ES RCE KOONCE to KOONCE Va eSTy 1850 LETTERS FROM DAVID KOONCE ‘The following two letters were written in 1850 by David Koonce in Cumberland MD ‘0 one of his younger brothers, Christopher H, Koonce, in Greenville, Bond County, IL. The original, handwritten letters are in the pocession of Carolyn Koonce Koenig of Chapel Hill, NC from whom permission ‘was obtained for their publication in this newsletter. Carolyn isa great- ‘granddaughter of Christopher H. Koonce. ‘The letters were transcribed by Thomas E. Palmer and in the transcription, every ef- fort was made to retain the original word- ing, spelling (and misspelling), sentence structure, and omission of puncuation. Words that were unreadable or difficult to read are indicated by underlining. ‘To Christopher H. Koonce Greenville Bond County Tinos. Cumberland Tuesday July 16th 1850 Dear Brother received your letter dated the 6th Inst yesterday morning at nine oClock It give me great pleasure to read your long & interesting letter it contained a large amount of news & the best of the news ‘was that you was all well My healt {good though Iam confined to my bed & have been since the frst day of Fuly on that day between 12 & 1 oClock I broke iy Ieft leg between the Nee & Ankle only one bone the larger one at Rockwells Run 39 miles from Cumberland, my leg & foot has been fixed up in a new machine ‘ot boards boxed up the old fashind way, & swong up with a rope from the ceiling 4& lets my heel about 3 inches above the Rennes Page 1 Sees orcs cue neicc? ier bed, by that means I could always move ‘myself about on the be but could not lay on either side allways have to lay on ‘my back or setup inthe bed & have a chair behind me with Bolsters & Pillow to lean against & when I write T have a stand by the side of my bed, it never give ‘me much pain & does not appear to be ‘the least sore at this time iti still in the swing & my Doctor says that he thinks hae will take it out ofthe swing the p2 last ofthis week, the next day after my Jeg was broke I wrote to John at Harpers Femy & the agent give him a free pass & Ihe came up to see me on saturday the 6th the same day you wrote your letter to ‘me & went back on Sunday the 7th & all the folks was well at Harpers ferry at ‘that time Thave not heard from them since but have wrote two letters down to Jet them know how I was geting along, Thope these few lines may find you all enjoying good health, it has been warm & dry here for some time it had not rained any for several days before I broke my leg & did not rain untill last Sunday the 14th Inst, then it rained nearly all day Sunday, Sunday night & Monday untill two oClock inthe after- ‘noon ‘The way I broke my leg is as fl- Jows Iwas on the Engine it was stand- ing still at the water Station I went to ‘get off steped out on the side rod with ry left foot & as I steped out with my the fall came on my left leg where it was {ast between the side rod & frame of the Engine, please tell Mother not to be un- easy about my leg as it will be well ina short time & give my love to all p3 ‘You say you would like to get a job on the Rail Road if you was here I could get you ‘work on the Rail Road & if'you was to ‘come I could get you work on the Road but perhaps you would have to wait 1, 2 or 3 weeks after you arrived & it might hap- Pen so that you would go to work in a day ‘or two after you arrived but I will not ad- vise you to come nor to stay away for if T ‘was to advise you to come & you should hhappen to get Killed or crippied on the Rail Road perhaps I would be blamed for it so Iwill give you a short history of Rail Roading & the names ofall hands that have been killed or crippled on the Balti- ‘more & O RRoad since I have been on the road all that Ican recollect, A man by the name of Davis Conductor on tonage train a coupling broke when he was stand- ing between two cars coming down the Planes the cars pulled a part & he fell down in between & the cars that was be- hhind run over him he layed in between the tracks & his left arm got on the track & mashed all up & it was cut off close up tohis shoulder he got well, a fireman got killed by the Engine running off the ‘track & run down a bank & upsett & ‘caught the fireman under the tender I hhave forgot his name but we use to call Tight foot my left foot sliped & caught him Chub a nick name between the side rod & frame of the En- pa gine & I fell head foremost towards the _and last winter William Black a conduc- ‘grood & my whole weight & the force of (Continued on page 2) Rory ey Tee CN Cee eed irre) Reser ce reer eee terEDITORS CORNER Pe eng rotd David Koonce letters Cont. tor got killed at Dufficlds Depot 6 miles & he walks badly he is now writting in above harpers ferry & last winter George Rail Road office in Cumberland Flinn a conductor fell in between the cars ps going up the North Mountain & had his Dutch Jake who kept the Bridge at [eft arm mashed all up Iwas on the next Harpers Ferry & worked at the Depot he train behind we put in my way car & took was caught between two cars & killed I hhim to Martinsburg & his arm was cut off think it was las fall