[Enclosed
Bell Merwin To Mary Wilcox]

	Palmyra Dec 28th 1862

     Dear Friend Earl
		     I Received
your long looked for letter
about two weeks since and was
			          gh
glad to hear from you althou^
I had begun to think that you
had quite forgotten me I had
been to [Routstown?] the day I
			   See
got your letter I was in to ^ your
Uncle Luther He was much.
better than when you were here
He talked then of going to Mich
to Spend the winter  How I
wish I could see you and have
a good chat with you I did not
See you half as long as I Should
have liked to you did not Stay
only long enough to get rigt
well acquainted You wanted to know

how the drafted men were dis
posed of every one of them but
two have hired Sutstitutes that
is them that have gone from Palmyra
most all that have gone from
this county have hired Substitutes
Abigail has got moved into her
new house She has got quite
a comfortable home herself and
family are well at present her
mother is withe her now She is
very poorly I do not think that
She will live til Spring Thomas
and Mary Williams burried
their only daughter one week
ago to day She died withe the
diphtheria That dredfull
disease is taking almost half
of the children in this country
Mary wrote that you was get
      fat
ting ^ and that you were raising
a pair of whiskers tell her that
accounts for your gaining

its all folly for any body to
Scrape their face every week and
I for one Shall not do it I have
	        Wilcox
not Saw John ^ Since I got your
letter they were well the last time
I Saw him  We have had very bad
weather here for a week back it has
rained for a week most all the
time and the roads are very muddy
I think that the Removel of Gen
McCleland was a good one but It
Seems as if that there was Some
thing wrong Some where it
beats all I ever Saw at the Success
of our armies I guess that the
Rebels will whip us yet I expec
that you have got your work all done
up Earl I did enjoy my visit
with you and your wife So well
that I do wish that lived close
together So that we could See
one another often dont you 
think that we would have

nice times I must draw my
letter to a close or I shall not leave
any room for Bell to write to Mary
Now do not wait So long to write
as you did before. Give my respects
to all of my acquaintence and accept
the Same for yourself and wife  D Merwin
		Dec 30
     Earl   Bell thinks that She
must have another sheet of paper to
write on I thought that I would
write you a few more lines and I
do not know hardly what to write
unless I write about the weather It has
been Snowing here all this afternoon.
and is Snowing now the snow is
about 8 inches deep it has come
right in the mud we think now
that we will have some Sleighing
New Years is close by and it will
Suit Some pretty well I expect
that you have good Sleighing now
I think that you must have [had?]
a pretty good turn out to your
husking bee and the corn must
have been good I Sent you
a paper a week or So before I got
your letter and received one from
[illegible in original] Earl I must bid you good
night for it is 9 O Clock and I
will wish you a happy New Year
and Mary the Same Now bed
Time and write Soon for I
wish to hear from you
		D Merwin