March the 16—/66

Putnam Co  MO

 

M^r G Hubbard

                        Dear uncle and famley according to promise I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you no where I am and what I am doing I am now in Mo Putnam Co. I arived here safe and sound one week a go I arived at Burlington Iowa on the 1^st of the month and crossed the mississippi Rivver on the ice all onley a bout 20 feet at each edge of the rivver which I walked a plank I had a fine trip here and on my arival I found the folks well and harty Now I recon you would like to no how I like this country Well I will tell you this is a good country of land the country is broken but very rich timber plenty and evry thing common people here are not near so proud as they are back there evry boddy is a like here one dont dress finer than a nother and evry boddies houses are a bout alike but this part of the wourld is improveing I will tell you how M^r Woods of this place says they lived a few years back he says they had beds made of Buffelow skins and dear skins, throwed in / one corner of the house and by sleeping on them a short time they become so greesey that they could not keep the children on them they would slide off and it would fret the mother and she would say I will make you stick so she would gather up the little fellow and roal him in the ashes and throw him back on the skins and the little fellow would sleep very sweet          well     a nough of this

 

but this part of the wourld is better now but room for it to improve yet they is schools here and churches and all such things but the buffalow has plaid out and the most of the dear but plenty of dear turkey I am now at Charley martins and Charley is reading his bible while I write he is very religious talks in publick some well a nough of this for you no you cant hurt a christian I have not bought land there yet but a man can do a great deal better a buying land here than there land is wourth from $2.50 to $12 pur acre I am offerd a fine bottom farm for $7 pur acre Just as good land as there is on the crick there now I do not no wheather I will buy yet or not but I think I will spend the summer here but I am going home first I will start home in a few days wheather I will come past there or not I can not tell but if I do you will / see me now a pore man can do a great deal better here than there for he can get the best of ground to tend and he can have all the range for his stock that he wants and can cut just as mutch hay as he is a mind to a plenty to winter all the stock he will have if he is not to lazy and he will have plenty any way for if he is to lazy to cut the hay he will be to lazy to have the stock well a nough of this now I will tell you what stock is wourth and allso grain horses is wourth from $80 to $150 pur head cows from $20 to $35 pur head sheep $3.00 to 3.50 pur head Hogs 6 cts pur lbs laber is wourth $1.00 pur day Corn is wourth 25 cts pur bushel oats is wourth a bout the same and I do not no what wheat is wourt but it is a scearce article here flour is wourth $5.50^cts pur hundard weight best quality now I have give you all the prices I believe I will leave you to judge for your self now I must close my badley written letter I dont know wheather you can read what I have wrote or not but I guess you can you are a better schollar than I am and if you cant call on Scottie now when this reaches you I hope it will find you all well

 

                                                turn over                                 and I will tell you good by /

 

One word to Talor Now talor I hope your temperence will do you good I hope it will make you tell the trouth whilste you live and do you good after you are dead and gone fare well tailor now Scottie lovest thou me and Emley you can say in the language of the poet unto George this is the way I long have sought & Sarah you must not slight the old doctor now and I will say to you be patien a few more days or years at most Now uncle stand furm in the sight of the lord and lay a side your universal doctrin tell Sol I will write to him in a few days and dont get discuraged allso James M^cMullen duck be patient Juley you no you cant hurt a christian

Tell W^m Baker and Mary C baker his wife that I will write to them shortley and tell them to press on and try to gain the prise for this wourld is [line faded] the best that can be made of it

 

Now this leaves me well and I hope when these few lines reach you they may find you and famley well and all the friends fare well

I reman your Nepew as Ever this from

                                                S P Martin

                                    to George Hubbard

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