Louisville Ky Jan the 15 1878

 

Mrs Mary Young        Osgood

i received your last letter in due time and was glad to here that you were all well Mrs Young i have been sick for 4 days or i would have wrote sooner and let you no what to do with Mag you no that i dont intend to ever take her and there is 200 Dollars comeing yet to keep her and who ever keeps her will be entitled to a dollar a well they can take a lein on the next payment in May 1879 if you want to keep her on them conditions you can have her and if you / dont and Abe Ellis Mother law dont want to keep her then you can give her to Dave Whitam his wife wanted her very bad before we left and if you dont want to keep her give her to him as for me to keep her that is out of the question i will have nothing to do with her if you cant find nobody to take her you will have to put her on the countey

 

Mrs Young i love her Mother better than any woman i ever seen but i can not take her child be fore i would do that i would part / with her i dont intend to disgrace my self yet a while you no a fellow takes right smart on himself when he takes a girl that had a bastard child if any one takes her let it Father take it it is none of mine i think you could raise it i no that a dollar a week would not keep you in the house and you have plenty to keep you and her till may 1879 when the first payment would be due if that lady wants her you can let her have her but you must not think that i am going to take her if no one will have her give / to Dave Whitam i no he wants her i would like very much to do as i thought i could but i have done no work since i came here and there was a man wanted me to go down south with him and take Cornelia with me she says she will go any place i ask her to go he is going to start tomorrow and i have made up my mind to go with him there we will start tomorrow morning it is 250 miles from here i cant tell where you will write till i get there but you can send it to Louisville and i will have it forwarded to where i am no more this time if you want to you can write right away and / tell us what you will do but you you do not expect us to take her let ripley County keep her first if no one will have her we are sorry that we did not hav her atdoped when we were there but we would sooner pay some one to / keep her till 1880 when the last payment will be due so mrs young you understand the way we want you to do if you aint satisfied cornelia is well and in good spirits not no more this time from John and Cornelia McRone

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