Sarah Liggins' Second Letter

SARAH LIGGINS’ SECOND LETTER

This is the second letter from Joseph's wife, Sarah, but this time it is sent to her mother-in-law, Joseph's mother, and to her two sisters-in-law, Annie and Catherine (my grandmother).

There is no date on this letter but from its contents it would appear to have been sent before Christmas 1886.

Longburn Dairy, Karere Saturday night

My Dear Mother, Annie and Katie,

I will write to you all in one letter and then I can write a long one. I intended writing many times and have neglected doing so. We have received your letters and were glad to hear all were well. I am glad to tell you we are all well.

You asked me to tell you about the children and I will try to do so. I am very glad to tell you they are all quite well and happy. They have a good school to go to, only a half mile to go. Katie, Charley, Sam and Harry go, Edith is going after Xmas, they wont have them before they are five. They have some very nice school companions, really superior people; many of them drive out in their carriages or ride on horse back and have their pianos and many of Katie's companions are learning music. Katie, thinks how she would like to learn. One family, close here, have just had one sent out from home, cost 60 guineas. They are quite well to do people I think, their folks at home are well off, they send a box out twice a year full of clothes for the children.

Clothing here is not like it is at home. The things are very poor cheap things, not a bit of good. Calico, unbleached, worth making up - 6d, shirting for Joe and the boys - 10d and very poor at that, boys' worsted stockings 2s and so poor, women's 3s . Things are all like this in the drapery, the things all seem so poor and last no time. I bought some socks for Joe - 2/6 and they lasted no time. My opinion is they send out all the old stock from home and many other people think the same. Boots are very dear, boys’ Charles’ size - 12 shillings, and men’s - 22 shillings, mine - 14 to 18 shillings, girl’s - 12 shillings and upwards, and sewing, they forget how to ask at all. I do all I possibly can but, mother will know, it takes a lot of sewing for six little ones and the boys jackets and trousers.

I miss Katie terribly, how I often think, what would I give if she could come for a few weeks and set me up a bit. I machine all the binders for the cheeses so I have a good bit of work. I do over 3 dozen a day. I wanted a plain dress making, it was a bit of grey, homespun. I told them "just for the house"; how much do you think? Only 16/-! I don't think they will see the colour of my shillings again. I have to do hundreds of yards of machining for that money.

Labour is very dear. No one goes out to wash for less than 4/- a day and some charge 5/- and 6/-. You may guess I don’t trouble them. If they go to sew, they charge 3/- and 4/-.

One great blessing is that provisions are very cheap; 2d, 3d, 4d and 5d, very best steak beef ; I got a splendid leg of mutton this week for 2s 1d weighing 10 lbs. Bread is the same as home, sugar and tea the same, butter 6d in the Summer and 1/- in the Winter. Eggs 6d per doz. now, sometimes 2/- in the Winter. Ale and beer you cant get under 6d per pint, awful stuff; we often say we would like a glass of mother's best ale at supper time. I make hop beer and it is very good.

I think I must try to tell you something about myself now. I felt it very much at first being away from you all. It seemed so lonely sitting alone at night and not being able to run across and see you for a few minutes. Joe was at work very late and I did feel strange sitting and thinking of you all. I am getting used to it now and I have a good deal to do you will know, eight of us are not a little job to wash and mend for. I find all my time well filled up, I haven’t much time to get lonely in. I often think on a Sunday night how I would like to come in as I used to years ago and have a bit of supper with you. You know I never had very much love and care from home, I was turned out middling young to sink or swim. I always had a kind word and a smile when I came over, it used to seem more like coming home than anywhere else I went to. My poor old aunt was more to me than my mother and I think cared more for me. Will you please give my very dearest love to her and uncle, tell them we are very comfortable and that we are better off than ever we should have been in the old country. We are all hoping, if we live and all is well, we will come and see you again someday; it is something to look forward to, but we have a lot to be thankful for. I wish we had come a few years earlier but we must try to make up, as well as we can, for what we left undone.

Joe is working very hard. They are having 800 gallons of milk a day and are making a great lot of cheese and I could not tell you how many pigs, almost 200. Joe is making about 30 cheeses a day, some of these are about 40 lbs each. They are very busy, he has not time to write, I must give his best love to you all and tell you he is well.

The factory is a great expense, they have three men at work besides himself and the wage is so big, 8/- a day, but we are hoping if all is well in a year or two's time they will see something to encourage them. They will be very busy now till the end of May and then they stop cheese making for three months and kill the pigs and do any building they may want.

They have just put me 3 new rooms on my house. We are beginning to get a home together. We have bought no furniture except 2 chairs and a bedstead until now. You know we had our beds and blankets and so Joe made the children some bedsteads out of some pieces of wood that he had given to him and he made us tables and forms out of our boxes and we managed very well. You see we did not know if we would settle here and it would d not do to buy much, you can’t move furniture about, they charge so much. We have just bought a few things to make a little sitting room and it will be very comfortable. I am putting it straight this week. Wouldn't it be a treat if you could come and see us as you used to in the old days? I often wonder, shall we see each other again? I don’t think my people care very much though; Annie, though she cried so much when I came away, has never answered my letter, Lizzie does not trouble us much. I wrote to mother and Harriett, but no letter. I would like to hear from my mother, I don’t know why she has not written but I am hoping to get a letter some day.

Katie said she would like to send the children a little present. I can assure her it would be a great pleasure to the children for they think much of even a card their uncle Willie sends sometimes. I don’t see any way unless I get Katie to buy me a few things some time - calico and stuff for shirts and stockings and prints, it is so hot here in the Summer (it is just coming on now and young potatoes and gooseberries are ripe. I think perhaps another Xmas, if we are all spared, I shall be able to send £5 and get you to lay it out to the best for me, then, if you like, you could send some little things for the children.

They are nearly always talking about what they had at grandmas and what they did at grandmas and do you remember this and that?

Now my dear mother and sisters I think I have written you a good long budget of news and will have to say goodbye now.

Kiss the little ones for me and give a kiss to aunts and all of you.

Your loving daughter and sister,

Sarah E. Liggins