State of North carolina onslow county
January 3rd 1862
Dear Son I take my pen in hand to let you
know that I and all the family is all
well at presant hoping these few lines will
find you well and injoying yourself in the
Blessings of god we recived your letter
Baring date 24th December and we recived
it with Joy and gladness and I Will inform
that we have not kild non of our largest
hogs yet we have only kild five Shotes
and we have got 16 hogs in a pen and
Mr Mackentush has Split me one thousand
rails for one barel of corne and fait Split
five hundred and Lewis thomas is hear making
of shoes he has maid myself one pair and your
mother one par and william one pair and
morning one pair and I have Sold Miss betsey
whaley Six Barrels of corn and I
got twenty dollars from her and I Sold Lewis
thomas Six Barrels of corn at eightteen dollars
and I have got the money and as to cutting
in the Branch we have not got half way
up to the crossway and we have had but little
rain hear Sence you went of but it is cloudy
and cold to day and I have got one Bushel
of Salt and it cost me Six dollars and Seventy
five cents daniel Sandlen charged Seventy five
cents for bringing it from Wilmington an I must
come to a close by saing Son Be a good boy
and take cear of your Self and what you hav
and I will tell you that our quartley meting
is at hawbran[ch?] on next tuesday and wednesday
our circuit preacher name is William Smith
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And I Would Be glad to See you out hear at church
I have nothing of importince to write cosen betsey
whaley family is Sick and all the neighbours
has had the measels and we would Be glad
to See you come hom any time you can
and write Soon and often and it will
o bilge us and when ever you move write to us
nothing more but remain your loving father
tel death F. H. Williams to J. W. Williams

Dere son it is with
the gratest of plesure that I seate my
self to informe yow that my Self
is as well as common I was glad to
here from yow and to here that
yow was well Dere child I thote
yow had foregoten me I dont
want yow to let it be so long before
yow rite no more I want yow to
rite to me if yow are in the same mes yow
Ware in before or not an how yow
get yore Washing done Dere son send
me word if yow nede Another pare of
mitines and if yow do I will send yow
another pare and if yow need eney more
dere rite to me an I will send them to
yow an welcom I hope the next time
I here from yow that yow will have
some fresh meate to eate Dere son
I want yow to tell Cosin Calvin Thomas
hody fore me ande tell him I shold like to
See him rite soon Mariann Williams to
her son When you rite to us send how
Elzza whaley is an when he rites tell him to rite th[??] [1]
yow are so we can here from you both