Terre Coupee Prairie, April 22^nd 1860

 

Dear Father, Mother, Mary, Eva, Carrie, Edward, Hattie, Ellen & David—

            There I believe I have got all of you who are at home. As I it is my task to write home tonight and as I could find no other paper in the house, I thought best to write to one and all together perhaps I can fill this sheet so will not cut it down, and I shall expect an answer from one and all. Now Eva and Carrie please remember.

 

I got Hattie's letter last Friday and was very glad to get it. Hattie you say you do not like those letters to the whole family at once. Well I guess after I go to Niles I will write a note to you. Father I have mislaid your letter but will try and find it in the morning and then will answer you [paper hole]. I remember you asked about the crops—if they were flourishing or looked as though they might be heavy? The crops round here or rather the wheat looks very promising judging from what people say about here. And George & Nates field look the best of any. Uncle Fred White has a very nice field of wheat but that of the boys looks better all the signs seem to tend towards an excellent crop at harvest. I think this is a very nice farm so "every body says" (to use the phrase), we shall have a great plenty of fruit according to all appearances, for the trees have budded full and they are grafted with all kinds of the best apples (the apple trees). I never saw apple trees look better. then we have six pair trees three of which are just as full of buds as they can hang most ready to blossom. there are also plenty of peach and cherry trees, looking very nicely. So much for our / fruit trees. To a lover of fruit and such a lover as I am this looks "very good" as Nate says. But this is not all in that line, besides this, I have got about two hundred strawberry plants set out and as I take good care of them they are looking well and very forward. Mr. White and Mr. Bryant gave them to me and I put them out last week. Mr Henry White was up last Sunday from La Porte and told me I might have as many more as I wanted and of a very nice kind. I guess I will go to speculating next summer on them the boys say I can have as much land as I want, two acres if I want—whew!—We have two large rows of currant bushes full of, or likely to be full of currants. And we have any quantity of raspberry bushes and quite a lot of first rate grape vines, we have just discovered, we have also plenty of rhubarb. So you see when things begin to get ripe we shall have abundance. I will try and think of you at home when I help eat the good things and take several extra bites for each, of any kind of fruit any of you will name. Father, gardening here is quite [paper hole] from gardening in Derry but quite as hard as there I find, the land is so rich the weeds grow in proportion. I made five beds last week and we sowed beets, onion, radishes, &c. &c. our beets and radishes are up we have also peas up about two inches. yesterday or Friday Sue and I planted sixty six (66) hills of lima beans and in a day or two we shall have potatoes up. It has been so very rainy for the past week or two things did not come on as fast. We have been have been having mud! mud! mud! thick as "hasty pudding" and sticky as molasses and black as the ace of spades. But George has gone up in the cabin chamber to bed & I must follow. Sue and Nate are here Nate is writing, Sue ditto. And Marion, that dear little sweet cherub is in her cradle asleep. I grow more in love with her every day. /

 

Monday Tuesday Eve. 8½ P.M.

I have not had one minuites time to write you since Sabbath Eve. Yesterday Mr. Bryant, Nate, Sue and I and Mr Bryants calf went to Niles. We got up at five oclock and Sarah Redding (Sues new girl) got breakfast fifteen minuites after, so we got started at seven after waiting for Mr Bryant most an hour. We went calf and all in great style I suppose, (according to Western fashion) Had a splendid ride in though it was rather cool I took a long look from a large hill overlooking Niles for Hattie's sake she told me I must. Sue and I went to Mrs. Cooks first (after she had done her shopping), think she is a first rate woman I like her. then to the Bond House and saw Sallie Hall Hattie's favorite. I think she would be a very interesting girl were it not for her face. Sue says she looks worse than ever. Of course she asked forty questions about Hattie &c. &c. I will write you some time Hattie. And Mary they all inquired for you. We then went to see the Cook girls & Mrs. Howard, we stopped at the latter place to dinner Mrs. Howard has sixteen canary birds [paper hole] is going to give us some, the mate to the one Mrs. H. gave Mary is a splendid singer. Mary Mrs. Howard said your bird was the one which had the most yellow on it and she said, "Hattie mustn't claim it".

 

Enjoyed myself very well all day saw Charlie Bryant he is attending at the Union school. I want to get well acquainted with him. Nate did not get through his business until about four oclock and as we had to go to Bertrand to get a hired girl we did not get home till past seven and I was most froze. By the way—Sue says "tell the girls that we went over the same road yesterday that they all went over in a sleigh winter before last, that "awful hilly road" "ask them if they remember it." It was a very pleasant ride upon the whole. the wheat looks fine now the season is weeks ahead of usual so people say. I wonder what you are all doing / at home now I reckon you are in bed & asleep most of you. Nate has been lying down all the eve fast asleep, Sue has just been waking him up & he is so sleepy he acts funny, he gets very tired now day times and he generally sleeps all the eve.

 

            I suppose David has to be "chore boy", does he like it. I expect he can not take care of Prince much does he? Well David "pitch in" "there is time enough to learn" The Academy must be most done, that is this term, will Ellen & David go next term? does David like Mr Boltwood as well as ever? Nell & David give my love to Miss Williams Mr B— & all the scholars. Ed said in his letter that you had taken the winkers off of Old Prince's blinders that's a first rate idea and should have been done before. Does he go much lame now? We have got a splendid team now of three first rate horses Nate traded off "Old Fly" for another grand horse and they say there is no danger of this mans "backing out". Then they bought a tip top horse jet black. we have a fine span their names are Prince and Louie. [paper hole] horse they bought Mr Bryants so he having three horses & we these, they [paper hole] going most all the time. The grounds around the house now look much better, for we have taken off 20 loads of old chips &c I hope we shall have no more fleas for they are the most hateful things. About four (4) oclock yesterday George & Nate got fathers telegram and it made them happy I assure you. It has been very cool here for several days we have had some of the heaviest thunder showers I ever saw.

 

            I have been to Eli's two or three times, we all went there once to tea.

 

I think this will do you this time. You must all write me as soon as possible. I prize letters more than ever now. Sue sends much love to all.                        Good Bye All

 

Please write     Soon to Your Affectionate                

Charlie

SOURCES