Descendants of Stephen Carhart of Cornwall, England
Stephen and Eliza (Rundell) Carhart arrived in Wisconsin in 1842 from Cornwall, England. They were the first of their families to make their way to America. Stephen and Eliza sailed from the port of Padstow, Cornwall, England on April 8, 1842 and arrived in Lewiston, New York. From Lewiston, they made their way overland to Iowa, near Iowa City and then on to Wisconsin.
They settled on a farm three miles southeast of Platteville, Wisconsin. At that time, this area of the country was sparsely occupied. They soon fell in love with their new home and surroundings and wrote glowing accounts to their relatives and friends back in England.
Here is a transcript of a letter to Stephen's parents back home:
They settled on a farm three miles southeast of Platteville, Wisconsin. At that time, this area of the country was sparsely occupied. They soon fell in love with their new home and surroundings and wrote glowing accounts to their relatives and friends back in England.
Here is a transcript of a letter to Stephen's parents back home:
Platteville, Feb. 20, 1846
Dear Parents,
We now take the pleasure of writing you but we must confess we feel rather ashamed of leaving it so long. We hope you will pardon our neglect as we hope to write oftener in the future. We are happy to inform you that we are still in the enjoyment of good health. This is a fine country for increasing in number. When we came here we were but 2 now we are twice 2 which makes 4. We have another son he was born the 30 of October last. He is a fine little boy and very good humored. We have never needed to light a candle on his account since he was born. He is not baptized yet. Eliza named him John Samuel soon after he was born but James Rundell always said “call the baby Stephen, mama, call the baby Stephen”, so we are calling him Stephen Hercules at present. When you write send is over a name for him.
The last letter we sent home we sent to Elisa’s Mother soon after Mr. Nicholls left us. On that letter we mentioned that I had bought 40 acres of land. Since that time I have bout 40 acres more so that now we have 80 acres. It joins altogether. It is very good land and will make a very pretty farm. It was in a state of nature when I bought it. It had never been broke up and had no fence around it nor no building on it. I had 20 acres broke up last summer which if all is well I shall put in the spring crops as soon as the winter breaks up. I shall commence fencing it and I hope to get it all under fence this next summer and get some more broke up. I believe I shall have a sod fence or what you call in England a turf hedge. Fences are generally made of rails in this country. We are not living on it yet. I am still working at the mill. We are keeping on our horses and cattle and hogs and things so to be ready to go on to our own farm as soon as we can afford to build a house on it. I am hoping to be able to do that some time of the summer. It will cost us a considerable sum of money to fence it and get it under cultivation but we must do it little and little as we are able.
Richard and Betty and Thomas Warne and their familys are all at Platteville. They arrived here 2 of November. They like this country very well we have received 2 letters from F. Bullock since he has been in Canada and have sent him 2. We expect he will come here sometime of the summer. He would have come when Betty came if they had money enough but they will come as soon as they can. One of our preachers told us that there is a man named Thomas Flicks living about 40 miles from here from what we can learn it is the Butcher Flicks from St. Columb he also told there was a man at the Flicks from the same neighbourhood we came from and that he knew you and talked of Eliza’s Mother and family. He said his name was Lobb and that he was going to buy land about here somewhere and then going back to England after his family. We hardly know whether it is J. Lobb from Trigegone or L. Lobb from Tegella. If it is any one of them and if they are coming near here it would be a good chance for any of you or Eliza’s folks to come out as they would company so far. Richard and Betty saw Thomas Flicks from St. Issey as he came over if the Lobbs or any of your neighbours are coming near here. We should be glad if you will be so kind as to send us some French burze (?) seed to sow in my new hedge.
Dear Parents I often think of you and feel concerned as to how you will get along when you are past working. Should it please God to spare you to see old age, it cannot be expected that you will be able to work hard much longer. When you write us again please to let us know if you have any prospects of support without coming to the hands of other people. We would be very glad if you were here and if you will come here. I will insure you will do everything in our power to make you comfortable. Tell my Brothers I am very sorry that they are so backward about coming to this country. They could do far better here both for themselves and for their children. While they stay there they have to work hard and other folks reap the benefit but if they were here they would reap the benefit of their own labours.
