Ridles Point Missouri April 6^th 1862

            Samuel Keller Jun

                                                My little son I hope you are well and are a good Boy and obey your mother and when I returne home I will give you a present how woulde you like to have a little negro Boy there is plenty of them here and as black as a pot tell your mother what you wish I should fetch you and I will try and do so but you must be a good Boy. it woulde please me very mutch to see you but I must stay here a while longer to helpe kill those bad men down here who if they wer not chased off would come up to Bluffton and burne our house and stable and drive you all off in the woods to live. I have seen plenty of the scoundrels and have helped make some of them run like dogs I wish you was olde enough to come here and stay with me and carry a gun so as to helpe shoot some of them but I hope Sam I can shortly returne home and then I will buy two nice horses and then you can ride with me in as you used to do in our Wagon

Good by be a good Boy yours

                                                                                                Samuel J Keller

 

Ridles Point Missouri April 6^th 1862

            William H Keller

                                                My dear son you must be a good Boy and mind your Mother do not run up in Town without the consent of your Mother do not play with bad boys go to sunday school evry sunday you can. do not quarl with other Boys more especialy your little Brother and sisters cleane up the chips and dirt off the doore yarde cary wood in the house to burne and do all you can to helpe your Mother and when I come home I will bringe you a nice present I think it will not be longe untill I can come home how glad I will be to see my little boys and stay at home with them and also to heare there mother say they have been good Boys and have been learning very fast at school I wish you coulde write me a letter I hope you are learning to write and reade very well no more at present but I hope you will obey what I have been writing to you

            your most affetionate Father              Samuel J Keller

 

Ridles Point Missouri April 7^th 1862

            My dear little Ella I hope you are well and I do not doupt but what you are a good girl and that you love your father and Mother and your little brothers and sister your Mother says you often talke about me I hope I can shortly return home and stay with you when I come I will fetch you a nice dress and a prety doll baby how glad I will be to see my little Ella and have her to walke around with me and talke to me as she used to do I often think of my little girls prety little black eyes Caty how pleased I woulde be to see you I will also fetch you a nice dress and doll baby I know you are a good little girl I at this instant imagin I can see you and Ella runing around over the house I must close this is to my deare little girls Ella and Caty

                                                                                                Samuel J Keller

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