Nancy, Gershom's mother--she refers to him as "Woodruff" (his middle name and her maiden name)--tells him that she will be alone for the winter and then describes her plans to add on to the house. She then writes that her husband was unable to cut enough hay in the summer to feed many cattle over the winter. Instead, like many of their neighbors, they invested in sheep in order to sell wool. Nancy says they are struggling to pay off their debts but tells Gershom to spend his money as he pleases.
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