Montgomery Orange Co Nov 20^th/64.

 

Dear Brother,

                                    Yours of Oct 23^d came safely to hand I was truly glad to get it & to hear that you were all well and getting on so nicely, And also was glad to see your shadows if nothing more, think that you like my self are looking some older since we last met. When I get our Carte-de-visite's taken you shall have both mine and Mother's Mother has never had her's taken at all, and for the past year I have not felt like taken the money to get them. for mine you can look at your own only imagine a little more hair on the top of your head. as Katie wrote you all the news before there is not much more to write this time.

 

I bought some wood at Addison Crawford's the price of which was a dollar a load but as I had to cut it up and bring it out of the woods I did not pay quite as much and I bought me a half acre of wood up at Alanson Bookstavers as it is so far to go for it, and I only have one horse (which I find quite enough to by feed for to haul it with it keeps me quite busy to get wood enough to keep us warm & between times I have been diging up some stones & rocks to build me a piece of fence. Every thing keep's up high yet (now that we have every thing to buy—Butter is 60 cts a pound Pork from 17 to 19 dollars per hundred Beef 9- to 11- Rye / & corn is $1.60 to $1.90 per bushel, potatoes 75^cts $1.00 hay bale'd is from $1 to 1.40 per hundred straw bale'd $6 per ton $1.10 per hun^d. the expence of baleing it and carrying it to market is $8. per ton. Most of the farmers would rather go to that expence than sell it to their neighbors Coal in NBurgh is $10.75 per ton. we have had two snow storms and one rain storm the past week the snow is gone but the mud is not. there is a great deal of corn to husk yet & some potatoes to dig yet.

 

I put up the old gun up in as good as new, except the locks three years a ago. I have not seen it since. I was told then, that it would cost five dollars to get new locks what they would cost now I no not. Short new guns of that quality now are selling now $150 As you have always wanted it and the money would come very good to get me a cow (as we have not got any at present) You can have it for $35. the one lock will shoot yet. it is only the tumbler & dogs that are out of order, they might be repaired

 

            it cost me five dollars to get your share of Fathers money sent you, if you could spare me that money now it would come very good, and I am paying more than double for what I have to buy, more than what I sold to get my money, what little I have got but I can assure you that I am very short at present.

 

            a year ago I was in hopes to have seen you all before this time, but the prospect is now that I shall / never see you unless you come to me.

 

            I now expect to have to work diligently on for a living as long as I am able. this place will require all I can do if I have good health. And should I ever get ahead enough to have the means to go, there would still be some stock to be taken care of & no one to take care of it. I can journey for a day or two very well yet, but such a long journey would be very fatiguing if I started I would want to go and see all—that would take a month or two so that I have given up ever seeing any of you unless you come to see me, which I hope you all will.

 

            And now dear Brother I must bid you good bye for the present with kindest wishes to you all & other friends—write to Your Brother

J. B. Crist

 

Dear Uncle,

                        I have not long to write you this time, for I want to write GrandMother & Barbary & Thomas yet this eve, and now tis 9 o'clock. I expect to start to the city in the morning to stay at least 'till after new Years. I must do something to get me some new shoes &c. My address while there will be 710 Washington Street Care of Mrs Van Orden. thank you and Aunt Nancy & Lee "so much" for your pictures. I was so glad to see them wish that had Mothers and Fathers to send you, but Mother has never had hers taken, so you must wait awhile 

 

You must not blame us too much for not writing you about our troubles—viz. Burrs death, the law suit and our leaving Kensico for Bell wrote you a long letter telling you all about it, just a few days before we left, when we was packing up, which you could never have got and the reason why I did not write in the summer I could not tell you one week where you we would be the next and we told Bell to tell you to direct to her care then at Kensico—as the story is a long one (and not a pleasant one) I cannot write it to you again to night.    I had a letter from Robert Oct 16 in which he said that he had been sick two weeks but was better, one from Debby about the same date, in which she sent me an excellent Carte de Visite of herself. she looks as though she had had a severe fit of sickness, allthough she does not say it, but she seem'd to feel down hearted about some thing. we had a letter from W^m Carpenter last night dated Nov 7 he was sick with a cold his address is W^m R. Carpenter, Co. H. 56 Reg^mt NYSV Morris Island S.C. tis now three weeks since we have had a letter from Nancy She had a cold when she wrote. Martha Ann had just got home a week before from India, a widow with a baby five weeks old came home very sick & was very sick after she got home. She left India the 18 of May landed in boston three weeks before she came home, no female on board the ship but her self.

 

Nancy wrote that Nelson Potts oldest daughter 19 years wife of George Dubois, Frank Mattison & John Decoy were dead. that is all we have heard from Bethel lately—only that Aunt Mary & Uncle S had been over to stay all night with Nancy. Grandmother was well only a sore eye—and Mr Mitchell was getting so that he could talk and was quite sencible. W^m A. Brow was to come down with his butter last week but if he did come he did not call here as we expected him to do. Parna how did Mary Brown come to mary a man away out there. her folks want to know (some of them) where they got acquainted, do you ever go to see her. she has allways had the name of being a nice woman but had a hard time to get along—Bell and Ann E were both well the last we heard from them, also Thomas was well a month ago. Mother joins me in love to you all and says that you must write soon.

 

Yours truly      Katie

 

excuse my mistakes & hurry. /                                                                       *

 

*was out to Cochecton one day, none of the Angels were home, so went to George Armstrongs to see his mother had a very pleasant visit with them & Mrs Abigal Cokins (Agusta Haddam—did not get to Pike Pond—I did not see much difference in the look's of the place only that the black-berrys growed thicker sweeter & better than ever. Oh! so good the hills were steeper the roads rougher more old dead trees in the woods & such lots of nice wood & chip's—wasteing

 

            we have all our wood to buy & every thing else. we have no cow now cant have one till spring as Father says that it will cost him enough to buy feed for our one horse & 8 chickens & ourselves. good hickory wood is $5 a cord coal $11 per ton. Rye & corn $2 per bushel wheat $3 butter 60 cts per pound. Hay is over $20 per ton here now & rye straw most as much sugar common brown 35 cts per pound & callico 50 cts per yd. but they are both down again a few cts. last week— 

 

I have writen my paper most all up and it is most bed time—and I think that you will all be tired by this time of my pencil scetch or scratch, but please remember that I would be very glad to get a letter soon from each of you. have not had a letter at all for the past three months now from any of our western friends since last April. good wishes to Master Cousin Lee, tell him to send me his likeness or Carte de visite and all the rest please do too. remembrance to Mrs Brown & family & other friends (wish I could go and see you all this winter but cant find the Green Backs.

 

Father & Mother send love

 

Yours as Ever,

Katie Crist

 

Three cheers for "Little Mac" Lee—

 

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