Mitilda Ferguson, Philadelphia, to daughter Eliza Steele
[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 [Page 4] 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 handClose