Hiram Whittington’s Letters
Hiram Abiff Whittington was a young printer from Boston who arrived in Little Rock on Christmas Eve, 1826. He worked for William E. Woodruff, publisher of the Arkansas Gazette until 1832, when poor health forced him to move to Hot Springs. In 1836 he brought his bride, Mary Burnham of Boston, to make their home. Whittington became active in the business community and in the politics of the Territory. In the following letters, written to his brother Granville, we find amusing anecdotes on social customs, politics, the life and people of the early times in Arkansas. Hiram died at Hot Springs in 1890. His brother joined him in the Territory in 1837. The letters were found in Granville’s hom in Mount Ida when it was being dismantled and have been preserved by his descendants. Dallas T. Herndon copied the letters from the originals.
Little Rock, A.T., April 21, 1827
Dear Brother (Sunday morning):
This morning as I was shaving your letter was laid
under my nose, postmarked Boston, which surprised more agreeably than anything
which has taken place in this wide world in the last six thousand years, and
came within an ace of sending me to the Indian Valley. Just as I was drawing the razor down under
my chin I caught sight of the postmark, and the sudden jerk I gave it a that
moment raised the skin from my throat at a great rate; however, I do not think
it will prove fatal, and you may think yourself a lucky fellow in not cutting
my head entirely off.
I
had a rascally time in getting here from New Orleans, or rather from the mouth
of the Arkansas. The first seven
hundred miles after leaving New Orleans was very fine, being on one of the best
steamboats on the Mississippi. We
stopped at Natchez and about 20 other places before we arrived at the mouth of
White river, where we left the boat, two others besides myself. From that time on we had to get along the
best way we could, sometimes in a dugout and then afoot. We were 5 days from the mouth of the
Arkansas to Little Rock, about 150 miles; at night we slept in log cabins,
except one night when we slept on the ground in the woods. By making a big fire and wrapping our cloaks
around us, we slept very comfortably.
At the log cabins we were obliged to sleep in the same room with the man
and his wife. The first time I slept in
the room with the women, I felt foolish enough, you may be sure. The women would not leave the room to give
me a chance to get into bed, and I finally had to go to bed before then. I did not take my pantaloons off, however,
until I had got between the sheets.
In
the afternoon of Sunday, the – day of December, we arrived at Little Rock. It is situated on the south bank of the
Arkansas, contains about 60 buildings, 6 brick, 8 frame, the balance log
cabins. The best building in the place
is the printer’s; it is built of brick and is as good an office as any in Boston. Little Rock Academy is a log hut and the
State House is a little low wooden building about 10 feet by sixteen. The town has been settled about eight years,
and has improved very slow. The trees
are not cut down in the town yet; instead of streets we walk in cow trails from
one house to another. The town, and I
believe the whole Territory, is inhabited by the dregs of Kentucky, Georgia and
Louisiana, but principally from the former, and a more drunken, good for
nothing set of fellows never got together.
The Secretary of the Territory and the Judges of the Supreme Court drink
whiskey out of the same cup with the lowest born, and roll together in the same
gutter. There have been more than a
dozen murders committed here, but the murderer was always acquitted. The greatest drunkards fill the most
responsible offices. In August, the
election of a member for Congress and the members of the General Assembly takes
place. The opposing candidates never
meet in the street without stopping to blackguard each other, and very often
fight. Most of the inhabitants carry
dirks or pistols in their pockets, but the greater part of them are too
cowardly to use them. Mr. Woodruff, my
employer, being an honest and sober man, the majority of the people are his
bitter enemies, and he has frequently been threatened. About a month ago, three worthies got into
such a fury, owing to a piece published in the Gazette criticizing the conduct
of the Secretary, that they threatened to annihilate all the printers; and one
of the judges of the Supreme Court swore that he would pulverize every printer
in the Territory in less than a month.
Of
the female part of the community, I have not much to say, as there are five
grown girls in the township and they are as ugly as sin and as mean as the
devil. It is a famous place for
parties. I have been to three since I
have been here, where they have a violin and dance all night, and as there are
not girls to form a set, all the old women dance, and lie in bed the next
day. The men get drunk and generally
have a fight before they get home. Last
Sunday I saw two French ladies walking out, each with a young coon in her arms;
they are used instead of lap dogs.
