Lyons Feb 20^th 64

 

Dear Mother and Sister

well I rote to you four weeks ago a short letter and have got no answer and so will try it again we are all well at preasant except bad colds I right to you know for perhaps in a fiew days I cannot I will right as soon after I am sick (if I live) as I can Wm has gone to hall wood to lions to day the first days work he has done since the thaw there has been quite an excitement around here with the small pox the tavern where the most of the creek folks put up ther family had it and ther oldest girl died with it they denied it and caled it the chicken pox and measles Wm and Uncle Hulse / was there and eat dinner the day she died as good luck would have it they did not take it there has been several around that did take it there one young fellow in this neighborhood and one at brush hill died with it. Uncle Hulses boy that was in the army reinlisted and came home the 4^th of this month healthy and well to all appearance he was down here one day and we went up there the 11^th he was as full of fun as any of them Kate Wells Polk and hir man was there and George Wells. that was thursday and on saturday he was taken sick but they did not think him dangerous at all and tuesday at eleven oclock he died Margaret was in the room with him and he asked hir if the Dr had not come and she went to see and told him no and he said she might as well sweep the flore and told hir to put salt on / the carpet before she swep and she done it and commenst to sweep and all at once he raised up and hollered Oh dear and threw up his armes and she ran to him he was stiff she caled hir Father and he came right in and he was dead in five minutes Kates man says he has seen men in the army have there heads shot half of that would not dy as quick as he did he sat up a part of the time the day before and said half hour befor that he thought he should be around in a day or to they all take it verry hard Uncle was here to day and says he is glad he was at home but thinks he could not have felt worse if he had been away.

 

we got a letter from Wesley the 5^th of this month it was ritten just a month before he is well is at Brownsville Texas right oposite the sitty of Matemorres in Mexico he gives a hard account of the / country he says the weather is verry unpleasant here now one day it will be so hot that a man cannot wear a coat and then it will change and in one hour it will be so cold he cannot keep warm with all of his clothes on when they crosed the gulf the bote he was in was lost 36 hours away from all the rest of the fleet he said the water would break over the hurrycane deck but they got out all safe the bote Edmun Wells was in they had a worse time he has drove ambulance the most of the time since he went back and in crossing he lost his ambulance and team and there was some 6 men washed over board. Uncle Wesleys wife has gone down to see him she is with the regiment

Mary

 

Feb the 21irst

Dear parents for the first time I seat my self to right to you to let you know that we have a girl it happend this morning it is a ten pounder mary is not so smart as common but she is very smart we are all alone so I must close

 

excus this scribbling for this time

William P Weeks

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