[illegible] Nov 26th 1862
     Dear Mary
I seat my self to answer your kind letter
my health is very good for me I live alone
         a					         sant
I take ^ great deal more comfort I have a plea^
little home all that is lacking is that
I am so far from my friends it is almost
eight years since I left my native land
how many changes since that time I
always expected to live with George but
that cant be he has got a wife and i chose
to live by my self her ways hant like
mine George is very kind to me but it
dont [seme?] like liveing with him he is
[my? any?] all he is well and doing very
well he is buying grain he gets thirty
Dollars per month [Champlins?] family
is well Frances is here in the village
     a
a le^rning the mileners trade she
stays with me often all night you would
		   r
		ha^dly know her

she has alterd so Samuel is here too
a learning the painters trade little
					        see
Charly is the fatest little fellow you seldom ^
he is smart very good looking it is very
healthy here this fall plenty to eat
				     r
but very dear everything is so ve^y
dear if this war lasts much longer
what will become of us every thing
is so dear now we cant think of buying
much i am very glad that my family
is so small my wants are few I am
a boiling a nice peace of beef to day I
wish you was here to take dinner
with me how glad i would be we
could talk of our Joys and our sorrows
how often i think of you all and wish
i could be there i fear that will
never be in this world i do hope
when the trials of this short life
shall be over we shall mete in that
blesed mantion that our Saveiour has

gone to prepare for those that love him
		         o
you would hardly kn^w this place it
is so altered Peckham has built a
large house and rite opisite of P
is a rather large hous built and
likewise a new unaversalest Church
there has ben four churches built
since you was here I expect sister
Mirium to viset me in a few days
she thinks of staying several days
and thai are a going home with them
i hant ben there in over a year
i never go there very often i see them
often they do their tradeing here and
then they call and se me Miriam gave
George a good preasant a pair of linen
sheets and a blue and white [illegible in original]
blanke i gave him one of my beds and
beding his wife father sent her a
				are
bed and a box of thigs so they ^ quite
well of about that old teakettle

being named after me is of little
Concequence to me it is a pitty the poor
thing had to fall among theifs in its
last day, it has always ben a honest
old gentleman I want you should
[see?] if Mr Flint lives with his Wife
			       nd
and ware is Martin Blunt a^ ware
is Betsy Jane Cady write all the [news?]
is Margret Brown dead [illegible in original]
her do write me all a bout it haz [illegible in original]
got back lots of our young men that
went to the war has ben [illegible in original] back a
[illegible in original] show many funerals we have
had here other horers of war the [clerks?] 
have most all gone to the war we have
lady Clerks in the stores here give my
love to all my sisters give my love to
Lyman tell Winfield to write to me
i want to se if he learns how i should
like to se him kiss both of your children
for me write soon Phebe Smith
Mary G Hall