The
bushes in the woods, likewise in the town, are covered with ticks, which are the
greatest curse I have yet discovered….They are worse than bed bugs, and in a
very short time get under the skin and make a very bad sore. If the girls feel a tick biting them at a
party, and even if they are on the floor dancing, they immediately stop and
unpin and scratch themselves until they find it; it would do your heart good to
see how expert the dear little good-for-nothing creatures are at catching
ticks. This is a good country for
peaches, melons, sweet potatoes, etc….
The
steam boats arrived here last week, which never happened before. One of them returned to New Orleans
yesterday, and the other proceeded up the river with provisions for the
garrison. It is altogether uncertain
when I will leave this Territory; probably in the course of a year. It is fashionable to be sick in the summer
in this town, and most of the people engage a physician by the year. I expect to have the fever, if nothing
worse. We live entirely on corn bread
and salt pork, which are staples of the country. The Indians sometimes bring deer and buffalo meat to town and try
to sell it, but the folks are such intolerants that they seldom purchase
any. They think there is nothing like a
dead hog.
When
you write, which I shall expect you to do as soon as you get this, you must
fill you sheet; the last I got from you was not more than one quarter filled
up.
Your affectionate brother,
H.A. Whittington.
Dwight Mission, Indian Nation,
A.T. August 15, 1828
Dear Brother:
You
will be surprised to find by the caption of this letter that I have left Little
Rock, but so it is. I am now in the
heart of the Cherokee Nation of Indians, about 100 miles from Little Rock.
Mr.
Brown, the Principal of the Little Rock Academy, has a sister attached to this
Mission, and being about to visit her during his vacation, invited me to
accompany him, which I immediately agreed to do. We left Little Rock on the 4th inst. And arrived here
on the 7th. This Mission was
established by the Presbyterian Board about 8 years ago for the purpose of civilizing
the Cherokees. There are eight families
attached to the Mission, all from New England, All Yankees. There is one old lady from Boston, Miss
Stutson, who has charge of the female scholars. She appeared to be very glad to see me, merely because I was
Boston born. She is very severe with
her scholars, many of whom are women grown and as handsome as any women I ever
saw, notwithstanding they are squaws.
There
are about 30 or 40 girls that belong to this schools, from 5 to 20 y ears of
age. Some can talk as good English as I
can, and some of them a good deal better; all that have been in the school one
year can talk some English. Some of
them have light hair and as white skins as any white girls in Cohassett. There are a great many white men married to
Cherokee girls, and settled in the Nation.
Most of the girls who receive their education here marry white men, and
generally make the most affectionate and industrious kind of wives. There are about as many boys as girls who go
to school here. The Missionaries chose
a very good place to locate themselves; it is on the Illinois Creek, about the
center of the Nation. They have about
30 buildings of on e kind and another; a dining room about 100 feet in length
where all the scholars, amounting to from 60 to 70, and everyone attached to
the Mission, as well as those who visit them, sit down together.
There
is a young man here by the name of Thornton, a Cherokee who is studying
medicine, and he has been very attentive to me since I have been here. We ride out every day or two and visit his
friends and relatives, where we generally see some pretty little girls and get
as many melons and peaches as we can eat.
Day before yesterday, we rode about 7 miles to a friend of his where we
stayed all day. The man is French and
his wife Cherokee. They have one very
pretty daughter, about 14 years old, who speaks and understands three
languages, French, Cherokee and American.
She is as white as anybody and is the most interesting little thing I
ever saw.
Next
Thursday there is to be a Grand council, about 40 miles from here, at a place
called the “Horse Head,” at which I shall attend with Mr. Washburn, the
Superintendent of this Mission. You
will recollect that the Treaty which was made with the United States by the
Cherokees last winter in Washington, one thousand dollars was appropriated for
the purchase of a printing press and types for the use of the Cherokees, which
will probably go into operation as soon as the Cherokees get moved to their new
land, which is about 200 miles up farther up the Arkansas. My object in attending the Council is to get
the appointment of printer to their paper when it is put into operation. Should I succeed, it will not interfere with
my intended visit to “Sandy Cove” next summer, as the press will not go into
operation before a year or 18 months from this date. As soon as the Council adjourns I shall return to Little Rock.
The
paper will be similar to the one printed in the old Nation, part in English and
part in Cherokee language, and in Cherokee characters as invented by George
Guess, one of the chiefs. When I return
to the Rock I will send you one of the Cherokee papers printed in the old
Nation. I hope I may succeed, as I like
the Indians better than any people I have seen for the past three years. My health has improved since I left the
Rock, which I believe is owing to good company more than anything else.