We have received the parcel that was sent by Nicholas Rundell. We also received a letter from brother William that he sent us after that parcel was sent away. We heard from Elisa’s Mother by a few lines in William Trenery’s letter. We also received a letter from her dated October 7 / 45. When you see Mr. Nicholls again give him our kind love and respects to him. We thought he might have sent us a letter by this time to let us know how he got along after he left us and what vessel he went home in and how his health has been since he has been home. Tell him we shall be very glad if he will write us soon and tell us all the news. Tell him we have built a small house near the mill and are living there. Times are very brisk here. Wheat sells at 26 per bushel. Port has sold higher this season then any other since we have been here.
Temperance is going ahead briskly. There is to be a teetotal procession at Plattville on Saturday next. Several old drunkards has signed the pledge. We have lately had a revival at our Chaple about it has joined the society. Our chaple is just the same size of Rumford new Chaple and it is often filled to overflowing. I think I have heard you say that you had an Uncle that went to America several years ago. The first summer we were here we saw an advertisement on the newspaper of a camp meeting being held on the land of Mr. Robert Carhart near Albany in the State of New York and there is a woman here that new a blacksmith and his family by the name of Carhart in the State of New York and when we were coming up the Mississippi River there was a carpenter on board that saw our boxes and asked if name was Seth Carhart. He said his grandfather (his mother’s father) was called Seth Carhart. It is likely they may be some of the same family. We had the misfortune to lose a fine colt about 2 months ago. It was about 25 dollars loss to us.
We have had a very mild winter thus far. I believe we had more severe cold the first winter we were here then in all the other 3. Please to give our kind love to Mr. Gilbert and Mr. and Mrs. Hawke and all the Tranance folks. Is young Richard Hicks is married. Get what is become of William Solomon and his wife. Please give our kind love to all our Brothers and Sisters and also to Elisa’s Mother and Brothers and Sisters and all our old friends and acquaintances. Tell them we are perfectly satisfied with the country. Please to write us as soon as you can tell us what size farm Brother John has got and what he pays and what Brother William is doing and how all the rest are getting on. But above everything else we want to know how you are getting on for heaven. My Dear Parents whatever you do or leave undone be sure to get a preparation for Eternity. We shall soon have done with this world and if we lose our soul we lose our all. Seek the Lord while in health and he will be your friend in sickness and in death and to all Eternity. We feel determined by the help of the Lord to go all the way to heaven. May you meet us there Amen.
Your ever dutiful Son and Daughter S and E Carhart
Dear Parents,
We now take the pleasure of writing you but we must confess we feel rather ashamed of leaving it so long. We hope you will pardon our neglect as we hope to write oftener in the future. We are happy to inform you that we are still in the enjoyment of good health. This is a fine country for increasing in number. When we came here we were but 2 now we are twice 2 which makes 4. We have another son he was born the 30 of October last. He is a fine little boy and very good humored. We have never needed to light a candle on his account since he was born. He is not baptized yet. Eliza named him John Samuel soon after he was born but James Rundell always said “call the baby Stephen, mama, call the baby Stephen”, so we are calling him Stephen Hercules at present. When you write send is over a name for him.
The last letter we sent home we sent to Elisa’s Mother soon after Mr. Nicholls left us. On that letter we mentioned that I had bought 40 acres of land. Since that time I have bout 40 acres more so that now we have 80 acres. It joins altogether. It is very good land and will make a very pretty farm. It was in a state of nature when I bought it. It had never been broke up and had no fence around it nor no building on it. I had 20 acres broke up last summer which if all is well I shall put in the spring crops as soon as the winter breaks up. I shall commence fencing it and I hope to get it all under fence this next summer and get some more broke up. I believe I shall have a sod fence or what you call in England a turf hedge. Fences are generally made of rails in this country. We are not living on it yet. I am still working at the mill. We are keeping on our horses and cattle and hogs and things so to be ready to go on to our own farm as soon as we can afford to build a house on it. I am hoping to be able to do that some time of the summer. It will cost us a considerable sum of money to fence it and get it under cultivation but we must do it little and little as we are able.
Richard and Betty and Thomas Warne and their familys are all at Platteville. They arrived here 2 of November. They like this country very well we have received 2 letters from F. Bullock since he has been in Canada and have sent him 2. We expect he will come here sometime of the summer. He would have come when Betty came if they had money enough but they will come as soon as they can. One of our preachers told us that there is a man named Thomas Flicks living about 40 miles from here from what we can learn it is the Butcher Flicks from St. Columb he also told there was a man at the Flicks from the same neighbourhood we came from and that he knew you and talked of Eliza’s Mother and family. He said his name was Lobb and that he was going to buy land about here somewhere and then going back to England after his family. We hardly know whether it is J. Lobb from Trigegone or L. Lobb from Tegella. If it is any one of them and if they are coming near here it would be a good chance for any of you or Eliza’s folks to come out as they would company so far. Richard and Betty saw Thomas Flicks from St. Issey as he came over if the Lobbs or any of your neighbours are coming near here. We should be glad if you will be so kind as to send us some French burze (?) seed to sow in my new hedge.
