1865	            
	Greenbush January 29th

      Dear Brother
    I received your kind and
  welcome letter day before
yesterday and was very glad 
to hear from you I was
glad to hear that your were
Still well. to day is Sunday
Minerva has gome home to go
to meeting with our folks. [illegible]
could not both go So I Staid
at home. with the children
So She could go it is
very lonely So I though
I would improve the time by

[Written upside down on top of Scan 1]

	[illegible] H M
     Minerva wants me to tell
you she has not forgoton
you and mean to write to you
			  from
			     you
but she is looking for aletter

[End]

writing to my absent brother
you wanted to know where
we live I supposed ma
had told you or I should
before this time you know
where old Barret used
to live dont you I guess
you do if you dont I will
tell you you know where
the Avery school house is
well you go half amile
South from there and 
then turn to the East the
first house you come to is
where we used to live and
there is where we live now
I guess you know dont you
and I go to School at the
Avery school house we are
having Spelling school evry
two weeks we have one
next friday night we have


Speaking [pieces?] and
Singing patriotac Songs
and this week we are going
to have composition writen
I do not like to write com-
position but I suppose I 
Shall have to we are haveing
very good Sleighing now
it was very cold three days
last week but it is more
comfortable now nor now as
you are So patient to read all 
my nonsense I am agoing
                       Sleigh
to tell you a bout write I
had last week there is a
young man teaching four mi-
les South of St Johns that
is a nephew of old Mr
Avery a Cousin of Carries
he came from pensylvania
last fall he lives near
Carries father She thinks as much

[Written in red ink on top of Scan 4]

Jan. 27, 1865

[End]

of him as She wuld of an
own brother I forgot to tell
you he came from pensylvania
last summer. now for the
ride he had Spelling School
last week Henry Avery took
his team and took a load
it was avery cold night and
we should not have gone
but they have talked of it
So long they thought they
must go So we got down 
in the bottom of the Sleigh
it is three miles from
here to St Johns the [nearest?]
way and we went around
by [illegible] to get a Cousin
of Henry that is teaching School
there So that made it two
miles farther. and then
She had gone away So we did
not get her

[Written sideways on the left side of Scan 4]

the Children bother me So that I cannot
half write

[End]