[Written upside down on top of Scan 1]

write soon done wait how i long to hear
from you all
it does my heart good to hea from you all

	March 3 1863

     My very Dear Neice
I noe it is a long time since I received
your kind letter but their has bin
so much a going on here since that it
has taken up all my time their has
bin a murder case tried here in this
court house the trial lasted three
weeks I went untill I got so nervious
that I thought I would not go any more
the men that was on trial was our
Neighbours; they have laid in jail a
year this spring they went to get
posesion of a farm that they had a
Morgage on they had tried once before
and the old Gentleman got knoked
on the hed with a rail the next time
he would take revolvers along with
him he took his son in law with him
to assist if he got into difaculty and
in the [melu?] he killed the wrong man
          u
the yo^ng man he killed was just a going

[Written upside down on top of Scan 2]

sends love to you and yours he works very hard
he dont get time to write to none of his friends
forgetting yself tell Sinfield to me and i will [illegible in original]

to be marid he was a fine looking felow
his girl was almost crasy his sister had
				              t
his picture in court it was a solum sigh^
							 law
to se that feble old man [illegible in original] and his sonin^
brought in to court evry day and their
wife
	       e
sitting by th^ir side they did but Just
escape the gallows the [illegible in original] attended
the trial some for one side and some for
the other I was truly glad when the
   d
Ju^g said not guilty the old man
cried rite out loud they [illegible in original] where
some of our aristocrat neighbours they
where
none the better for that so no more of
that. I am quite well for me Georg has
				          e
had a very hard cough for a long tim^
i felt vwry muich alarmed about him
he is rather better his wife has bin
very sick with the neuraligy she to
is better i went to [Champling?] last
				          d
Week i had not bin their in a year an^
half your aunt Miriam is very
lovely she has a very bad cough she is [mark illegible in original]

[Written upside down on top of Scan 3]

is Mr flint liveing with his wife George
give my love to all that inquire after me not

   r
ve^y poorly i never see her look so porely
i think in my life Covina stays she has
lookd a great deal worse she thinks she
will
get well now if nothing takes place
she says she is willing to die she feels up
thow it would be well with her after
death as soon as she gets able to ride she
will come and se me Covina says she
		      i
will take her in the^r [illegible in original] wagon and
   t
fe^ch her to my house she mourns the
loss of her husband she takes his death
very hard Samuel has got back he
could not stand it to lay down in the
warter he caught could and it
seteld in his eys his eys is very bad now
             is
Francis ^ home they are all well as
[useal?] George lives in the wing part
that he built on my house they have
a large bed room likewise a square room
					t
and a pantry they have a very pleasan^
  				his
house he has a fine woman for ^ wife
i hope to live by myself i thik it is the best

Motherinlaws never [bo?] right george is very
kind to me and always was he and his
wife have joind the Church they are
Methodis they think the world of each
oth er they have no babys now no signs
of any i think that is good these hard
			  gh		    t
times evry thing is so hi^  here at presan^
and still a going up thay are a going to
rais ing flax here and make their own
cloth i have a young lady boarding
with me and going to school she pays
twelve shilings per weeke if if i could
see you i could talk a month i fear
that will never be in this world i
				     [illegible in original]
thought when george got married [illegible in original]
I should go to Canaan then these hard
times come on and i had to give it up
their never will be no better times in
my day o this dredful war the flower
of our Country falls, evry day their is
hardly a saboth with out a soldier funeral
do write me how sister [illegible in original] is give
my love to her and old Mrs Gifford Phebe

[Written on right-hand side of Scan 4]

Smith