Polk County Bloomington, O.T.
July the 31st, 1853
Dear Brother
it is with the greatest of pleasure that I take my pen in hand to inform
you that I am well and hearty and I believe all the rest of the connection
are enjoying the same blessing. I received your letter the 26th which gave
us all much joy to hear that you were all well at that time and were sorry
to hear of some of your friends had fallen victims to death but the Lord
giveth and taketh away
Our wheat crops are beter than we anticipated in the spring rating from
20 to 40 bushels per acre I have been harvesting for 2 weeks harvest
hands get 3 & 4 dollars per day wheat is worth 3.00 oats 2.50. if you
farmers could sell your produce that way you might talk Cattle are verry
high at present horses I cannot tell so well about as there is none selling.
In your letter you stated that the house would have to be moved across
the road to that I have no objection to, but as to selling the 3 acres of
land to Mifs Wallace for 80 dollars I dont care about doing that for the
rails an it is worth that much but if you should sell it before you get this
it will have to go so I do not know what arangements father has mad
with you about the place what ever they are just go by them untill you
hear from me again I shall write again as soon as he gets through if ever
he does we are looking for them now Some teams are comeing in now
one team passed here a week ago today making about 2 weeks it has
been in the valley we have heard that Sam Leeper got drowned on the
road and his folks and Abner Abbot families went back in your next letter
please tell us the truth about it I was verry sorry when I got here and found
the situation of everything that I did not stay and come with father and
mother but it is all to late to grieve after it now you sayed in your letter
that you had 50 acres of corn I suppose it is worth about 500.00 dolloars
while 50 acres of oats here are worth 6000.00 we can raise from 10 to 20
bushels of corn to the acre and corn is worth 3 & 4.00 per bushel you see
from that 50 acres of corn here would be worth about 1500 dollars pork
is worth about 20 cts beef 15 cts but stop I am telling too much about
Oregon. I have promised myself not to say much about the country for
some do not believe what is written back about Oregon
So the less I say about the country the better for my credit back there
your letter was the first I have received for about 4 months I began to
think I was forsaken I make it a rule to answer every letter that I receive
and if any of my friends wants to hear from me they must write to me the
next time you go to Monmouth ask James and Mary if they want to hear
from me if they do tell them to write to me and they shall hear from me as
soon as the letter can get there if you see any pretty girls there tell them
to
write to me for I would be glad to hear from anyboddy and especially a
pretty girl but I must quit such foolishness or you will think I am a fool and
you will think wright. Stephen White died at Uncle Elijah Davidsons on the
8th of May just one month from the time he was baptised his brother Able
is in this neighborhood at this time I want you to tell me in your next letter
when Uncle Williams folks heard from John Chapman and Peter Butler and
what the were doing and tell me all about your neighbors how they are
getting along and in short tell me everything which you think would interest
me I feel sory for you that are left their I know how you feel I have been
deprived of friends myself and know how it goes.
I have made about 200 dollars this Summer and clothed myself besides
can your young min do that in Illinois I must come to a close for I have
writen more nonsense than you will like to hear at once I am not married yet
I remain your friend untill death
Isaac M. Butler
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