St Johns Clinton Co April
			    7  65


Mr Dear Son
	           I received your very
wellcome letter dated March 25
this afternoon and was true
ly glad to hear of your wel
fare I thank you for the present
it contained it looks very much
like you although I think you
must have [tanned?] some on your
journey for it is not so [illegible]
and delicate as what you
had taken here we have been
having beautiful spring weath
er for a week past the grass
and flowers are starting up
nicely it is lovely indeed
after a long tedious winter to
look out upon the bare ground
and to nature putting on his
mantle of green the ground

is settled and dry and dusty
in some places farmers are
commencing their spring work
wheat looks very nice and pro
mises fair to do well but
to day it is so cold that we [illegible]
a good fire the wind is in the
south west and blowing very hard
from reports there has been union
[work?] down south lately and our
troops have done nicely I should
think that the southern [illegible]
would find out after a while that
they had better subside and let
the yankees alone the report is
that Richmond is taken and
that Lee surrendered himself and
his army but the particulars
we have not heard yet how is
it that you are still at the
Remount camp I should think

that Sheridan would need all
his noble boys but I think you
are not staying there from choice
there is not much news of
consequence except that Mr Rolfe
is going to Wisconsina and George
is going with him on the prom
ise that he shall have a farm
I hope he will not be disappoin
ted. one of the Mrs [Deans?]
was buried last sabbath she
was a [illegible] old Mrs [Tirman?]
is dead she soon followed Martha
excuse a short letter for this time
as I am not very well and
I have one or two more to
write this afternoon I am very 
glad that you keep well and
I hope that you may still be
preserved and live to come to us
again I shall take letters at

St Johns after this for it makes
some trouble for us to get retu
rned letters we had one come
to Greenbush [illegible] that is
[Swizzletown?] you know that
I sent to Chesnut Hill to George
and had to pay three cents
postage a gain
     do as you have done write
us often as you can and I will
try to do so    in love from
your loving mother
		N L Mattoon
		[crossed out] [G P Mattoon]
		         G W Mattoon