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. 16th, 58

Dear Charlotte

I was very glad to hear from home. My year for the Cabinet expires with the December number. I think that I had not better take it this year. I was very glad to hear of the presents that were received on New Years. It is very queer about Emily’s present of books. I was glad to hear that Frank has been getting some new books what nice times I will have reading them when I go home. It is raining very hard out of doors. I have never told you about the Gymnasium. First there is a ladder resting on four posts and going horizonally across the building on this we take hold of one round and see how many bars we can skip going across it I can skip two and go across in five or six reaches. I will tell you more another time.

Your aff. brother

George.

P. W.  Tell me about your success in what you mentioned to me in one of your last letters.

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.