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Transcribed by Gordon Furness, [email protected]
Letter from George Van Iderstine, Vernon River PEI to his brother John B. Van Iderstine in Tabusintac, New Brunswick Nov 10th 1853.
Vernon River Nov 10th 1853
Dear Brother
I received your letter and was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you was well and doing pretty well: we are all well father and mother has their love to you they are as well as can be expected fathers eye is no better it is much the same as was when you seen him the family is all well Andrew and wife has their kind love to you with Margaret and Ann and Catherine they are not married yet We hear from Mary not long since and was well Alec is living in Murray Harbour his wife died being married about fifteen months they had no child he is as well as can be expected. Tell Aben his father is as well as ever I saw him His mother has been unwell for some time but is better all his friends is well as I know our hay is light six pound five a ton is its price Wheat crop is light flower is 3 pence a pound oats with us is a very good crop it is from 2 pound 3 pence to 2 pound six pence a bushel Barley is good potatos is with is us one third good one pound 6 pence a bushel.
I seen Peter yesterday he is well and has his kind love to you he seemed to feel about it because he did not get letter at the time he expected one, tell brother William that his father and mother has their kind love to him and family also his father and mother I think very much desire to see him once more he might try and come next summer we would all be glad to see him _____ while I am that our kind love to William and his family as well as brother _____ _____ I expect you to write me as soon as you can to let us know how you are and mind tell me how to direct a letter and I will write to William since we cannot see others I would wish to write oftener. Enmans family is all well Jeremiah has got nine children and David has eight Bell and Thom and Dan is not married yet the Frasers families is all well the widow Harris has left us and is not married yet the children desire their love to uncles and aunts and all their cousins William says he is going over to see you when he gets beg enough The baby was fine boy He�s four years of age
I felt glad when I read over your letter that you could speake some spiritual language and that your trust is not in Earthly things that a few thing o set your affections on things above what Christ sayeth ______ o what a happiness it is to look up and say there is my _____ and portion ______ my treasure and my heart is thair is this and my abiding home do not rest with past experience more present attainments but go on to know greater heights of the love of god which paseth knowledge its true we have to do with the things of time but while our hands are engaged below our hearts may be above praise the Lord I feel from hart felt experience that the Lord is my portion that I can say I only _____ ______ hear below I am traveling to another Country of wich the Lord hath said he will gave it I hope that these lines will find you all in earnest for heaven and eternal happiness a ______ for healing of heart ______without no ______ shall see the Lord.
I remain you affectionate Brother
George Van IderstineNote: George Van Iderstine lived at Vernon River PEI and was the son of John and Nancy (Ann) Fraser Van Iderstine. John B. and his brother William had settled at Tabusintac, New Brunswick in the 1840�s. Their cousin Aben (Ebenezer) Van Iderstine also settled in the same area about the same time. Andrew and George and their families as well as their unmarried sisters Ann, Margaret and Catherine all lived at Vernon River. Their sister Mary , the wife of Benjamin Sencabaugh and their brother Alec both lived at Murray Harbour, PEI. Peter their brother lived at Charlottetown and was a carpenter. The Enman family were neighbors and cousins to the Van Iderstine family. Jeremiah Enman�s wife was Margaret Fraser who was a sister to Nancy Fraser Van Iderstine. The Fraser families mentioned in the letter were their Uncle�s John and William Fraser who were Nancy�s brothers. They settled at Seal River about two miles from Vernon River after they came on the "Polly" with Lord Selkirk in 1803.