Brattleboro, Oct. 28th, 1863
Mr. Cole, Sir:
My opportunity for writing is not very good, but I will take my pencil and make the best of it. With regard to that house I wish you and my wife to do what you think is best. I do not know how cold it is up there and I do not know the cost of moving the house and should think that it was too late to undertake moving and digging a new cellar. We shall probably be mustered for pay next Saturday and shall be paid next week or week after.
If my wife can move in with Clark and wait until Spring before fixing up the house it might be better. I do not wish to run in debt for repairs much. Do not want the trade given up, for I think it is a good one, or at least a safe one, but you and my wife do as you think best. Tell my wife that her sister’s youngest child is dead. I expect to go to the funeral today. Alba Warren is here. He went to Boston as a guard Monday, got back last night. I must finish for my fingers are cold. The Legislature of Vermont is composed of a set of grannies. I believe there is more intelligence in our Company here.
Yours truly,
Charles Blake
And cold.
What a depressing turn of events. A dead child, and being far from home while you feel needed back there.
Hang in there, Charles!
Moving houses
I’ve gotten the impression from other historical sources that moving an old house to a new location wasn’t all that uncommon. Can you imagine doing that the low-tech way, without all that equipment like they use on that “Hauling House” tv show?
House move
At the last tag sale at the Methodist church on Putney Rd, I noticed a great display of photos documenting the moving of the church from Main Street to the current location. Photos are down in the basement area if you ever want to stop in and take a look.
It was probably easier to move big things like that before electric and phone wires got in the way. (Some towns put all the wires in the backyards to avoid seeing them. They could probably still move some houses around.)