I have been pondering this prompt for the better part of a week. How does one determine prosperity? If I wanted to be boring, I could give you the dictionary definition: a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune. But what does that actually mean? Flourishing or thriving for someone who has lived his/her life in poverty is probably easily defined - food on the table, clothes to wear, and a roof overhead. However, this certainly wouldn't be prosperity for someone used to caviar and champagne. I guess if I had to offer my own definition for prosperity, it would be just one word - comfort.
Is your home large enough to house all occupants? Do you never worry where you're going to get your next meal? Are your children appropriately attired for all seasons? When an appliance breaks, is it merely an unfortunate inconvenience and not a major financial crisis? At the end of a hard day's work, can you forget your worries for a few hours, and spend some well-earned time with your healthy family? Essentially, are you comfortable? If you can answer yes to these, I think it's safe to say you're prosperous. That's my definition, at any rate, and I feel like Thomas (1783-1870) and Elizabeth (1788-1881) Pearson and family are prime examples.
Thomas and Elizabeth Pearson's family were mostly Virginian farmers, and thanks to some well-preserved letters, we see how they determined prosperity in the early 19th century. In one of the earliest preserved letters (1835) from Thomas and Elizabeth to daughter, Nancy Ballard, the parents suggest, "Come to the country and winter with us if you can. The cholera has never been nearer than Lynchburg for certain." It seems the parents are comfortably situated and would like nothing better than to have Nancy's family visit for the winter. Also, they make sure to tell Nancy that the cholera has not reached their area. Later, in an 1849 letter, Thomas and Elizabeth open another letter to Nancy by saying, "I write you a few lines we are all well at present hoping that you and your family are enjoying the same blessing." Being "well" or healthy was indicative of prosperity. Those without regular food or shelter were rarely in good health. Almost all letters between the Pearson family members open with some variation of the assertion of good health and a hope of similar blessings on the receiving end.
Another 1849 letter from Peyton Pearson (Thomas and Elizabeth's son) to sister Nancy asserts, "I have 20 hogs in the pen...30 outhogs and 25 head of sheep...and 900 acres of land that I have a good right to and I don't owe a cent for it...my children, Thomas Peter was about 18 years old the 5th of this month...Martha Elizabeth was 16 years old 2nd of September last, and Katherine Mary is 11 years old last May." Prosperous, indeed! It sounds like Peyton has a fine collection of livestock and plenty of property to house them. This means more than enough food for his family, and he'll receive money from the stock he can sell. Moreover, he doesn't owe anything on his land, and most importantly, he has healthy children who stand to inherit his property and wealth.
Nancy and Aaron Ballard receive similar news from Nancy's youngest brother, Benjamin, in 1853. He has just moved to Nicholas, Virginia, and he writes, "I have purchased 300 acres of land...with about 40 acres of improvements with a good comfortable dwelling." Benjamin is prosperous enough to purchase significant acreage and a 'comfortable dwelling.' It would seem he and I have similar ideas about what prosperity means.
Finally, if you've read our previous post on Benjamin and Joseph Pearson, you know that Joseph moved to Illinois before the Civil War to seek out his own version of prosperity - presumably in a place less tenuously situated than his home state of Virginia. When he found it in the comparative safety of southern Illinois, he encouraged Benjamin to join him. Not only that, but in an 1870 letter to Nancy, he suggests his niece send a likeness of herself because he has "a charming beau picked out for her. His name is Henry Coble...very good looking amiable and of the best young fellows in the world...he has bought [a] 40 acre track joining mine." Joseph tries his hardest to spread his prosperity to his nearest and dearest.
So, there you have it. The Pearsons enjoyed comparatively good health, were financially sound (though by no means rich), and were able to enjoy the company of their families. By my definition, they were awash in prosperity!
All quoted letters from:
Cash, James B. Letters to Raintree County, Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, 2010.
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