Series of six manuscript letters dated February 1840 – October 1844, the first three from William Dixon to his family in Maryport, and Warrington in Cumbria, with the other three from his wife H. B. Dixon to her father and grandmother in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

      The Dixons write at length about trying to locate the property of an uncle, John Carruthers, who had emigrated to America and appears to have owned property in Alabama, New Orleans and in Ohio. The efforts appear to have been largely unsuccessful. Carruthers appeared to have purchased the Alabama property on behalf of a “negro” apparently a free black, who was not allowed to directly purchase land in that county, so paid Carruthers to conduct the matter. Carruthers also appears to have owned land and as many as 30 slaves in New Orleans and to have conducted business there in the first quarter of the 19^th century.

       The Dixons appear to have settled in Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. The letters written from there describe the family’s struggles economically and otherwise.

      “Mobile Feb 12^th 1840

     Dear Parents,

         … their has nothing taken place concerning the property since I rote you the last letter I ham waiting hear until the time of Advertising is expired which will be next weeke then I mean to go to Mongomery I expect to be of by the Later end of next week my reason for not going before this time  is I ham been wating to see if their was any biles filed & if their was for me to be hear if I had gon before I would have had two Journeys & Doble expence but I expect now that one will be … I have bean to see if there is any biles filed by Fowler but there is non yet nor I expect that he will not make any clame has I have given him to under stand in an indirect way that I can defeat him so I think he will not make the attempt I hope not it will save me the trouble & expence if he does not he has only next week after that he will be bared by Law I canot git old of aney papers that Unkel had Paine & Fowler still persists that he had non the time that he was with them I expect  that you will have received my Letters that I sent by the way of N York I have had a letter from Bety Walker she says that thay forward them to England by her Letter & the accounts in the newspaper it appears that things is very Dul in N York has well has all other parts of America thay have had a very large fire in N Orleans there is a Building destroyed that cost one Million seven Hundred thousand dolers things of every sort is very dul heare the Rivers is got up at Last & the Coton comes pouring down thare is upwards of 40 thousand Bailes come down since Saturday but there is very few Buyers in the Market the accounts from Manchester & Liverpool is that Coton was failing so that makes this place dul  … William Dixon…” [sic]

“Mobile March 10^th 1840

      Dear Parents,

           Cap Gardner being A boute to leave this Place I take the Opportunity of Sending you these few lines by him acompaned with a Litel Tobaco & a few secars which I expect he will deliver to you when he delivers this letter According has I mentioned in my last I went to Mongomery to see the estate  I first went to Cahawba wich is about two Hundred Miles up the River at the Land Office in this place is near the Land was Bought paid for & entered in my Unkels name  this is what I went to see then I tooke a Boat for Mongomery to search the records their but I could not find aney entery of any Kinde their respecting it I got to understand hear whair abouts it was siturated so next morning I took a horse and rode down in the Country about 15 Miles enquiren at every Planters house that I could see until I got to the next Plantation to hit so I enquired of the Planter about it he went with me to the Man that is on it he is a Negro so I asked him several questions about the Land & asked him how he came to be in possession of it or what did he hold it by so he told me that it was his own & went and brought out the Paton or Deade so I took & reade it you may think that I was surprised when I saw that it was drawn up in his name asene to John Caruthers I took & examded it three times over to see if their was any Defroud about it or to see if thay had got this out since Unkels Death but it was just the same has … that I xamined in the Land Office at Cahaba & it was taken out in 23 years before Unkel left that part of the Country then I asked him how he came to have it assigned to him he saide that Negros is not allowed to enter Land in this State So he knowing Unkel he got him to enter it for him he gave him the Money when they purchas land hear thay get A sitificate upon them pay the Money then that is handed in & thay get the Deade or Patons they call them heare which is issued out from the General Land Office at Washington So before thay had handed in the Sitificate Unkel had assigned it to this Man he had endorsed it on the back of the sitificate then the paton or Deade was sent out in that Mans name his name is Oruny Fowler asine to John Carruthers this old Brown that that Lives over the Bay told me this storey but I did not believe it but it is too true the Old Negroe said that he youst to be in a grate deal of trubel always putting about his Mother & family & he sometimes youst to take a litel wiskey to revive his spirits he youst to neglect himself has regards clothes & youst not to mind how he went I hard this before but I did not put any touth in it but their was several planters that knewe him & they told me the same My opinion of him is that he has been unfortunate in the for part of his Life I mean that he must have lost a grate deal of money for he has always bean a hardworking Man but the thing is that you canot get your Money in this country when you have worked for it so I expect that he Lost a grate deal in this way in the former part of his life that when he got up in years & see the best part of his Life gon by that he got carles of himself the same I think is his reasons for not righting home in the Later part of his Life I had advise in Mongomery about the paton but they told me that if the paton was in his name which is the U States Security that no boddy could get it from him I met with a planter in the town that came from close by the land he knew Unkel so I was talking about it when the Man said he would swair that he see the Negro give Unkel the Money to bye the land with so I thought it was no youse of spending any more money over it so I returned to Mobile.

            Business of every kind is very Dull hear there is nothing Doing in our trade so I think I shall leave hear for Ilinois next week whair I hope to be more fortunate so the next you may expect will be from Ilinoise. Coton is hear in grate quantities the store houses all full & the warfes … there is a vacant place in the Streets thay have it stowed full of coton the Planters have had very Grate crops this season it is selling very low hear but the frites for ships is pretty high … William Dixon” [sic]