December the 5th 1863

Dear Brother I seat my self to write
you A few lines to let you know how we are
geting A long we are all well at this time
except bad colds the weather is warm and plesant
heare at this time we received your kind letter
and was very glad to heare from you and to
heare that you was A live and well Ira wrote to
us to know if we had heard from you he said
he was A fraid you was dead for he had not
herd from you for six months Mary received A
letter from Ira A bout two weaks A go he said
he had knot got his speach yet Mary has not
wrote to mary Ellen yet she said she would write
to morrow you said you would like to know
how meny children we have we have six four
boys and two girls I will write the names
John Charles and Mary Catharine and Sarah
Jane and Darius Henry and George Lewis
and Alfred Parmer Myers Alfred is the
youngest child he is six years old they are
all living Jacob had comensed writing to you
his letter has laid so long he will have to
write A gain he has so much work to do he is
Bilding A house and tending his nursary
and selling trees he has not much time to
write or sleep Eleazor I want you to come
and see us we live on the Ohio and missippi
rail road one hundred and two miles
from St louis and two hundred and thirty
eight miles from cincinnatti we live in bay City
A few steps from the rail road Jacob has
[page 2, slide 453]
quit farming and gon in the nursoury bistness
heare Eleazor if you live to go home you
must come by and see us and see how you
lik whare we live we got a letter from mitchigan
to day it said the draft had taken the A
fect the last time I herd from John he was at
home sick with the rheumatism Eleazor I would
like to see you and the children I would be glad
if you would send your lickness to me Ira said
he would send his the first opertuniy he had to
get it taken I will have the girles to send
thaires to mary Elen and melvina and the other one
I for git her name and they would lik to have
thares I would lik to know if marys your wife ever
had her likness taken or not I would be very
glad to have it if it ever was taken if you get
A furlow to go home come by and see us Jacob
went to ohio this fall to FJ Hills nursury to
dig trees he talked of going to see your children
but he was so bizy he could not git helpe A
Knuf to dig trees so he had to come home to
fill his orders in time to git them of
our hands In time so know more at this time
I must draw my leter
to A Close you must write soon

to Eleazor Gorham from Eleanor Myers
and famley

I hope you will have good
luck and go home to your
famley
[page 3]
Eight Oclock & thirty minnets
Sunday morning Dec 6th 1863
Eleazer Elen had Been wrighten to you to Day
& I thought I would wright you afew lines
to let you know that I have not forgoten you
you ware lost untill we recived your letter
we did not know where to direct letters So
you could git them I Do wish the wicked
rebellion crushed out of existion
Mary recived aletter from Michigan yester
Day it Said Berrien Township was Drafted
thoese are the men that was Drafted
Nathan Barton. Thomas Ford. Henry S Searles
Puck Webster. H[?]l Wright. John A Taylor
Arthur Miller. Easom Laymon. Joseph
Taylor, Joseph Stafford, Petter S Hickman
Samuel Simpson – that Dos not Speek well
for Berrien Township. Some Butter nuts
there I will Draw these few lines to aclose
for this time I Do hope you will wright
soon to me agan yours Truley
Jacob Myers
[1] Eat something good acristmas or new
years day for me you can halve fine
times at home we halve hard times
grub is rough here do the best you can