or summer a man close to his shoulder he got well & is now named Walker who was Watchman at the teaching school at Bath, John Pownell Engine house in Cumberland got killed in ‘conductor last winter at Martinsburg got the yard in Cumberland John Pool a En- knocked down by a train & one car run _gineer got kill by running into a train that over his right anke & mashed it up very _was ahead of him & had stoped it was, badly but it was not cut off he has a wife about 18 or 20 months back, Edward & lives in Cumberland on the same street Whitter a young man conductor went to that I board in & only 5 or 6 houses from put down a wheel Brake tight near Davis ‘my boarding house he is still confined to Wharehouse the other side of the Point of his bed several pieces of bones came out Rocks & the chain broke & he fll off the ‘of his leg it is doubtfull whether his foot car & against the Platform at Davis's Will be of any use to him or not & his ‘Wharehouse broke his back & cut & Doctor says that he thinks he will have bruised him nearly all over it was the first ‘him up out of bed in a week of two, ‘part of this month two or three days after I George Burall conductor was killed dead got my leg broke he lived 5 or 6 days & at Pattersonson Creek 8 miles from Cum- died he suffered 40 Deaths before he died, berland about 2 months back four cars run then agreat many mashed fingers & toes over him, A.W. Bosworth Way conductor & little tight squeeses &c. &c. & pethaps {got his let hand caught between 2 cars in some others got killed & crippled that I do ‘Cumberland last winter when he was cou- not recollect at present piling them together the Doctor saved his will now give you alittle history of ‘The end of the coldest winter I can re- member is coming and a long awaited ‘Texas Trip is going to start on March 23rd. Hopefully I will have a chance to meet, in person, many of the members of the Koonce Genealogical Society that I have ‘only met through the mail and by phone. ‘Also I plan to meet other friends and rela- tives along the way. My wife, Nancy, will ‘ly down and meet me in Harlingen, TX on the 29th. We plan to spend a couple of days roaming around and visiting more friends & relatives in the Lower Rio Grande Val- ley before heading back home by way of the befautifal Arkansas Ozarks Mountains. ‘On pages 6 & 8 of this issue is infor- ‘mation on a Koonce Research Meeting to be held in Nashville, TN this year, Any- body that is doing research on a Koonce fine is welcomed and incouraged to attend this meeting. It may save you much time and money by not duplicating research that has already been done. In any event we plan to have a lot of fun, There are already about 10 people that have shown an inter- cst in this meeting. z Fad burt looks tad & is weak he is atthe hardships that you would have to go SNe el need pct and sve | man mae Wallon th eon : ease eer ceapasey | ut gt booth his les caught & prloes vi. fireman 338 per month, con- ‘pa8¢?) } mashed between two cars near Harpers ductor with large trains 35$ conductor ——————— Koonce Genealogical Society Newsletter KOONCE to KOONCE {is publisbed quarterly ia January, Api July and Oto ‘bar No ater hasbeen or willbe made to verify the entity of any artsles that are printed inthis poli Ferry last winter he got well & both legs with small train 30S Second. Brakeman vias saved but one of his nees is very stiff on the Fr... 3 Give a gift subscription of KOONCE to KOONCE to a relative. itis @ {Stow Is intended stare information nly. Sendai]! gift that will be treasured for a lifetime and beyound. {nutes to KOONCE to KOONCE, 1821 37h St Somers, WI 54025, 3 & 8 3 | 2 5 gz i 5 Subscription Rate $15.00 Year Back issues $5.00 Each (Addtinalcontibations aoe) Mail Check or Money Order to: KOS 1821 37th St. Somer, WI 54025 State, zi IP, Board of Directors Sean Marie Koonce, St Paul MN, Prezident ‘Alie Koonce, Refugio, TX Vee President {ohn Paul Koonce, Somers, WI, Etor 1821 37th St. _ Kamin sae Wore ae Somerset, WI 54025 Bobs Pa Mg Comer (Carlyn Koonce Koenig, Contbating Eltor Gtr Poeekccoecoened iea David Koonce letters Continued Coamedfomreae) P. large trains 25$ Way conductors 508 ‘Brakesman on the way train or day assis- tant Way conductor 30S Engineers that run large Engines gets $2.50cts per day & Engineers that run small Engines gets $2.00 per day, all the conductors ‘Brakesman & fireman if they loose a half a day or 1 day or more in a month they are check & only paid for the number of day they work, The trains do not stop for rain nor snow until the snow gets so deep that they can not get through it & then there are compelled to stop where ever they be on the road & run night & day & some dark rainey nights you can not see ‘one inch from your nose unless you hold upa Lantern, The tonage & Coal trains Sart from Cumberland in the morning at 8 oClock & arrive at Martinsburg a fif- teen minutes past five inthe afternoon, draw there fires & put in new fires & get there suppers & start from Martinsburg at 35 minutes past 6 oClock same evening then go on to Baltimore and arrive in Bal- timore the next morning at 40 