Manchester York C^o P^a

                                                                                                            December 7^th 1862

 

                                                                                                Dear Cousins Uncle and Aunt

                                                                                                                        with pleasure I take my pen in hand to write a few lines to you to let you know that we are all well at present and all the rest of the friends as far as I know except Brother Davids little Anna which has got the Whooping Cough and I will let you know that we heard nothing from any of the friends since last Spring excpt Cousin Lizzie she wrote a letter the other week and she said that Cousin Rudy was taken prisoner and now I want you to let me know all about Cousin Elias and Rudy. and now I want to let youns know That old Uncle John Ensminger died on the 20^th of October Aged 80 years 2 months & 28 days and before he died he ate nothing / for 17 Days now I will state a little about the weather it is very cold and on friday night a snow fell about 4 inches deep and the first snow that we had this winter was on the 7^th of November it was about 7 inches deep and we had not much rain since harvest and it was so dry that we could hardly plow we got one sowing on 20^th of October and the seed is so poor that there is no green field in our neighbourhood

 

now I will state a little a bout Market Wheat is selling rapidly at $1.35 to .50 Rye .80 cts oats oats 45 to 50 Corn 60 Butter is seling from 20 to 30 cts eggs per dozen for 20 to 25 cents

 

now I must let you know something about the draft in York County there were Two Thousand men were drafted / in York County and in Manchester Township 97 men were drafted and Brother David was drafted but he was exempted on account of a complaint in his breast Now I will mention some more Acquaintances that were drafted Cousins Tobias Quickel & Michael Quickel & Samuel Quickel & Reuben Bear Daniel Bear Jacob Bear Benjamine Good Emanuel Good and a great many more and as soon as the draft was made a great many started for canada there are about Eleven Hundred in camp about 100 were exempted they expect to make an other draft before long to fill up the two thousand now I want youns to write about the draft in Indiana and all the news /

 

now I must bring my letter to a close for it is becoming late so no more at present but my best wishes to you all

 

now I want you and all the rest of the friends to write as soon as you get this

 

            From your Cousin

            M^r Henry H Quickel

                        To

            M^r Jacob Quickel

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