Hartford  Apr 6th 1864
	Dear Brother
			Your letters to Elder Simons and
Mary are rec    The folks are all well as usual except
Father has a lame back and Old Cate has the lots etc
Mothers health is as good as usual now Anna has stoped
studying and is helping Mother  Alfred and Win are off
sawing wood yet I have taken a job of building 80 rods
						         farm
[crossed out] of fenc for Mr Simpson on the Danks ^ to fence out our
road   I shall get it done in a few days more  Wm Baker and
his Brother are to work for me I have hired Wm [Trather?]
for a few months at 15 dollars a month He is 16 years old
and about my size the weathe is cool and cloudy just had a 
heavy rain and the ground is very wet and the roads very muddy
We made 700 lbs of sugar and may make some more yet
Town meetin came off last Monday  The Republicans elected
					 the
their ticket by a small majority though ^ Democrats made
strenuous effort to elect theirs and made their brags that
they were a going to carry the election this spring There has
				   war
so many republicans gone to the ^ I thought they would beat
us this time  I sold Old bony for 64 doll for beef 4 cts live weigh
We sell sugar for 15 cts a pound cash this spring

I traded my steer that I bought a short time a go for a pair
old oxen even and have got a good team now for business
and a man to drive them so I am rigged for business again I
dont know but I could clear off your [illegible in original] this spring but
I hardely think I could fence it and plow it and attend
to other work that I shall have to do and get it into a crop in
				have to be
seson and then the crop would ^ hoed or harvested before you will
get home and it would make more work than I can attend to I think
it would be well to leave it for wheat next fall
Mr Simons is chopin and pitting that old fallow [w/?] east
for laying

Father sold a small two year heifer that had just come in
		    15
the other day for [crossed out] [18] doll and 1 pair three year old steers and 1
pair 2 year old steers for 53 doll.  cattle are in good demand here
now  You did not say in your letter wheather you had rec
any papers from us  I was down to Lawrenc last Sunday
the folks were all so as to be about though complaining
	      Camp
some Edgar ^ died last Sunday of mesles.  There is considerable
sickness about now and some deaths  the spotted fever is quite
prevalent  I do not think of any thing more to write now
Write write when you get this and all the news you can

						H.H. Dowd