Background: George Jayne was a student at Fergusonville Academy in Fergusonville, NY.  Many of the students at the academy came from the New York City area.  It was thought that the isolation of Fergusonville would protect the children from corrupting influences such as drinking and gambling. George Jayne's family lived in Orange, NJ.  This letter is written to his sister.

Fergusonville Jan 11th 1858

Dear Charlotte

I received your letter yesterday morning, I was very glad for I had begun to think that they had forgotten me. To-day has been the coldest day this winter. There has been an ambrotype car up at Ferguson’s all this week but this morning it was moved up to the academy, but the man said that it was two cold, and so it was not taken. I have quite a cold room. It has four doors and three windows, two of the doors open out-doors but one of them is fastened of the other two one opens into the office and the other into a room that was called the sick-room last summer but now is inhabited by three very nice boys. I have to to Partial Payments in Davies University Arithmatic and finished them to-day. The ten o clock bell just rung but I will write more in the morning. Good night

When I got up I found that it was colder than it was yesterday. Lat night I told you that yesterday was the coldest day we have had but this morning has changed my opinion and now I think that to-day is. I am very sorry to hear of Mrs. John Tucker’s death. What was the matter? Yesterday morning I found that my ink and gum Arabic was frozen but I thawed them out. Last night I put them under the stove and this morning found them frozen too. I must close now So Good-bye.

From your brother
George

P. S. I direct this letter to Emily because the last I sent was to you.

 

Courtesy of the Davenport Historical Association, Davenport, NY, 13750. Over 500 letters from the Ferguson and Jayne families, most dating from the mid-nineteenth century, are available from the Davenport Historical Society in The Ferguson-Jayne Papers, 1826 - 1938, edited by Mary S. Briggs. Transcribed for this web site by Margaret Monaco. All misspellings have been carefully preserved.