minutes past 6 oClock, then lay by & rest that day & night & the next morning start from Baltimore at half past 4 oClock & arrive at Martinsburg pT at half past five inthe evening lay over at ‘Martinsburg that night & start the next morning at $ minutes past five oClock for Cumberland & arrive in Cumberland at $ ‘ainutes past 2 0Clock in the afternoon then stay in Cumberland tll the morning at 8 oClock as will at the com men from Cumberland to Mar- tinsburg or from Martinsbury to Cumber- land isa days work, & from Martinsburg to Baltimore or from Baltimore to Mar- tinsburg is a days work & every third trip that you goto Baltimore it will be your tum to lay over the day you arrive in Bal- ‘timore & the night & the next day untill half past 4 oClock in the afternoon. then you will start for Marinsburg, you will ‘then arrive at Martinsburg the next morn- ‘ng at 15 minutes before 4 oClock draw fire & get Breakfast & start for Cumber- land at 5 minutes past 5 oClock & arrive {in Cumberland at $ minutes past 2 oClock next morning at 8 oClock, you must bear in mind that of mornings itis one hour from the time the fire is putin the Engine tll she will have steam enough to get her out ofthe house & then from half to an hour Ps to regulate & couple up your train to get read to start, there is stock trains run- ning between Cumberland & Martins- ‘burg that run all together at night viz. they start from Cumberland at six ‘Clock in the evening & arrive at Mar- tinsburg at 20 minutes before 4 oClock the next morning & there lay by that day at Martinsburg & the next night start from Martinsburg for Cumberland at 15 minutes before 11 oClock & arrive ‘in Cumberland next morning at 6 ‘Clock then stay in Cumberland that evening at 6 oClock & then start as be~ fore said ‘There is stock trains running be- ‘tween Marinsburg & Baltimore as fol- lows fast line start from Baltimore at 2 ‘Clock in the afternoon & arrive at Martinsburg at 10 oClock that night & lay by the balance of the night at Mar- tinsburg & start back for Baltimore at 5 Clock the next morninging & arrive in ‘Baltimore at one oClock in the after- noon, the way trains do not run any of nights unless in case of Brake downs & are kept out then run on to get through, Tam Way conductor before I was Way ‘conductor Thad to run of nights you can read the history of Rail Roading on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail & see how you like it, T copyed your leter off yes- terday & sent it to John to day & I will geta letter from him one day this week & then Iwill give you some more news, 1 think if you would read the History of Rail Roading to your intended Partner she would not give her consent for you to come; give my love & respects to all Iwill write ina few days again I-still remain your affectionate Brother D. Koonce ‘SECOND LETTER Cumberiand Wed, August 21st 1850 Dear Brother recieved your kind letter of, the 10th Inst. on monday last the 19th eae Inst. was verry glad to hear that you was all well and hope these few lines may find ‘you all enjoying good health, ‘Tam well at present and my legis stil improving verry fast though I am com- peiled to use the crutches yet T can nearly bear my entire weight on my leg before I can feel it affected any and think that in a few days I will be able to walk without the crutches; Ihave not been to Harpers Ferry yet on account of the cholera abrak- ing out there every three ot 4 days Brother John writes to me every few days and gives me the news and the names of the deaths by cholera and I would give ‘you the names but suppose you recieve the Free Press and it will give you all the names; in your letter you say I give you a Jong list of accidents that happened on the Tail road and said you thought that I did ‘ot want you to come and work on the rail road; in answer I cannot say that I did not want you to come but thought that you could do as well by staying in Iinois as ‘you only wanted to work about two years on the rail road and as I know that the first 12 months on the rail road of a new ‘hand is the hardest kind of a life the way the trains are running now & you in- tended to stay just long enought to be able get along casy and comfortable & leave just at the time p2 ‘that you ought to able to get two or two & a half Dollars per day; therefore I pointed. ‘out what I thought could be done in Illi- ‘nois; and I also stated that if you come I ‘would get you work on the road, and I also give a fll history of the working of the road & what you would have to go through and a list of prices or wages for the different kinds of work done on the Toad & left it to your own choice either to come orto stay, and some new hands that now days come to work on the road do not stay over one week; Ifyou had written to ‘me that you wanted work on the rail road & bad no limit to the time then in that case I would have advised you to come & advised you to went of fireing for in 18 or 24th you would be able to run an Engine & then you would get 2 or $2.50 per day. have copyed off a piece on Marriage taken from Proverbial Philosophy by Mar- (Contre on age 7) fete