Shoop

I found this letter in an old genealogy file of my mother, Joyce Snowden. This was her mothers family. We can assume the letter was written to Mary Shoop Ramaley, my Great-great grandmother. She was a daughter of George Shoop and 2nd wife of James Lewis Ramaley. This letter was written to Mary Shoop before she had married James L. Ramaley.
This letter went from Ill. to Springdale, near Pittsburgh Pa. The spelling and punctuation is as close as we could get to the original.
note; She writes with a western Pennsylvania accent. ;o)



Braceville Apr 1st 1867
Dear Cousin It has been an age scince I wrote you last and a great deal of trouble has past scince then Mother has followed Father into the land of shadows she died on the six of march at 2 oclock in the morning she took her bed the friday before ever scince Father died she gave up to her grief she got so weak that she could not walk out to the well she went around the house but that was all she would set and knit or read but as to household affairs she seemed to have entirely droped all thoughts of them before she could not rest if she did not know an see to every thing. The Doctor said it was an attack of the Pleurisy but I say it was a broken heart she could not bear to hear any of us speak on Father but she would set down and cry She prayed from 10 oclock till half past one the night she died She died very easy she was all mortified on her back arms and side. For two days before she died she complained of her lower limbs being cold all I could do I could not get them warm One month after Father died I was married to William H. Brown Father had gave his consint the morning before he died we were to be married on chrismas but put it off on acount of his death. yesterday my youngest brother was married he is going to farm the place and had to have a housekeeper. He married a lady by the name of Isabell Watson. You must forgive for not writing sooner but indeed cousin I have had so much to do and so much trouble that I have not had time nor the heart to write I am the youngest of all the family I was eighteen a few day after Fathers death and being the youngest I am also the only girl except Lavinia the oldest of the family she was married and a mother before I was born she lives in Joliet twenty five miles east of here she has only two children two boys one eighteen and the other sixteen so it always seemed as if she had no claim to be my sister more as if she were an aunt than any other relative. To scince Father died every thing had to be seen too and it all fell on me so I have had very little spare time. this if the first letter I have written scince I have been married. The Spring has been very backward here we had good sleighing here on the 27th of March it was snowing again last night but not eneough to amount to any thing. it is so cold that Will wore an overcoat to the village to day it is coudy and blowing it looks as if we would have more snow. Well this rather a long letter for me to write and so I must close please write soon and let me know all the news I hope you will not have reasion to wait so long for an other answer I will be more puntual in the future I remain as ever you affectionate Cousin
Direct your letters as before Mrs. Jane E. Brown

This is the family of the girl wrote the letter;
1Joseph Shoopb: November 27, 1800d: December 17, 1866
..+Elizabeth Boydb: December 05, 1806 d: March 06, 1867 m: December 22, 1825
.........2George Washington Shoopb: October 22, 1826 d: 1827
.........2Lavinia Shoopb: March 26, 1827d: February 1892
.............+Levi M Williamsonb: 1825d: June 23, 1892
.........2Levi Boyd Shoopb: June 20, 1830d: May 20, 1918
.............+Julia Charlotte Freeman b: January 03,1833 d: April 08,1921m: July 03, 1856
.........2Darius Royer Shoopb: January 15, 1833
.............+Anna E Stansfieldb: 1843d: May 11, 1920m: June 03, 1867
.........2Oliver Hassard Perry Shoopb: August 14, 1835 d: May 12, 1910
.............+Jane Elizabeth Casterlineb: November 14, 1845 m: July 04, 1869
.........2Hiram H Shoopb: 1837d: November 15, 1863
.............+Sophronia Malinda Peck d: 1864 m: May 04, 1862
.........2John Herman Boyd Shoopb: 1840d: 1846
.........2Leah Shoopb: 1843d: 1846
.........2Benjamin Franklin Shoopb: May 1845d: March 1902
.............+Isabella Watsonb: October 25, 1844 d: February 07, 1928 m: March 31, 1867
.........2Jane Elizabeth Shoopb: December 29, 1848d: January 01, 1888
.............+William Henry Brown b: June 21,1845 d: January 17,1927 m: January 20,1867