City of Barnesville

 Jan 13^th/63

 

            Dear Sister                                                                                         

                                    this afternoon finds me seated for the purpose of answering your kind and welcome letter which I received a short time ago your letters are allways perused with pleasure Jule I began to think you was not going to write any more but I had made up my mind not to write again untill you wrote you had ought to be ashamed for not answering my letter no sooner than you did well Jule this afternoon find us in the enjoyment of good health and hope should this letter reaches you it will find you one and all enjoying the same great blessing well the first thing i do I must tell you the joyful news. Father and I got a letter from Tommy last saturday morning / Oh Julia you had better think we was all glad Mother liked to have went off She was so glad Oh Jule it seems more like a dream than a reality it was so long since we heard from him we had given him up for dead the letters were written New years day he was well and has been all along but neglected to write Oh Dear I was so glad I sat right down and wrote to him I told him to write to you for you were so uneasy about him if he does not write right away I dont intend to care any more about him if you want to write to him direct your letter to Camp near Fredriksburg Va. and you know the rest of the derections. it has been near three weeks since I had a letter from Rufus but I am looking for one every mail and if I dont get one soon i am going to write to him again. we sent him a box of provision but have not heard from him since this is such a nice day it is so / pleasant but it is a little muddy Barnesville such a muddy place any how I wish we would have a good sleiging snow but they are out of date all togeather. Chrismas passed of very quietly I went to a party on Chrismas night and and I was invited to a party Newyears night and I was invited out to spend the evening also but I had such a cold I did not go. But I went to Bellair the next day Oh I had such a nice time I tell you well we are holding a protracted meeting at our Church there has been about twenty converted one of them was a great friend of Rufs he was bad too he got religion Oh Jule he did look so happy he is so pretty I wish Rufus had been here i think he would have went too. it is so nice to see those boys so happy but when they get out into the world the influence of their wicked associates is so great I feare they will go back to the world again. but there is a comfort in religion that the / world cannot give and among the rest Mother has joined them too that is such a good thing.

 

Will was here yesterday morning he was asking after you he send his love to you Oh Jule you ought to see my Chrismas present it was a very nice photograft album and you are going to send me a present and I tell you what I want that is your photograft you can have four taken for a dollar pa does not know when he will be in the City of Baltimore again but I will send you a Chrismas gift Oh Jule I had the prettiest beau last night he came and took me to Church I am looking for him again tonight and he is the prettiest fellow in barnesville but he is not Will Lane but his name is Will pa says he supposes because his name is Will it is all right one of the name is as good as the same but that is not so but he will answer for a walking stick in Wills absence dont you think he will? well I have writen all I can think of at /

 

 

[top front margin]

 

the present now I want you to write just as soon as you get this and a good long one too now dont forget. So write soon sooner soonest I will close hoping to hear from you soon good bye

 

I remain your loving sister

                                    Matt

 

[top margin upside down]

 

P.S. the family join me in sending their best love to all your family but the largest share for yourself matt

SOURCES