I
will write you as soon as AI get to the Rock and tell you something about the
Council. I anticipate a great deal of
sport there with the Indians, as there will be a great many present. I hope you are all well at home. Give my best respects to Father, Mother, and
all the family.
Yours, etc.
H.A. Whittington.
Little Rock, Aug. 30, 1828
Dear Brother:
I
returned last Friday from my trip to the Indians, in good health and
spirits. I believe I mentioned in my
last letter that my object was to get the appointment of Printer to the
Cherokee Nation. I now have to state
that I succeeded. I left the
Missionaries in a few days after I wrote to you, and proceed up the country
about 40 miles to a place called the Horsehead, where a Grand Council of the
chiefs and head men were convened. I
waited three days before the Council met and three days after it had met before
I could contract my business. I stayed
part of the time at the home of Mr. Jolly.
He is the principal chief of the Nation; some of the natives call him
king and some call him president. He is
a real fine old fellow, and has a large double house surrounded by china trees;
about 50 acres in corn and a large peach orchard, etc. I likewise stopped 2 days at Mr. John
Drew’s. He is a half-breed and talks as
good English as you or I do. He is also
a first-rate fellow, and took me one night about 3 miles to see what is called
an “Eagle Tail” dance, which I will tell you about when I get home….
The business is all done in council. The Nation is divided into four districts, and each district chooses annually two new committee-men, who prepare all the business before the people at large. They have a log house in which they meet to do their business, which is called the council house. Outside of the house is a large smooth space, where the Indians, men, women and children, amuse themselves by dancing while their chiefs are transacting the business of the Nation. I went before the committee and stated to them, through an interpreter, that I wished to be employed to superintend their printing office. They smoked and consulted their chiefs a few hours, and agreed that I should have the appointment. It will probably be a year before they get ready for their office. I expect to be authorized to purchase the office [for] them when I return in the spring….My salary is to be decided on when I commence my services. I am principally indebted to Mr. Woodruff and Mr. Washburn, the superintendent of the Dwight Mission, for the appointment….
There
were about five hundred Indians present at the Council, who appeared to enjo9y
themselves very well, and during the three days the Council was in session I
did not see one who was not in a good humor.
There was not a fight nor any angry words passed between any of them the
whole time. Never in my life before
have I seen a hundredth part as large a concourse of people assembled together
without witnessing more or less broken heads and bloody noses. I felt ashamed for my own color, and thought
of the angry passions I had seen excited among them on election day and the 4th
of July in different parts of the Union.
The difference between the Cherokee Indians and the Nantucket oil boys
is not so very great, but there is no comparison between the Cherokees and the
people of Little Rock, this sink of iniquity.
There all was harmony, all was peace.
I
was so well pleased with them that I was sorry when I was obliged to return to
this town, and almost wished I was an Indian.
The first thing the Indians ask us when we stop at a house is to eat,
and whether we stay one day or two weeks, they will take no pay; which I
believe is not the custom among white people….
I
forgot to mention that the Missionaries at Dwight are all Yankees; we lived in
the usual Yankee style. They fed us
upon suckertash, baked beans, and salt fish, etc. Give my best regards to Father, Mother, and all the family, and
accept, yourself, my best wishes.
H. A. Whittington
Gazette Office, Little Rock,
Dec. 1, 1828
Dear Father:
…I am now waiting for Major Duvall, the Cherokee
Agent, who is in Washington City, and is expected here some time during the
winter. As soon as he arrives, I expect
to set off for Boston for the purpose of procuring the materials for the
printing office, and shall probably be home all summer.
There
has been a great change in this place within a few weeks. We have had a minister of the Gospel
preaching here for some time past, and his labors are likely to be crowned with
success. The female part of the
community were the first to interest themselves about religion, and several
joined the Presbyterian and Baptist churches.
Later the young men have been affected, and several that a few weeks
since were a pest to society, are now an ornament to it. Instead of drinking and gambling at the
taverns, they are reading the Bible and conversing with the preacher. Among the young men is Col. Oden, a lawyer
who was a candidate for Congress a year ago, and is probably a man of better
talents than anyone in the Territory; but he has heretofore been one of
the most haughty, proud, self
conceited, good for nothing fellows I ever knew, continually in some drunken
frolic, quarreling with every person he met.
He is now changed, and such a change as is seldom seen; his former
enemies are now his best friends, and I should not be surprised if ere long he
should become the pride and boast of Arkansas.
