Nelly Crain May 8, 1864

	May the 8th	1864
	Otsego Ind

Dear sister

I received yours of apr 22 and was glad to hear from you and tha you are all alive and well we are all alive and well at this present time which is truly a great blessing and for which I feel very thankful you say you feel as young as eve which I am very glad to hear but I cannot say so by myself I am growing old very fast my hair is guetting gray and I feel old I cant begin to do the work that I used to it is hard to work to do the work for my little family and I have no one to hep me but little ted he does a great many chores when he aint in school but he is with his father the most of the time he can harness the horses and hitch them up and drive them but we dont like to trust him to drive them alone he and I used to drive old cate we could make it go first rate but she has been guetting lame for fours years and she is so lame now that we dont like to ride after her we have not raised any colt since you went away only the one father gave ted he is three years old and works with cate lute keeps jim yet but he is to pretty work he keps him to look at and I expect something will happen to him for Lute never has any luck with horses we have a very cold backward spring there is no corn planted yet and no fruit trees in blossom the peach trees are all killed again we have been raising peach trees for 12 years and had peaches 2 years an now we will have to begin anew provision are very high as well as every thing else butter has has been selling for 22 and 30 cts per pound meat 15cts -12 eggs 12 potatoes - 75cts to 1,00 I think butter will be high all summer but I shant have but one new miks cow when it rains porridge my dish is alway rong side up when it was 6cts we had four cows we have twenty eight sheep but if I work up any wooll I shall have to hire it spun we paid a woman a dollar a week for spinning last year and she fetched one child with her and then she cheated in reeling I dont kno what they will charge this year we cant hire a girl of any kind short of $1,25 and some want 2,00 but if I felt as young as you do I could do my own work and ask no ods of them
I am very glad that you enjoy yourself so well in going to meeting and wish I could have the same privelige I think I could enjoy it very well but there is no meeting nearer than thre or four mile and you know I cant go only when the roads are good I would like to live in a christian neighborhood I think it would be an advantage to me but I dont know of one christian in this neighborhood I try to do as near right as I can but fear I am far from being a christian you must pray for me that I may learn the rigt way and walk there in for I have many doubts and fears
I would like to know if there is any sickness or deaths where you are you dont say any thing about it or is it as it is here so comon a thing it is not worth mentioning we attend a funeral nearly every week we attende the funeral of Laban Rickie last thursday he was buriet at Hamilton you cant think how the grave yard has filled up for the last year Elder Barker Preached that funeral sermon He goes about doing all the good he can administering comfort to the bereaved and afflicted he says he preaches two funeral sermons a week on an average and I hope the lord will bless and reward his labors I will mention a few of the deaths here near the first of march that are acquainted with not speaking of strangers Charles Perfect Luelen perfect Resey perfect and two of he children Henry Minor Old Mr and mrs Avory Ruth Anna McMellen a great many more that you dont know Alas! how uncertain lif And O how nesessary that we should live the lif of the riches so tha when we are called to leave this world that we can be able to say come welcome death thou end of fears I am prepared to go
I have not seen any of our foks since I got your letter bu I sent it down to them they are all wel Emma said she wanted me to write to her but I have not much rom in this I am glad she has not forgotten me I wish I could have her with me this summer I want her to write to me I should like to see her very much and all the rest of the Children ted would like to have them write to him

Nellie Crain

© elf junction, ink.