Montgomery Orange Co. New York

Wednesday Feb 7^th 1866.

 

Dear Cousin Robert—

                                    The dinner question being settled for to day (for I find that it is the custom here to have dinner's here, when you can get them, as well as in Sullivan or Orange Westchester Co's) I will try to write you a letter in answer to yours of Jan 24^th which which I read last eve. I can assure you that I was truly glad to receive and most truly glad to know that you were on your way home "from the wars again" And whether you next turn up at Evansville or Durant, I should like to be in either place to help wellcome you home!! but never mind me. You will have plenty of other friends to "Welcome You Home"!! And particularly at your Fathers I should think that they would be glad to see you home again after you have been away so long as glad as you, I should think would be to be "Home again" but as you are going to spend a time in visiting why cannot you come "out East" and make us a good long visit too—we would all be so glad to have you come and as you are fond of working on railroad's who knows but what you might find enough of that to do here at Montgomery, for we are going to have the "Montgomery & Goshen rail road" "built within six months" (it is to be commenced the first of March, if the weather is favorable) tell your Father the depot will be some where near the old "Wait house" 'tis on the turnpike this side of the villiage, then they say they are going to build a railroad from the city of New Burgh to the Villiage of Middletown this coming summer. they surveyed a tract through last week which runs only one small field from this place and then it runs on to the villiage. And from Middletown it goes on to Penn. to get to the coal mines. it comes from some place in Mass., is finished to within twenty miles of Fishkill, then according to the papers they are going to build railroads all through Sullivan Co. 

 

We are as well as usual only colds we have (Father, Mother & I) all had them. Mother has had a pretty bad one for some weeks, but is some better now. Ann E was home last Saturday week. She is teaching at Pine Bush, has a very large school she answered your last letter from you to me, for me. Bell (Mrs Charles D Sutton) was well the last we heard they were keeping house at Tarry Town.

 

The last we heard from Nancy (which is some time ago, as they live so far back from the Post Office that it takes longer to get a letter from her than it does from New Orleans) they were well and GrandMother was better. She had been very sick, dangerously so. I am so sorry that we could not pursuade her to stay here this winter, for I am afraid that she will not be well enough to come back here in the spring, but she took a notion to go back and we could not pursuade her to stay.

 

            I have been expecting to see Katie Marsh and Ann E Wood these two weeks past. they were coming to Orange but I have not heard from them since. You had better happen to be here when they come perhaps Katie will let you overhaul her pocket. And I think that she will chance to have it pretty well filled. they are visiting at Lib Marsh's (Mrs T. L Case's). Case has been speculating high during the war and oil fever—with some success—so they are living quite stylish just now have a cottage house at 102 East 49 Street for which they pay $1000 a year for Lib is not like Katie, one of the saveing kind, and Mr Case is just like her, live while they do live.

 

            I have not heard much from our old neighborhood of Bethel lately. Mr. W. A. Brown & Frances were here the first of Nov on their way home from New Burgh and staid from Friday night 'till Monday morning with us. Frank had been down after her wedding fixins and I supose that she is married before this (to a Gent in the city by the name of Anderson) as that was her intention then. Ella Halsey came down here in Nov. and staid two weeks. She said tell you when I wrote you that she was not married / yet but was waiting for you to bring that man to her that you promised too. Minerva Isiaah Breakey's daughter teaches school down here at Coldenham so we see her sometimes then we talk Bethel talks. Mr Vanderbilt has had an auction and sold out every thing I have not heard yet whether the farm is sold or not. Alex Stuart has bought out W^m Waddell, the place that used to be Matt Brown's. the Capt Mitchell Place was for sale, all the Mitchells having left it. Frank Mitchel has sold or traded out his place and moved on to the Nelson Pott's place. Billey Brown has set up a shoe store in New Burgh—two of W^m A Brown's boys (Alex & Lee) are in the oil regions and Will Brown, another son is in Ills.

 

            Our friends here are well as far as I know. there has been a great many death's in and around the villiage this winter if you should chance to see cousin Nancy Barclay (she went out to Marcus's to spend the winter and intended to make a visit at your Fathers if she had a chance) that I have not been up to Collaburgh since she left neither have any of them been here (but I think that I will go soon) I saw Hellen last week in town She said that they were all well. She is going to school here in town at the Academy.

 

            I was up to Milton Blake's last week, they were as well as usual but Milton does not enjoy good health and looks old.

 

            You must not expect me to write a long warm letter in such cold weather. we have had pretty cold weather lately, this morning it was 5 below zero at sunrise and it has not been much different from that every morning for a week, but the 8^th of January it was down to 24 below zero at sunrise. And up in town on the south bank of the Wallkill river at 4 oclock it was 32 below zero. there is no sleighing now, and has been but little all winter, 'though the ground is covered with snow and ice. farm produce of all kinds is coming down, hay is only 8 & 10 dollars per ton, cows from 120 to 60 dollars, while butter is only thirty cts per pound, oats is 50 cts pr bushel / I dont know what rye and corn is now. Apples, there is none in the county

 

            I read a letter from John Hart some two months ago in which he sent his love to you and Debby & wished to know where you was. John has got an excelent situation and is getting a long first rate is in a wholesale wool store. I cant just think of his address, but if you would wish to write him you can do so by addressing John L. Hart Care of Miss Mary Clinton 45 Otter Street Philadelphia

 

            You speak of a Freedmans Bureau. I dont know how many darkee's it takes to make one, but I supose that it takes a man and his wife & children to make one, as you surely would not be so cruel as to take one poor darkee there all alone. And if he is so smart never let him get out to Montgomery, for there is the lazyest set of niggars around here they wont work nor do any thing else only steal. but it is time for me to stop for this time, so good bye, write soon Give my love to all friends of mine that you may see, and write all the particulars of all the folks both at Evansville & Durant for it is a long long time since we have heard from either place.

 

Dear Uncle—I think I will address this letter to you, and then you will please send it to or hand it to Robert (after you have read it for if he stoped at Evansville the letter may reach you before he does. We have not had any letter's from you or any of the family since August & Isabella & A.E. both wrote you in answer to that so there was no new's left for me to write (or Bell wrote Parna and Ann E to you). Please tell Debby that she is debt to me for a long letter or at least I sent her a long one a year ago from New York which I have never had any answer for yet. But that this letter is for you all to read, what you can of it. I have writen every thing that I can think of to Rob, and I have not time to write any more just now as Father wants his supper so as to go to the Post Office.

 

            Father & Mother join me in love to you to Aunt & Parna Debby & Lee (tell all to write) And to Mrs Brown and other friends (Parna have you ever been to visit her that used to be Mary Brown).

 

Yours Affectionately

Katie Crist

 

PS. John Graham has gone on south to bring on the remains of Henry Graham that died some where near Charleston

SOURCES