AL Robert Walkup to Samuel Walkup
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Title: AL Robert Walkup to Samuel Walkup
Description: This letter tells about a fire which destroyed his house. His sons James, Jonny, Joseph, and Robert along with their cousin, a son of Harculas Hoey were all killed. He was able to get his daughters and one son out of the house safely. He graphically describes his efforts to rescue the boys. The last part of this letter is missing.
Transcript:
Feb 23, 1823
[To Samuel Walkup from his brother Robert Walkup]
Dear brother and sister, I wonst [sic] more take my pen with a very sore hart [sic] to inform you of one of the greatest seans [sic] that your ears has heard of or your eyes has ever beheld that has befolline [sic] me, thy poore [sic] and unfortunate brother. On Friday night the eighth of this month a night for ever to be remembered with me in sorrow. My house caught fire in about one hours after we all lay down. I had a back shade in my house and a chimley [sic] in it where it caught. My wife wakened and told me that the shade was all afire. I jumped up and run to the midel [sic] door to open it flame came to so I had to shut it again. I run out of the house and a round to the back shade there was two partitions in the shad [sic] and a entry between. I found I could not put it out. I then thought of my dear children, my girls all three were a lieing [sic] in the rume [sic] in the back end of the shade. I thought them in the most danger, I run to a window and tore and hollowed [sic] to my oldest girl opened it, it hooked in the inside. I told her to bring out her sisters. I run to the house and up stairs to waken my boys but [unreadable] run to the back part of the lofe [sic] where I new [sic] some of them was a lieing [sic] and the smoke and fire burnt me so I never could get to them. I found I was gone and as the Lord wod [sic] have it I jumped and fel [sic] together out of the gabel [sic] end window about 16 or 18 feet to the ground. I no sunner [sic] lit to the ground til [sic] I ran to the door to go up stairs again, but to my sad lamentations the midel [sic] door had flew open and the flame was a coming out as ful [sic] as the door wood [sic] let it. I Lord only noes [sic] how my feelings was for dear sons in the house in the flame and I could not get to them and theey [sic] were all fore [sic] consumed with the fire and a young man old Harcules Hoeys sun [sic] that had come to stay with us all night, he was consumed with his cuzzens [sic]. He was about twinty [sic] years of age, my sun [sic] James was fifteen past the 25th of Oct. My sun [sic] Jonny was thirteen against the fith [sic] of May, my son Joseph was eleven against the 21 of May. My son Robert was nine against the 27 of May. I rite [sic] this to you my brother with a sore and sorrowful hart [sic]. I am bereaved of my children in a maracules [sic] maner [sic] so that I may cry with David, O my suns [sic], my suns [sic] in sorrow alls [sic] the days of my life, but he Lord what way he pleases blessed by his holy name. I wish to be returned to his holy wil [sic] and pleasure and pray I may meet all in haven [sic] where parting will be no more. My two oldest boys had gone through the Latin and Greek language. I had fetched them home in Oct. to give them some more Englash [sic] larning [sic] before I wood [sic] send them to college. My other two litel [sic] sons could read purty [sic] wel [sic] in the bible. O my brother it is unposable [sic] for me to tel [sic] you how me and my wife feels at this time. I will describe to you how they were a lien [sic] in there [sic] bed. I had a Mr. Flin a working on my house. He had a prentace [sic] with him. Flin and Hoey and my sun [sic] John were all three a lieng [sic] in one bed and the prentence [sic] and my sun [sic] James and Joseph were a lieng [sic] in another bed when I wakened. Me and my wife both caled [sic] to Flin and holowed [sic] fire. Flin was a very easy in a general way to waken. I thought he would waked and a brought all down to my assistance, but his prentace [sic] and himself both waked in a scare and suffocated with the smoke they never waked one of the boys but both jumped out of the window and left my boys and the young man asleep. Flin broke his thigh when he fel [sic] down and his prentace [sic] sprained his foot. I was burnt about the head and eyes and hand, but not hurt a tall [sic] by the fall out of the window. I came out of the window some time after them and my little sun [sic] Robert was a lieing [sic] down belo [sic] with his little brother in a little bed that run under ours and the were three little Negros that take out his little brother and the bed from under him and left him and can tell nothing about him. We do expect he run upstairs to waking his brothers and perrish [sic] with them. I never heard any of them say one word, but him as I fel [sic] out of the window and I heard him say o paw. I do expect the others never waked but God only noes [sic]. I wish to let [rest of the letter has been lost]
Source: Walkup, Samuel Letters
Date: 1823-02-23
Format: correspondence
Language: eng
Type: text
Identifier: 2003a007-f1-i01
Rights: Contact Special Collections and Archives, Crabbe Library, Eastern Kentucky University for reproductions, rights and permission to publish.