[Page 1]
Philadelphia
October 16 th 1881
we all send our best respects to
Joseph and you and family and
to your grandmother and
uncle and cousin Wiley [Willie?] Tell them
to right [write?] to me
Dear Daughter I lift up my pen in
hand to right [write?] to you once more to let
you know that I received your long waited
letter and I am glad to here [hear?] that
yous [you?] are all hapy [happy?] and well and
also glad to here [hear?] that the Lord has put
yous [you?] in the right rode [road?] that leads
to Everlasting Life thanks and glory
to his name for ever he is kind and
merciful to us all for we know we are
unworthy Creatures Dear Elisa I am glad
that the Lord has visited Joseph and
you as you have not many relations
to be with you it is nice to here [hear?] the
voise [voice?] of Jesus say come unto me
and I will give youse [you?] rest and that
yous [you?] have found the love of Jesus and
he has made youse [you?] glad glorey [glory?] be to his
name for ever well Elisa I here [hear?] that you
have buried to [two?] of your children that
[page 2]
was an act of God to yous [you?] so next
he put yous [you?[ on the right rode [road? ]to
heaven that one great gift to yous [you?]
do not fail but keep it for it is grate [great?]
gift glory be to God for every thing
well my dear loving daughter you say
to not let the world be upermost [uppermost?] but we are
all prone to sin but the greatest sinner
was brought to repent we are all got to
bear with a little troubles troubles while
we are in this world but God says
let our lampes[lamps?] be trimed [trimmed?] for we are
in our jurney [journey?] home we do not know
the minut [minute?] that we get the call well dear
Elisa I am going to let you know of a little
triall [trial?] that I had I was laid down in
my bed sick on the 5 of July and
I was not able to come down stairs
for 7 weeks the Docter [doctor?] atended [attended?] me
Every day for 3 weeks thank God I am
able to go around and atend {attend?] to the home
the Doctor came to see me he had no hopes
of me living
[Page 3]
So then Kate took the milarell {malarial?]
fever that is a great disease in this country
She was sick to [two?] weeks so John had it so
when he got better he left me and went
to Chester he can make more mony [ money?]
but he gives me none since he went
away I have Wiley [Willy?] and Samuel and
Kate at home with me the[they?] are all
working Kate has 5 Dolers [dollars?] per week
her and David wife and her cousin Lisa
Colhoun works together the work is not
far of our one [own?] house the[they?] come home for
their diners[dinners?] every day it is very pleasant
Mary and Sady is in New York the [they?]
have it very nice Mary makes her 7
dolers [dollars?] per week She pays three and a half
to her aunt Elisa she sows [sews?] in the largest
store in New York Sady is fore lady in
the largest hotel their [there?] she can go where
she likes every eving [evening so the {they?] take the
enjoyements [enjoyment?] of life in this world
the[they?] are both well liked the [they?] are both
well liked by rich people
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Dear Elisa if the family had all
puled [pulled ?] together we could had a very
rich home today but thank God
I have kept myself from being a
burden to my children since your
father died all the [they?] make is to [too?] little
for themselves I insure my life and
Kates life that if we die the family will
not be at the expence [expense?] of burying us
Death takes a great dale [deal?] of mony [money?] in this
country from people Every day the [there?]
are from ten to fifteen funerals [funerals?] goes
past my house when I die some of the
family can draw one hundred dolers [dollars?]
from the insurers company to bury me
and Kate one hundred and ten dolers [dollars?]
at her death I dont keep the store open I was
not able to attend [attend?] to it I keep borders [boarders?] the [they?]
took a good bit of mony[money/] from me the [they?]
would go away and not pay me the[they?]
have got many a way of rubing [robbing?] in this
country the[there?] are a good ways of making
mony [money?] plenty in this country if the people
would only take care of it I am going to
stop righting[writing?] for I could right[write?] for a week
written upside down at top of page2
{ dear loving Children we are very uneasy
about your account of the disturbance in
Ireland the[they?] say it will be fierce war all over I think yous [you?] would be better to
come out here }
written along side of page 1
Goodby right [write?] as soon as you read this
and excuse my bad righting [writing?] as it is
from old trembling hand
