Austinburg August 28 1864

 

Dear Friend

                        I received your letter and was very glad to hear from you we are all well as usual and hope this may find you the same it is not very healthy here now Willie Stahl is dead he died with the dysentary they all feel very badly about it Henry Stahl has the irresipelas very badly his face is so bad that he can not see out of his eyes. Mrs Henry Bissell is very sick. she has the irresipelas and it has affected her brain head. Lelie is sick too he has got the dysentary I suppose he is very sick. there is a great deal of the dysentary around I have commensed going to the Institute and I like it very much you wanted to know if there was any marriages in town I dont know of any it is pretty quiet times in Austinburg they are trying to get up those men / credited that went from here before and then to hire substitutes for the rest of the men that would have to be drafted and so get rid of the draft. I hope that they will do so for there are not a great many men left and they are needed at home. David Alvord and old Mr Sawyer have gone to Chatanooga as wagon makers. Eddie says tell Dwight that Father has gone away threshing and he is dreadfully lonesome and the baby has got so that he can stand up by the side of a chair all alone he also sends his love and hopes that you are coming home before long. I do not know why it should take our letters so long to go through when we first began to write they went through in a little while. Mr MacMillan started this morning for Columbus. he has been at home about six weeks.

 

            I have sent you a piece of ribbon to put on your pin cushion that I guess will do if it is not the best / color. I wish I had it here a few minutes I would sew it on for you but I suppose that you have got used to doing such little chores for your self I suppose Mr Arnorld will be very glad to get home again and his folks will be very glad to see him again. Mother tell me he is at home and is sick I dont know what is the matter with him perhaps he is tired out with his journey.

 

            perhaps it would interest you to know some thing about our school they have a very large one there were about one hundred and twenty scholars the first day and there have quite a number come in since. Mr and Mrs Pinney and Miss Burton are the teachers. I like them very much. I study arithmetic grammar reading and spelling.

 

            I guess they will have a very good school it bids fair to be so now the scholars all seem to like it very much indeed I / wish you was here to attend with the rest of them. I hope that you will be at home as you said in one year from now. in the meantime be a good boy and take care of your self. and so I will close number first by signing my self your friend

                                                                                                            Emmie

 

P.S Henry Stahls tells me that you are home sick. now Dwight you must keep up good courage and try and not be home sick for it is such a dreadful feeling it is worse than the ague I experienced a little of it last week and I dont know what I should do if I was as far from home as you are

                                                                                                            E.E.L

SOURCES