Transcribers log #012 ISAAC E. PIDGEON of Fredrick county, Virginia

Welcome to... My Darling Emma 1857

If you are NEW HERE be sure to read the beginning of the journey I am on transcribing my family's 19th century letter collection!

The Pidgeon surname in my letter collection are from Emma’s maternal side of the family tree. Emma’s mother, Susan Garretson Pidgeon was the daughter of Issac E. Pidgeon, a farmer (1791-1879) and Mary Saunders (1790-1872) who resided in Fredrick County, Virginia.

Emma's grandpa Issac was born in York, Pennsylvania to a well known Quaker family who would eventually relocate to Virginia. At some point, it seems grandpa Issac's parents left the church as I did not continue to see them mentioned in Meeting minutes AND grandpa Issac himself is buried in a Methodist cemetery...

    

I should add a note here that Emma herself IS buried in a Quaker cemetery - Hopewell Friends Burial Grounds in Clear Brook, Virginia to be exact, but she had married a prominent Quaker farmer...and THAT is a story for another time!

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Children of Isaac E. and Mary Pidgeon

(Emma's Grandparents)

• Susan Garretson (1815-1885) married Griffin Childs (Emma's parents)
• John Pidgeon (1818–1880) married Saphire Smead Howland
• Martha Ann Pidgeon (1820-1821) age 1 
• Rachael Ann Pidgeon (1821–1889) married George Washington Chapman
• Charles William Pidgeon (1822–1878) married Mary Washington Hayslett
• Mary Elizabeth Pidgeon (1826–1833) age 7
• Isaac Pidgeon (1828–1890) married Mary Elizabeth "Eva" Davis

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My family letter collection includes a handful of Pidgeon family members that wrote to Emma or to her mother Susan - some of which were written BEFORE Emma was even born!

The oldest “document” I have in my entire collection comes from the Pidgeon side. It has the name John Pidgeon on it, this is Isaac's father, Emma’s great grandfather! The small bit of paper is a receipt of sorts from 1793!! Emma’s father Issac was only a tot when this written! I have to wonder what was the importance of saving this 3x3 two hundred year old piece of paper in among all the letters. Was it JUST scrap paper used as a bookmark? Was it to show me (all these years later) that I come from John Pidgeon? OR could I possibly be THAT lucky and the note author (John Talbott) is historically famous & I need to take this to the Antique Roadshow stat?? 

Here is the note if you'd like to transcribe it yourself before scrolling to the transcription of it below:

Here is what the 233 year old note says:

Received 23 of 11th Mo 1793

of John Pidgeon the sum

thirty four pounds eleven 

shillings & eight pence alow-

ing ten shilling four pence 

for three months interests it

being for term

John Talbott

🌈 The federal government introduced a decimal system in 1792 and began issuing U.S. cents in 1793, the older British-based system of pounds, shillings, and pence remained in use in Virginia for everyday transactions for quite some time.

Based on conversion and inflation calculators I found online, I think the the pence and shillings may convert to about $46.50 in 1793 and now roughly equivalents in purchasing power to $1,527.50 today (2026).

This was a lot of money$ … I still can't help but to wonder what the note was for!? Farm animals, a buggy purchase, some sort of land deal maybe... There's gotta be a reason why this note was kept all these years! I guess it will have to remain *just* another mystery of this letter collection...

Till the next one folks!

Sincerely,

CT

Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1780-1811; Collection: Baltimore Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: RG2/B/M461 1.1

U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23222516 (photo)