigail They settled outside Boston and had six more children. Four generations later, Jacob, Jay’s fifth great-grandfather, was born in 1738. He was a soldier in the American Revolution and had a son, Thomas, in 1766. Thomas had a son, George in 1802, who married Almira Bailey. George and Almira Leonidas and their five children, George (second great-grandfather), Augusta, Benjamin, Alonzo and Elizabeth. This is the family that made the migration to Illinois on the Erie Canal. They left Canton, MA, in 1842.

Benjamin was 10 years old when he made the Canal trip. His sister, Elizabeth, was three. At age 70, Benjamin wrote to his sister, recalling the journey. That letter is as follows:

“My Dear Little Sister, Gurnee, Ill June 3, (1912)

I was just thinking! Can it be seventy long years ago since a little girl 3 or 4 years old dressed in calico pantelettes was on the way in this country with her parents and Brothers and Sister.

Starting from the old house in Canton, Mass, on about the 22nd or 23rd of May, 1842, going to Dorchester and staying with Grandmother Bailey over night, going into Boston early next morn, getting into second class palace car consisting of a common small box car with plank seats, placed around on the inside arriving at Albany, N.Y. that afternoon in good condition and Happy as Larks. That was as far as the Road went west at that time. About 100 miles. Then Father with some dickering got a canal boat to take us through to Buffalo, and I can see the boat pull up by side of wharf and comence swinging our baggage and chattles into the middle of that canal boat. Then they poled us across the Hudson river to be ready to start the next morn on the rageing canall.

They had the cabin fixed up in fine shape with nice carpet on floor, and we all had our berth on one side so when night came the porter or steward (I don’t know who they called him) came in and put up the tapes and shaddows for us to sleep on. The lower one was for two to sleep on and was wide enough if they spooned good and held on tight. The other two tapes they stretched one above the other on ropes and they would throw us young ones up on them and if we laid straight between the ropes we would not fall out. I remember I fell from top tape one night to floor, but I was a tough little cuss, crawled back again and did not know any thing about it in morn.

The first lock we went through they let the water into cabin and wet the carpet and took it out to dry and that was the last we saw of carpet the rest of voyage. Us children had a regular lark for 7 days on that rageing canal, running on two path, seeing sights, running over bridges, getting on and off Boat. At the town of Lockport we had a great time. There were 5 or 6 locks to go through, one above the other, and it took some time for the boat to get through so we took in the town, saw many wonderful things to us. One was a large clock, one of the seven wonders. It always done its best at 12 o’clock and we happened to be there at that time or near it, so we waited and saw the whole performance. To start, a band came marching out, all with different instruments, playing a beautiful march and in the tune, every time the base drum struck counted one. And then a little angell came flying out with good tidings to everybody, another with the days of the week and month. The sun and moon came around telling the riseing and setting. It’s a long time to remember such a scene, 70 years, and I would go a good many miles to see another like it for it was a great wonder to my young mind.”