[written in red pen on top of Scan 1]

Dec. 1861

[End]

	Maple grove         the 4
			  Dec 1861

	Dear Brother
	I received your letter yesterday
	and you can not guess how glad
	i was to get one i was very
much disapointed Saturday because i
did not get one we are all as well as
usual excepting hard colds which is
a comon complaint we had quite a
time getting home from St Johns that
day we come down the sectionline road
which was horible mudy   the wagon
went in clear up to the hub and
[illegible] the bolt come out which hold
the whiffle trees fast to the tongue and
the horses went up and left us sitting
in a small hole  Minerva and [Lathy?]
Brown come home with us and Wil
and Tim come on after ward   Tim
showed me a letter that he got from
Ben that day. he Said he was where
he could see cottoon: sugar and

oranges with which the trees hang
loaded he said that they were on
the water 20 days and he was sick
all the while that was the reason he
had not writen before and he was hardly
able to write then he did not know
that bill was dead but he supposed
              come
he would be there where he was the next
boat that come in. you do not know how
much we miss you there is an empty
place at the table when we sit down to
eat a meal of victuals. we miss thee
at home yes we miss at morning at
noon and at night it is very lonesom
to go to meeting in the eavening and not
see you thare. Mr Hosea [illegible]
died last friday Mr Spalding
and Mr [illegible] have both buried
their wives [Kate?] young wanted
me to tell you that if you did
not write to her she would attend to
you when you come home   there was
               Dr.
a party at [crossed out] [mr] jenisons the other night

     and there was sixteen boys and
   seven girls    george did an
invitation but did not go.   [Sykes?]
[illegible] wants me to tell you that he is very
			and misses you
lonesome without you ^ especialy when
he goes to bed at night   E [T?] wants
me to tell you that he misses you
very much [illegible] wants me to
tell you that when she sits down to
a meal of victuals she wonders if
you have good meals and when
she goes to bed at night she wonder
if you have any thing to lie on you
must write evry week if you do not
write very long letters tell us
next time you write if you have
any thing good to eat and enough of
it  send the next letter to george
     there was a report that the company
was agoing to be disbanded  Oh [illegible]
tell you if i did not hope it was
so when you wrote you did not say
anything about the rest of the rest

of the boys when you come home
be sure and get a pass that will bring
you home and take you back again
we have heard that the officers can
give a pass so that you will have to pay 
your own fare back be sure and
come home and stay two weeks
any way father says if you have to
drink wine rather to drink as little as
             for
possible ^ Dr. [Leach?] says that is one
cause of so much sickness in their
regiment  William [seatt?] has been
discharged and is on his way home
he has got the consumption

			From your
Write soon                               Sister
			loving
[M A M?]