Should the present excitement continue to increase, this place will be
as famed for morality and piety as it has heretofore been for wickedness and
vice….
And
be so good as to remember me kindly to Mother and all the family, and accept
yourself my best and fervent wishes for the speedy recovery of your health, and
believe me ever to be.
Your affectionate son,
Hiram A. Whittington
Gazette Office, Little Rock.
May 8, 1832 (1831?)
Dear Brother:
Agreeably
to promise, I sit down to write you the news, Arkansas news. I have forgotten what it was you wished me
to communicate, but I recollect something about a bet. If you have more money than you know what to
do with, you can bet that I will marry, but unless you have, don’t bet. What has put such an idea into your head I
am at a loss to divine. I expect you
are in a hurry to commit matrimony yourself, and don’t like the notion of
waiting for me any longer; if so, go ahead and prosper. There are two things, however, I would
suggest for your consideration, i.e. never marry unless you love, and never
love where there is no money unless you are in a situation to support a family
yourself.
I
recollect of spending a part of a day last summer with the young ladies, and
after leaving them came home, as it was very warm and sultry, I took a little
nap and dreamed I was married; but to who I knew not….If I had been awake and
just been sentenced to the gallows, my feelings would not have been more acute
than they were in this, as you would call it, pleasant dream….I awoke, and the
pleasantest moment I ever experienced in my life was then. If by any accident you should chance to be
approaching, the wind increasing, the waves running high and apparently opening
their hungry jaws to suck you in, exalting in anticipation of their intended
victim, until they become so high that your feet could but just hold on; if at
this moment a boat should shoot out from the mist and take you off, you will
then know how I felt when I awoke. Oh!
The luxury of that moment; I shall never forget it. I then came to the determination never to marry, and I have no
idea of departing from that resolve…
We
have had one arrival since I last wrote you.
Miss Binum from Mississippi, worth they say, about $25,000, amiable,
accomplished, etc.
I
see the Mew Yorkers have been giving our countryman Webster a dinner. The Jackson press talks of a coalition
between Webster, Clay and Calhoun, and one of the Boston papers thinks there
would be no harm in a league with the devil him self to put down Jackson. He is half right. By the way, this rupture in the Jackson ranks between Jackson and
Calhoun must tickle you Yankees at a great rate. Whether it will affect Jackson’s re-election or not is hard to
tell, but at all events it is likely to have on good effect, and that is to
break down Duff Green.
We
have had the smallpox in this place for six months past, but to no considerable
extent. I feel in no dread of it,
having been vaccinated before I left home (thanks to a provident mother). There has been but one murder since I last
wrote; a boy about 18, by a man of 50, in the woods about 10 miles from
town. Both families were respectable.
Our
election for Delegate to Congress and member s of the Legislature comes on in
August, and the candidates are out lectioneering, making stump speeches,
etc. We have an entirely different
manner of managing our elections from what you have. You do it all by caucus.
Here the candidate comes out on his own bottom, tell s the people he is
a candidate for such an office, and then goes on to tell them how he will serve
them with fidelity, energy, etc.; not forgetting to set forth his claims to
their support in the most dazzling light, and if he knows of any little sins of
his opponent he will not be apt to let them pass unnoticed. They attend all public gatherings, and mount
a stump and make speeches two or three hours long. It commonly costs them about twice as much to get an office as
the office is worth after they get it.
It is expected of a candidate that they are to treat all their friends
as often as they seen them from now until election, find them in segars,
tobacco, etc….
One
thing I like to have forgotten to mention, i.e. that I joined a temperance
society about a month ago; not because I was in a habit of drinking, but merely to please the ladies, who said they
wanted the temperate men to join for the sake of their example. About twenty men, all the ladies in the
place, old and young, have joined; and I have no doubt Little Rock will soon
experience its good effects. I hope you
will go and do likewise….
Your affectionate brother,
Hiram
Little Rock, A.T., June 25, 1831
Dear Bro0ther:
You
are the most perverse, obstinate and unbelieving brother man was ever pestered
with. You will neglect writing to me
for some six or eight months, whilst I am constantly writing and wondering that
you do not answer some of my letters—until at last after I have given up all
hope of ever hearing form you again, here comes a letter, when the first thing
I see on opening it is a page of complaints and invectives against me for not
writing to you oftener….O, imprudence, what a wonderful convenient thing thou
art!