Dear Parents I often think of you and feel concerned as to how you will get along when you are past working. Should it please God to spare you to see old age, it cannot be expected that you will be able to work hard much longer. When you write us again please to let us know if you have any prospects of support without coming to the hands of other people. We would be very glad if you were here and if you will come here. I will insure you will do everything in our power to make you comfortable. Tell my Brothers I am very sorry that they are so backward about coming to this country. They could do far better here both for themselves and for their children. While they stay there they have to work hard and other folks reap the benefit but if they were here they would reap the benefit of their own labours.
We have received the parcel that was sent by Nicholas Rundell. We also received a letter from brother William that he sent us after that parcel was sent away. We heard from Elisa’s Mother by a few lines in William Trenery’s letter. We also received a letter from her dated October 7 / 45. When you see Mr. Nicholls again give him our kind love and respects to him. We thought he might have sent us a letter by this time to let us know how he got along after he left us and what vessel he went home in and how his health has been since he has been home. Tell him we shall be very glad if he will write us soon and tell us all the news. Tell him we have built a small house near the mill and are living there. Times are very brisk here. Wheat sells at 26 per bushel. Port has sold higher this season then any other since we have been here.
Temperance is going ahead briskly. There is to be a teetotal procession at Plattville on Saturday next. Several old drunkards has signed the pledge. We have lately had a revival at our Chaple about it has joined the society. Our chaple is just the same size of Rumford new Chaple and it is often filled to overflowing. I think I have heard you say that you had an Uncle that went to America several years ago. The first summer we were here we saw an advertisement on the newspaper of a camp meeting being held on the land of Mr. Robert Carhart near Albany in the State of New York and there is a woman here that new a blacksmith and his family by the name of Carhart in the State of New York and when we were coming up the Mississippi River there was a carpenter on board that saw our boxes and asked if name was Seth Carhart. He said his grandfather (his mother’s father) was called Seth Carhart. It is likely they may be some of the same family. We had the misfortune to lose a fine colt about 2 months ago. It was about 25 dollars loss to us.
We have had a very mild winter thus far. I believe we had more severe cold the first winter we were here then in all the other 3. Please to give our kind love to Mr. Gilbert and Mr. and Mrs. Hawke and all the Tranance folks. Is young Richard Hicks is married. Get what is become of William Solomon and his wife. Please give our kind love to all our Brothers and Sisters and also to Elisa’s Mother and Brothers and Sisters and all our old friends and acquaintances. Tell them we are perfectly satisfied with the country. Please to write us as soon as you can tell us what size farm Brother John has got and what he pays and what Brother William is doing and how all the rest are getting on. But above everything else we want to know how you are getting on for heaven. My Dear Parents whatever you do or leave undone be sure to get a preparation for Eternity. We shall soon have done with this world and if we lose our soul we lose our all. Seek the Lord while in health and he will be your friend in sickness and in death and to all Eternity. We feel determined by the help of the Lord to go all the way to heaven. May you meet us there Amen.
Your ever dutiful Son and Daughter S and E Carhart
Eliza wrote a letter to her mother, Betsy Paynter Rundell, later that year - here is the transcript of that letter.
