Pigeon River Haywood N. C.
August 5th 1862
Mr William Neves
My dear Nephew
I am happy to have the opportunity of writing
to you at present I am well at present
and hope this will find you in the
best of health D. B. Hall has gone to the
salt works in Virginia he has been gone
two weeks but I cannot tell you when
he will be back he may stay 4 months
I and Celie has every thing to do we have
the foder to save and the corn to geather
and you know it will be well
done we have saved three hay stacks
and killed plenty of weeds but I dont
know how I done it but I tramped
them down or run over them or s[??]ded
them to death one I expect.
William you must excuse me
for not writing sooner but I want
[page 2]
you to write to me often and when
I get a letter from Bery I will
write to you and tell you what
he is going to do
We have no young men left in
old Haywood or at least but few
I do wish peace was made so you
must hurry and drive the yankees back
to their native soil and then the
Southern boys their homes Shall see when
peace is made you must come
to Haywood and spend some
weeks with me and your friends
for you may be sure I would
love to see you very much
the girls send their best wishes
to you so I must close my
bad written lines for the present
for I want to write a few
lines to John so you must
excuse me at present and write
to soon as you get this no
more at present
Francis Hall