1861 [1]
Home Chrismas night
My Dear Son
I received your letter
and was glad to here that you was both
well and that you had got into your house
now I will not be so distress when it rains
or snows if only all the poor Soldiers where
so well provided for as your Compiny are
you stated that you had bought some meate
that you would send home – It will be
very acciptible we could not buy it her under
10 or 12 cent per pound and the Coffee came
very nicily it is selling at 20 per pound here
and is not nerely as good as yours-
I received A letter from John Altick
inclosing A Check for twenty five dollars
of the rent And I received one at the same
time from Mag Fisher stating that She
had not been paid for that hat yet so
I inclosed three dollars in a letter to
John with with A request that he would
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Pay here imeditly and take a recipt for
the same I do not understand it Cossen
Bet Ann had written to me long ago that
it was paid but I sepose it was A mistake
I wrote to Cosen John Betsy and Mag all
at the same time but I have had no answer
yet from any of them John wanted to know
immeditlily if he should rent the house
again and stated that He could not get as
much rent for it this year as last that the
rents had come down very much thair
but He would do the best he could I told
him to do so- I sepose Dany wrote to you
that wee did not know yet of any house to
rent that would suit us and not be such
A high rent- the one wee live in is under
Execution again that is C W interest in it
thair has been two Forrign attachments left
here to apere on the twentieth of January- I have paid
the tax to Holtzworth and Warren the one two
dollars and seventy cents the other two forty
Armours is still standing he is not in A
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Hurry that he knows he will git it I thing
I will get A hog and A quarter of beaf if I can
I have been considering a good while About it
and I have finely concluded it would be best
for me to do so and hope you will both think
the same- I sepose Peter told you that I was
out to Harpers I got a pair of shoes for George
and Annie and some grosereys in all to the amou
amount of three dollars I did not See Mr H he
was not at home- By the way I must tell you
that Danny presented Sallie and I each with
A new Hymn Book for a Chrismas gift mine
A large sised edition and Sallie a very pretty
small one and Annie sais I must tell you
she got her A nice little basket for a Chrismas gift
I received a long letter from your Pappy last
night the first since he was here he had sent
word severel times by different onse he has
had a bad cold but sais he is getting better they
have moved into Winter quarters and are very comfertable
now but sais they expect to be moved soon perhaps
to South Carolina or Kentucky of corse they do not
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Know where- have you or Edwin written to him
yet- I sent him a box of things on Monday
he stated he had received them and was very
much pleased I do not know if he will be
Home any time soon or not he writes so
contradictory- I hope Edwin will come
home at the time you stated I want to
have A good long talk with him or you
either if you would come still I sepose
it ware better that E. would come first
I sepose by all accounts you have had a merrier
Chrismas than wee have had at home Nelly
spent the day with us Criger went hunting
Harry is not very well the rest of us are in
our usual helth only Sallie has the screwmitticks [2]
in her right shoulder- well I think this
is all I have to write about this time and
you will think it is enough I must answer
your Papys letter to night yet my love
to all write soon from your ever affectionate
Mother E A Skelly