Platteville, October 21 / 46 [1846]
Dear Mother it seems like along time since we received a letter from you but it is longer since you received one from us. As for making apologies for not writing sooner I know it is useless. Only must beg of you not to serve us in this repeat us we serve you. We are happy to inform you that we are all well. For my own part I have been far better with regard to health since we have been here than I was for many years before we left England. I have been quiet harty all the summer. It seems to me that Stephen does not stand the heat so well as I do - his appetite was rather bad for some time but is well now. He has not been sick so as to give up working or to have the Doctor over. The little boys are very healthy. James Rundell is as harty as a little pig and Stephen Hercules is able to run all around and when I give James a piece of bread and butter he will run all around the house after him to get part of it. He walked alone at 10 month old he has 8 teeth. He had 2 teeth each of them at 5 months old. We expect some of our friends will come out and should be very glad for them to come. We have had 3 letters from Francis Buloch and had sent them 3 and we expect them here next spring if not before. We are now living on our own land. We have we have got 80 acres very excellent of land it is fenced and we are farming 30 acres of it this year. Next year if all is well we shall have 40 or 50 acres of it under cultivation. The house we have built is small and inconvenient but it is dry and warm. Next spring if all is well we shall build an addition to it. We have had a good spring of water very near our house just as though you would run over to the barn to get water. It drys nor freezes. We have plenty of poultry and we intend to get ducks geese and turkeys. This winter the weather has been hoter this last summer then even it was never before in this country it has been more sickly and we hear that it has been very sickly in Canada times have been duller this last summer than it has been for some years before. We expect it was partly on account of an ex??? man but we are glad that the Oregon question is peaceably settled. Farmers produce is low at present. Crops of all kinds were very good except the wheat crop wich failed. Samples of wheat are very inferior and flour darker than usual. Wheat is worth half a dollar per bushel if it weighs 60 lb. Flour 2 dollars per hundred lb. Sugar is dearer more than it has been before since we have been here it is 7 pounds for a dollar and sometimes we have been able to get the lb for a dollar. Clothing will be cheaper after the 1st of December next the duty is to be taken of from English manufactured goods. I do not now how the renting farmers in England will get along now the corn bill is thrown out. We think you had pack up all and come away here. There is a plenty of room in Wisconsin for thousands yet here is some very good land round about we some joining us and some a very short distance from us. We hardly wish that we could have our own brothers & sisters settle around us but do not will be many years before it will be thickly established round here.
It is almost surprising to look around and see what farmers have been taken in and houses built and improvements made since we came here and the town of Platteville hardly looks like the same place. There has been 4 new chapels built in it since we came the primitive Methodists, the Episcopal Methodists, one of the Presbyterians and the Roman Catholic and some other large brick buildings much as for shop dwellings houses ??. At present we have mild and pleasant days with frosty mornings. Folks are busy draying potatoes. We finished our on Saturday last. The next thing is to gather Indian corn, an acres of land here is exactly the sizes of an acre of land in England measured by the same measure. We have had it great fuss in our circuit this summer on account of our superintendent preacher joining the free masons. The members generally through the circuit being intensely opened to it having free masons preachers. The conference was held in May. He was then told that he would so leave the mason quit preaching and gave him til the quarterly meeting to consider of it or he ?? and had to give up preaching. On this he said that he was a recobite when it England and that he paid to it til and insisted recobites were as much a secret among us.
The quarterly board did not think so he reasoned. He left to and is gone to travel for the Methodists they have a great many of free masons among there traveling preacher but the members are getting dissatisfied about it our preacher is now first preacher and one of our leading men has written for an able preacher to be sent to us from one of the eastern States may the Lord God of host and us a man after his own heart please to give our kind love to grandfather & grandmother Carhart and to all our brothers & sisters except the same yourself from your grateful son & daughter Stephen & Eliza Carhart
Platteville, October 21 / 46 [1846]
Dear Mother it seems like along time since we received a letter from you but it is longer since you received one from us. As for making apologies for not writing sooner I know it is useless. Only must beg of you not to serve us in this repeat us we serve you. We are happy to inform you that we are all well. For my own part I have been far better with regard to health since we have been here than I was for many years before we left England. I have been quiet harty all the summer. It seems to me that Stephen does not stand the heat so well as I do - his appetite was rather bad for some time but is well now. He has not been sick so as to give up working or to have the Doctor over. The little boys are very healthy. James Rundell is as harty as a little pig and Stephen Hercules is able to run all around and when I give James a piece of bread and butter he will run all around the house after him to get part of it. He walked alone at 10 month old he has 8 teeth. He had 2 teeth each of them at 5 months old. We expect some of our friends will come out and should be very glad for them to come. We have had 3 letters from Francis Buloch and had sent them 3 and we expect them here next spring if not before. We are now living on our own land. We have we have got 80 acres very excellent of land it is fenced and we are farming 30 acres of it this year. Next year if all is well we shall have 40 or 50 acres of it under cultivation. The house we have built is small and inconvenient but it is dry and warm. Next spring if all is well we shall build an addition to it. We have had a good spring of water very near our house just as though you would run over to the barn to get water. It drys nor freezes. We have plenty of poultry and we intend to get ducks geese and turkeys. This winter the weather has been hoter this last summer then even it was never before in this country it has been more sickly and we hear that it has been very sickly in Canada times have been duller this last summer than it has been for some years before. We expect it was partly on account of an ex??? man but we are glad that the Oregon question is peaceably settled. Farmers produce is low at present. Crops of all kinds were very good except the wheat crop wich failed. Samples of wheat are very inferior and flour darker than usual. Wheat is worth half a dollar per bushel if it weighs 60 lb. Flour 2 dollars per hundred lb. Sugar is dearer more than it has been before since we have been here it is 7 pounds for a dollar and sometimes we have been able to get the lb for a dollar. Clothing will be cheaper after the 1st of December next the duty is to be taken of from English manufactured goods. I do not now how the renting farmers in England will get along now the corn bill is thrown out. We think you had pack up all and come away here. There is a plenty of room in Wisconsin for thousands yet here is some very good land round about we some joining us and some a very short distance from us. We hardly wish that we could have our own brothers & sisters settle around us but do not will be many years before it will be thickly established round here.
