1864
		Hartford  Aug 19th
	Dear Brother,
		Yours of July 29
and one to Alfred still later are
rec.  The folks are all well as
usual Lucy is gaining slowly
though not able to walk yet
Martin Ruggles was buried
yesturday at Hartford  He has
been ailing some time with 
liver complaint He gave up
business a month or two ago and
				      d
moved back on to his farm  He ha^
started on a voige for his health
and got as far as Chicago and
died his Brother accompanied 
him  Mrs Sutton is very sick with
disintery  I am logging off in
little fallow over near Hodgison
				      g
I have a man name Roberts helpin^


me out $1.50 a day you may think 
that a high price but we live
in days of high prices he is
the cheapest hand I can get
I let a job of cleaning off your
fallow yesturday to Wm Baker
		at
and Castleman ^ 10 dollars an acre
for loging and burning off and
they board themselves they are
to work on it and will soon have 
it cleard  It is very dry  We have
had but very little rain for a 
long time 2 months or more  the pasture
are all dried up  Corn and potatos
suffer and will be a light crop
It’s the best time to clear land
I ever saw  I sold my oxen last 
week for 140 dollars in cash and
bought me a nice pair of fine
year old oxen this week for 147 dol
One of my old oxen was lame the
			     a
reason I sold them We thr^shed
				our

wheat last week father had 175
or so and I had 70 Bus wheat and
50 Bus Oats  Wheat was wroth $2.26
the last I heard from Decatur &
2.50 to St Joseph Butler 35 cts
Pork 30 a pound  Wool 90 to 95 owd
goodds a little higher than anything
else Father payed up one of those
mortgages the other is not due and
they would not take the gree leaves
for it and we can not oblige them to
untill it is due  Father lent Mr
Brown 350 doll to pay for his
farm and has payed J Botter
up and has money left  We have 
not sold any of our wool or wheat
	      are
yet  People ^ dodgeing and making
preparation for the draft  We have
a special town meeting next Monday
to raise money to hire substitutes
and and men to enlist  The quota
of Our town is 22 or 3 and it will 
take a most all the men liable
to draft if they dont get substitutes
there is not much doubt but I am 
clear for three years though a great
many [numeys?] tell me I aint Mr Brown
has gone to Vermont to settle with
selder on the land trade
	Its getting and I must stop

	Your in love H.H.  Dowd

Ps I rec a letter from Aunt Aldy
Booth this week. they are all well

I will send you a sheet or two of
paper in this