Nelly Crain
July 10, 1864 |
 |
I have been wanting to write to you for a long time but I have been aflicte with a fellen on the middle finger of my right hand for the last thre weeks so that could not write it was so bad that I could not do my work for two weeks but it is better now and the rest are all reasonably well for which I feel truly thankful and hope you are enjoying the same blessing. I am at home alone to day. Teddy has gone to hamilton to sonday school. I should like to go with him but it is so far that I cant go afoot and old gray is lame and teds horse is not saf for us to drive and lute is obliged to work in the harvest field in consequens of hands being so scarce we have got our cut but the neighbors all have to change work an the wheat is suffering to be cut they are offering thre and four dollars a day for cradlers and women a 1.00 a day for raking, but I cant work out door for no price for I cant stand it
I have not been to meeting but once this summer bu I should like to go every sonday if I could but their is none nearer than hamilton it hant been so that lute could go with me but I have attend a good many funerals. I attended one last week of a little child tha was burned to death there has ben to deaths by suicide in this vicinity of late the well known Ricard Colton of hamilton was found in the upper part of the mill Dead he was sitting with one foot under him and rope around his neck fastened to a brace abobe the mill doors were all locked he was known to have not been very well the day before and thought probable he might have been deranged and tok his own life they telegraphed for his brother but they did not guet here in there of four days they kept him to days an was obliged to bury him without their seeing him he was carying on a god business in the mill and will be lamented by all of his Customers which are very numerous it was soupposed that he had a considerable money by him and as they cant find only a bout two hundred dollars there is strong suspicions that he was murdered but as he had no friends or relatives liveing here that know anything about his business it will probably never be known but I dont believe he tok his own life John Priests wife hung herself week before last in the day time the rope was fastened to the joice behind the door Johnd had gone to hamilton she was his second wife he had to children the oldest about six yeats old she sent them out to play and when they came in they found her hanging and tried to guet her down but could not they then went and raised the neighbors, it is supposed that he abused her
I want you to write and let me know how you are guettin along and whether you are farming much and how crops loks they are rathe thin here in consequence of the dry weather we did not have any rain from the last of may till the first last of june the oats crop is ruined and corn is rather short but it begins to come to some everything is very high an goods are 10cts on a yard every where calico is 40cts a yrd fatory 60 tea 2.00 coffe 0.55 butter 2.5 eggs .20 ham 200 potato 1.00 wheat 2.00 wool 1.00 per pound but we sold ours for 75cts and every thin accordingly Mother Crain is as well as could be expected She fails every year Drusilla is liveing at home this summer she lost her babe when it was three weeks old the boys aint any of them married yet I havenot seen any of our folks for two or three weeks I suppose we shall have some more relation before long I haint been down to Jates this summer and they haint been up here every has so much to do that they cant guet time to visit their friends I haint heard from Lizzy in a long time I want to go down there this fall but times are so har I am afraid I cant
I cant think of any thing more give my love to the children and don fail to write soon
Nelly Crain to
Celina Roe
[envelope]
Hamilton
Mrs Celina Roe
Newmassilon
Wayne Co
Illinois
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