You
wish to know what chances there would be for a book-binder and book-seller in
Arkansas. In reply, I will say that as
there are no books printed here, of course there could be nothing for a binder
to do. There are some books sold here,
such as school books, law books, etc., but not enough to justify a book store
unless a man could do something else.
Most any other kind of a mechanic would do better here than a book
binder; still he could get some little work, such as binding up files of
newspapers, old law books, novels, etc.
If you know of any carpenters, brick masons or saddlers, you may inform
them that they could do a good business here, and a silver smith and a tinner
are very much wanted at present. A
silver smith came here about three years ago and remained about a year and
cleared upwards of a thousand dollars, but he had a wife in New York and must
fain go to her.
It
is the best place in the world for farmers.
If the Yankees only knew this country; that they can purchase the best
of land for a dollar and a quarter an acre; that corn grows without hoeing; all
you have to do is to plant it and plow it a little; you can build a good log
cabin for 10 dollars; fire wood you never have to buy; and besides getting a
good price for everything you raise, corn has always since I have been here
brought from 50 cents to one dollar per bushel. We have a most miserable lazy set of farmers. A farmer to come here and be as industrious
as they are in New England, they could not help getting rich. If you are anything of a philanthropist, you
will advise all persons who wish to turn their attention to farming to come to
Arkansas, where they can be independent, no matter how poor they are not too
lazy. I believe if John J. Lathrop were
to migrate to this country, he would be worth more in five years than he would
in Cohassett in a thousand; tell him
so.
If
you should think seriously of coming to Arkansas, and will let me know what
your prospects are, I will cheerfully give you all the information in my power,
not only as regards your trade, but anything else you may wish to know. However much I might wish to have you
settled along with me, I cannot advise, for if you should come and anything
should happen to you whilst here, I should never forgive myself for being
instrumental in your coming. I will,
however, pledge myself that so long as you behave yourself, you shall neither
be shot, dirked or gouged; the only danger then, you would incur will be from
the climate, and as regards that, I can only say I have enjoyed as good, and
perhaps better, health here than I did in Nantucket or N. York. Be so good as to write me further on this
subject.
H. A. Whittington
Hot Springs, June 38, 1833
Dear Brother:
I
recd. Yours of May as I was on my way to Little Rock a few days ago. I spoke to my friends at the Rock in
relation to your proposition to send out some blank books, but Woodruff is the
only man there who sells any of account and he has made arrangements to be
supplied for a long time, and cannot take any.
In this country books of any description are a curiosity. Two thirds of the people here can neither
read nor write.
Of
course, I could sell no books here, but I should like to get a tolerable
library for my own use….I would be glad to get Scott’s works,
Cooper’s, Byron’s, Bulwer’s, etc, and in fact any novels that are interesting
and of the modern school, all the American novels that are of any account,
history, biography, etc….
We
have got cholera in its most aggravated type in this country. Every boat that comes up the Arkansas is
full of it. I got to the Rock on
Saturday last, and on Sunday eve, a steamer came up in great distress. She
had lost four of her crew and two passengers in 4 days. She only had six passengers on board. The balance of the crew and passengers were
sick…
The
cholera is five times as bad as it was last season….The whole Mississippi Valley
is full of it, and the poor slaves die like rotten sheep. Some of the planters have turned their
Negroes out into the woods to take care of themselves the best way they
can. It spares neither age, sex, nor
condition, but like a deluge, sweeps everything in its course. Where and when is this mighty scourge to be
arrested in its deadly march? I hope
and pray it may not visit you this season; and I believe it will not, as it
appears to hover about the low, sickly parts of the country, and to leave the more
healthy regions free.
Great
parts of our country have been inundated.
All the large rivers have been from five to 20 feet above high water
mark. All the farmers on the rivers are
injured, and some completely ruined.
But this you can see in the papers, and I refer you to the Gazette. This overflow will be another great source
of sickness for those on the rivers.
Our
election is approaching rapidly. In one
little month the tale will be told. I
am very easy as to the result, notwithstanding the formidable opposition I have
had to contend with. I have not lived
in Arkansas all this time without knowing something of the dispositions of the
people, and how to manage them. I go
the whole hog for Sevier and, notwithstanding this county has always been opposed
to him, and my opponent is opposed to him, still I shall beat him. This county will vote about 120 votes. As often as I can get an extra paper, I
shall send it to you. Farewell.
H. A. Whittington