It is almost surprising to look around and see what farmers have been taken in and houses built and improvements made since we came here and the town of Platteville hardly looks like the same place. There has been 4 new chapels built in it since we came the primitive Methodists, the Episcopal Methodists, one of the Presbyterians and the Roman Catholic and some other large brick buildings much as for shop dwellings houses ??. At present we have mild and pleasant days with frosty mornings. Folks are busy draying potatoes. We finished our on Saturday last. The next thing is to gather Indian corn, an acres of land here is exactly the sizes of an acre of land in England measured by the same measure. We have had it great fuss in our circuit this summer on account of our superintendent preacher joining the free masons. The members generally through the circuit being intensely opened to it having free masons preachers. The conference was held in May. He was then told that he would so leave the mason quit preaching and gave him til the quarterly meeting to consider of it or he ?? and had to give up preaching. On this he said that he was a recobite when it England and that he paid to it til and insisted recobites were as much a secret among us.
The quarterly board did not think so he reasoned. He left to and is gone to travel for the Methodists they have a great many of free masons among there traveling preacher but the members are getting dissatisfied about it our preacher is now first preacher and one of our leading men has written for an able preacher to be sent to us from one of the eastern States may the Lord God of host and us a man after his own heart please to give our kind love to grandfather & grandmother Carhart and to all our brothers & sisters except the same yourself from your grateful son & daughter Stephen & Eliza Carhart
Within a few years, most of Eliza's family (the Rundells and Biddicks) left England for homes in southwest Wisconsin. The route most of the family took was sailing from Padstow harbor to Quebec and to Milwaukee through the Lakes. The last group of Rundell emigrants traveled to America in 1853, which included Betsy Paynter Rundell, Betsy (Paul) and husband and two children, Hercules, Mary Jane and Johnson P., who came to Chicago and then to Freeport, Illinois by railroad and from there to Platteville in hacks (hired carriages). [This information was obtained from the diary of Richard Rundell.]
On the Platteville farm, seven children were born to Stephen and Eliza:
On the Platteville farm, seven children were born to Stephen and Eliza:
- James Rundle, born September 21, 1843
- Stephen Hercules, born October 30, 1845
- Sarah Mary, born July 18, 1847
- John Samuel (twin), born April 5 1849
- Betsy Ann "Bessie" (twin), born April 5, 1849
- Fannie Eliza, born April 15 1851 and died April 24, 1853
- George William, born July 23, 1853
My Dad is in possession of the Stephen Carhart Family Bible, which we believe that Stephen is holding in the family picture above. The only writing in the Bible is on this one page. The Bible was passed down from George William Carhart's family to my Grandfather, John Chalmers Carhart.
[Betsy Paynter Rundell]
In February 1866, Stephen purchased a flour mill on the Little Platte River, northwest of Platteville for $14,000. The mill was known first as the "Augustine", the "Carhart" and finally the "Jacobs" Mill. It was built of Calena limestone and was sometimes informally called the Rock Mill.
Written on back of photo by Arthur H. Carhart:
Ruins of a grist mill built by Stephen Carhart (my grandfather) to which I was directed circa 1936. A water wheel powered mill from which I brought back a piece of limestone now on my Denver garage. I had planned to build it into a fireplace if we ever built another house.
Ruins of a grist mill built by Stephen Carhart (my grandfather) to which I was directed circa 1936. A water wheel powered mill from which I brought back a piece of limestone now on my Denver garage. I had planned to build it into a fireplace if we ever built another house.
Stephen's mill endeavor only lasted a short 2 years. On account of heavy rains and high waters, he had a lot of trouble with the dam. The mill was sold December 12, 1867 for $18,000. Stephen used this money to buy a large farm in central Iowa.