1855 ame aly cty va april 15th
dear sun I a
gain tak this oppor tunity of right you
a few lines to know the reason that you
hav not raught in so long a time I
recevd a leter from you after you movd from
rumsey and I ancerd your leter in a short time
and I hav not hearn from you from that time to
this and hav bin expecting a leter from you every weak
I shoud be glad to kno the reason why hav no rou
ght to me I dont think you wood hav long to right
to me and your mother that it shoud be come tiersom
to you to right once or twice in the year I shoud
be glad to hear from you that often if no oftenner I
dont think that the paper wod cost so much and not
much time I hav not recevd a leter from you sence aug
ust 1853 all most too years if you had not recevd
my leter you ought a gain for you might of none that
had rought to you I hav told you the reason I hav
not rought that expected get a leterr Every weak
now I wish to kno the reaso that you hav not rought
to m we ar not well at this time we hav had
a sick family ever sence christ mast lew was very
sick then your mother is know verry poly she is not con
fined to her bed only part but I these may find you
and injoying good helth and dooing for both sole and
body and I hope that happyness my attent you and fam
ily threw life our copes was short last year on the
acount of the douth corn is worth $5.oo meat $240
250 Every thing is high tobcco is selling well [?]gs is
from 5 to $7 leaf to quaity up to $13 maufact[?]in $15 to 20
flower $12 to 13 I hav bout the land of Enses and hav paid
for it I giv $2..62 ½ ¢ pur acor I hav sold myne in
powhatan fo $7.oo pur acor Mr Eanes is ded and James
Scott is bout half the land that of the house part
[?] your ant nancy is ded last summer the great william
L. archer is ded not long sence –
[page 2]
bacon is worth from 9 to 11 cnts in richmond and [begenin?]
the cuntry I hav only a tolorable crop of to bacco this
crop last year it good and got $13 for m best years crop
the childon ar all well the last weak william has
quit is traid and to over seening he coud not
get hand to work with him none to get and he got more
than he cold do branch has a nother child that is
4 Edwin has 2 & looking for another ever day Harrit has a nother daughter
that makes her 5 4 daughtors 1 boy william 1 daugter mary
jain has only one boy thay wish to how meny you
hav Ben as bin ded near 2 years he left 5 child
ron sally an is with me and 4 of childron John Henry
is gone to a trade sally anes is a daugtor I saw in
my fry days paper that thar was near a starvation in
parts of your state but didnt say ware you had beter
come back to old virgina the hart of the world Mar
tha nor Lew nither is married yet but thar is such
talk of both be ing married this year dont delay righting
so long no more I can mak out to pay the post on them tho
I am in debt and let me kno presily what you are dooing
and how you are dooin and how you are geting a long Jurden
and John both liv in richmond yet and ar geting a long very
well willim geting very well tho this is the first year he
sarted over see enit he likes it very well it a greas much
beter then working in the shop his leg has never got
well nor never will I think I must concud by to you
Jaine in sendind thear love to you and family
and tell lisy that her granpar wood so gad to
see her he hasnt for got her he thinks abut her ver
y oftan and when she was a litle thing how she loved
her granpar he had one of her littl glovs now but
you must be a good girl and lurn you book that you
may read a but jeasus crist and all the men war
christans that you may be a christan that if never meet
be fore we may met in heavan I say this to you all
you as a farther liv in truth and spiret of the gos
pil of our blesed lord and savior jesus crist I remain
your affectant farther un to deth
farwell right soon Henry Cosby