Many thanks to Bill Hecht for scanning this 1825 letter. The original measures 8.4″ x 12″. The fact that this piece of tangible albeit crumbly correspondence exists is to me a miracle. I’ll let you read the cursive, then there’s an easier to read transcription that follows.

Many thanks to Mike Riley for transcribing as follows. If you’ve struggled to read the cursive, as I did, Mike’s transcription will provide scaffolding.

Ridgeway Oct. 2d 1825

Dear parents and sisters and brother and other friends,

I now again write with pleasure to inform you of my health which is very poor at present. I have been troubled with a severe pain in my head for days but a little while since made a good cup of tea and I feel rather better since I drank tea. We arrived at Rochester yesterday about 2 o’clock P.M. and then went on board of the black rock [WVD boldface] and went about 20 miles then stopped and stayed the remainder of the night. Started again this morning. I do not know how far we have traveled today when you receive my letter, at which I shall send to you as soon as I can after I have finished it. You will see what kind of company I have been with at least my opinion of them. We have been hindered in our journeying very much so that we have not proceeded far, about half our journey. We have very hard beds to sleep on so that I cannot rest very little. We expect to reach Lockport tomorrow and then I do not know how we shall get to Buffalo from there but we some expect to take a light boat and proceed on. But Mr. [Gustill / Gustall / Gustett] agreed to land us and our goods at Buffalo for a dollar a hundred on our goods but now we find we are charged 1 year’s wharfage to be carried to Lockport and then we have to shift for ourselves. They are all of them a pack of cheating rascals. They would not take a barrel of any of their loads again if I ever live to get away from them.

In the cabin where we now are there is a furnace where they burn charcoal which I think is very unhealthy. I think it is the occasion of the pain in my head. Dexter begins to complain of his head and indeed all that are on board complain of disagreeable feelings. We keep the windows partly open the greatest part of the time.

Although I want to return home I do not wish to return back again, but I should be very much pleased to have my friends where I could see them frequently and take sweet counsel together, but instead of conversing together face to face we must use our pen. We have the word here that we had there, but I feel although he promised upon it but he does not correct us more than we deserve if I say we are yet but weak. I could hard enough to write this 2 or 3 hours. It is disagreeable that I cannot write but very little. I expect to end this letter by being now on board this boat and expect to leave it tomorrow morning if we come from [Massachusetts] and expect to return in a few days and go on the turnpike road. [He / they] appears very willing to carry a letter for me.

So I must conclude by wishing you to pray for me your unworthy children and sincere friends. Give our love to [Luve / Luvea / Luver] and Susan B and all other enquiring friends. So farewell loving friends farewell.

Nathaniel D. Billings
Chesta Billings

But Mike went an additional step and asked ChatGPT for genealogical hints. It came up with the following:

Notes on Uncertain Words

Placed in brackets above where appropriate. The most uncertain items are:

• Mr. [Gustill / Gustall / Gustett] — surname unclear
• [Massachusetts] — strongly suggested by letter shape and context, but still bracketed
• [He / they] appears very willing — subject unclear
• Chesta Billings — first name written clearly as Chesta, but uncommon

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Genealogical & Historical Hints (Analysis)

This section does not speculate beyond the document and is strictly inferential.

1. Named Individuals

• Sender: Nathaniel D. Billings
• Co-signer or companion: Chesta Billings (likely spouse or close family member)
• Mentioned individual: Dexter (possibly a child or younger companion)
• Others: “Luve” and “Susan B” (possibly relatives or close friends)

2. Date & Location

• Written October 2, 1825
• Written from Ridgeway (almost certainly Ridgeway, Niagara County, New York)
• Travel route strongly suggests Erie Canal corridor:
  • Rochester
  • Lockport
  • Buffalo
  • Black Rock (a known canal/harbor point)

This places the writer directly in the opening year of the Erie Canal, which explains:

• Poor accommodations
• Chaotic pricing
• Disorganization
• Heavy health complaints

3. Migration Context

• The letter is written during active westward relocation
• Mentions goods, wharfage, freight rates
• Indicates intent to settle, not merely visit
• Mentions return via turnpike road, suggesting earlier residence east of NY

4. Health & Living Conditions

• Charcoal furnace in enclosed cabin
• Headaches affecting multiple passengers
• Suggests carbon monoxide exposure, though not named as such
• Dexter’s symptoms corroborate shared exposure

5. Religious Language

• Frequent references to:
  • Prayer
  • Weakness
  • Correction/deserving hardship
• Typical of early 19th-century Protestant correspondence, possibly New England–rooted

6. Social Network

• “Parents and sisters and brother”
• Multiple named friends
• Indicates strong kin network, useful for clustering in census or church records

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What This Letter Is Especially Good For

• Establishing exact travel timing (late Sept–early Oct 1825)
• Confirming Erie Canal usage
• Associating Billings family members together
• Locating sender between Rochester and Buffalo
• Providing health and occupational context
• Linking Ridgeway, Lockport, Buffalo in a single movement chain

The notes generated by ChatGPT are great.

Let me add some questions of my own. Might the canal boat the Billings were traveling on be called Black Rock? Are there records that show a vessel by that name working on the canal at that time? Since it’s a canal place name, a series of canal boats may have been called that. Was it commonplace for travelers to regard the canal boat operators as cheating rascals?

I also wonder about the material culture of correspondence. Where would paper of this period be made? What was the ink so well preserved? What writing implement was used? How did the postal system of the time work? How long would a letter take from wherever it was posted to the recipient? Where did that that actual letter reside during the bulk of years between being received and Bill’s handling it?

I’d love to hear some of your questions.