1862
Dec the 8
Costome, New, Orleans [Custom House]

Dear Sister

Good morning
Nancy how is all the folks
to day (well I sopose)
I am tough as a bear
and harty as an ox
I receved a letter frome
you last Friday and
one frome Jane the same
day and wase glad to hear
frome you both and glad to hear
you wer all well
and wase about as well
pleased with that dollar
that that our dear old marm
sent me as enything for
I had not got a pickaune [1]
I went and bought some
[page 2]
tobacko the first thing for
I dident have a bit in
eather pocket tell Mother
I wase very much ablidged
to her and will be a good
boy and come home sometime
and pay her
I haint got much news
to write this time the boys
are all well I believe
George Cowls says tell Nancy
he is right in his glory
to day and when he comes
home he is agoing to dance
the spanish dance with you
and he says tell Abby he is
agoing through ceders swamp
with her Henry Lewis is most as
fat as old doct Cook thay say
he hardly ever writes to his
wife and why in the world
he dont is more than I can
tell he is as steddy a old Deackon
[page 3]
I dont believe he has been
out of the Costome house
for a month but thay dont
keep this child shet up all
the time the aint many parts
of this town but that
I have been in and I have
seen anough of this place
to it is the damdest meanest
place you ever did see the
folks here are all French
or Creoles and Nigers and
every other race that wase
ever herd of even Indians
some of them here I haint
seen what you would call a
good looking girl here they are
all painted up and to speak
polite and what I think thay
look like hell every thing
is very dear here espely
espshely eny little thing we
want a piece of tobacco as large
[page 4]
as a three cent plug costs about
fifteen cents they dont have eny
thing to sell here for less than
than a pickeune [1] that is five
cents cut bills are about played out
when we first came here if we
had a dollar bill and wanted
to by eny thing that want [2] worth
over a half a dollar thay would
take and cut the bill into
in the midle give back one half
and if the wase eny thing more
coming they would pay in
little paper pickeuns about an
inch long and half inch wide
(dinner is reddy now so I have
got to go) well I have just been to
dinner and we had a good dinner to
for us fresh meat potatoes and bread
it will bee salt horse tomorrow (nice)
I dont you want you to think I dont get get eny
letters frome home for I think I get about all
the is wrote me eny oneway I get more
than I answer for I get more than I we
for when I get three or fore
letters frome home all to once I cant
answer them all to [3] once you can all
read every letter I do wright but I
want you to all to me every
time you can I gess I will hold
up now so good by this frome
your Brother Jairus
Nancy L Tittus