Transcription
Addison
January 31st 1864
Dear Brother
Yours of the 28th December was received a few days ago and I acknowledge that we have been backward in corresponding , and regret to say that it is some negligence on my part but there is so much to divert my attention now, that I hope it is excusable if I think less of you soldiers as I should, the first year that you was in the army, I had nearly one day each week to write letters, and as I wished to be a
Inserted in page 1: The first week of this year has been the coldest we have had for a year I was lucky enough to be in the camp of the 105th in Nashville Tenn where it was not so cold . Had very pleasant weather about 2 weeks but today is cold, rainy and very unpleasant more when I get paper
Henry
Page 2: soldier myself, I thought more about them, but since I have a wife and child now, this is different as you will acknowledge It appears that you think it a trouble to me to read letters from you this is a mistake, for I can and with pleasure do read letters from you, while I hold my little Alvina, which generally is my lot when I am in the house, it is not an unpleasant task neither, for she is a very pleasant little thing, and sometimes is rather with me than her mother she is very healthy with cheeks as red as rose buds, although 11 mos old she cannot walk, but is growing very strong now and I hope will soon learn, next summer I think we wil(sic) have her likeness taken and if you do not come home we will send
Inserted in page 2: mother has been sick with the ear ache about a week, but is now well, so are all of us
Page 3: it. and allso[sic] mine and Louzen’s (?) to you
I will now let you know something about the weather, and products of farming the last year last winter was a very mild one with but very little snow so that we had no good sleighing at all and the roads were rather bad untill[sic] spring when we had but little rain and the ground was soon dry, and we should put in our seed in good season, which we did in a very short time, sowing over 200 bushels of grain in a little over 2 weeks in may and begining(sic) June it was so dry that we thought grain and grass could not grow, but in June and beginning July there came several showers, which brought out every thing admirably from that time untill[sic] late in fall, there was no rain of any account,
Inserted in page 3: Write soon, and I hope to have a letter from shirmer I wrote a letter to him about the middle of this month if he has received it I know he will soon answer
Page 4: so that our grain potatoes and corn could be brought in, in good condition, and the work done with a few hands, so that every thing would have been well had it not been for a severe frost, which came about the 1st of September, and corn so much, that the best was not over a half crop and hay did not yield well, on account of the drought so that feed is very scarce, and commanding a high price, corn $1.00 per bu hay $20.00? per ton, oats 60 to 70 per cen per bu , and for bean we paid $18 per ton but is now worth from $25 to $30, the quality of wheat is very good but did not yeald[sic] well only from7 to 10 bu per acre and is little over $1.00 per bu barley from 30 to 40 bu per acre price same as wheat oats gone from 20 to 50 bu per acres and potatoes about 100 price 70 to 80
Inserted in page 4: Dear brother I would write mor[sic] but have no writing paper in the house so you must excuse your brother HF
