Bridgeport O T August the 19th 1855

Dear Brother & Sister

I write you a fiew lines to let you all know that we have not forgoton
you, this is fare from being the case I think of you as often as I did the
season I first left you all Margaret recd a letter yesterday from Aunt
Julia Murphy & Lisia thay stated you had bin thare a day or two back
and that you said you had wrote five letters to us that you had not
heard anything of since thay never came to hand I have received three
letters from you in eighteen months, one in June 54 one last fall and one
January 55 I dont know how many leters I have wrote to since that time
to you, but not less than a half dozen if I did not believe that letters got
lost on the way I should get out of patience I have wrote to several
others besides you and got no answers, amongst them was one to M Lucas,
J Whitman, J Sturges, & Henry Ground these letters was wrote last fall &
winter. These lines leaves us all well except the babe it is trying to cut teethe
it is a little unwell on that acaunt Tare was Baptist preaching in our
neighborhood to day your Father & Mother was thare & came home with
us and spent the evening thay are both well & cheerful as could be expected,
you Father is very much concerned about William he is afraid he will come
to want. Elijah and folks was up to see us the las of the week, he met with
qite an axident got a load of lumber at the saw mill and had just put his
wagon box on to the load of lumber and came in to the house to get redy
to start home and his horses took fight at the box or something and run
away, thay did not go fare till the wagon came on cuppled and the lines got
fast to the fore wheel and stoped them, it did not hurt his horses but it nearly
spoiled his wagon it broke one wheel and injured two others very much
broke one axel tree both holsters & two standerds Thay are all well and
have got the largest and fatest babe I ever saw in mi life its rist is exactly the
sise of mine the rest of your kins folks & acquaintences are all well as fair as
I know.

I am through with my harvest except cleaning up some wheat I raised a very
fair crop of wheat and oats I had to work on the old plan cradle my grain
and then tramp it out with horses, this I dont like the little boys bound as fast
as I cradled we cut and shocked two acres per day, I cradled more this year
than I ever did in one year before and stood it better thay is some reapers &
thrashers heare but not plenty. I see a reper advertist in the Atlas that reaps
& rakes & mows if you know anything favorable about them I wish you wold
write to me what kind of a Mashean it is whare it is made, and what it costs;
I wrote to you last summer to send me a western fruit book by Eliot, I have
not received it or saw any mention of it in your letters I wold still like to have it
if you could get it. We have had a very dry season heare this season it hasnt
raind since the first of June not withstanding garden stuff looks well I have a
verry good garden this year times is looking up heare some in conseqence of
a gold mine discovered up the Columbia the extent of these mines is not yet
as ceartaind but we will know all about it shortly.

I am sorry to heare that frit in you section has failed a gain, peaches missed
heare, but thare are plenty of aples whare the trees are large a nough to bare,
it is now bed time I must come to a close write soon

Remains your Brother till death

Isaac Smith

[to] John & Eliza Butler
Matilda Smith

we have school handy this summer

*Addendum*

as Mr. Smith cannot fill this sheet I thought I would write a few lions I
nothing worth writing I wont to see all of you very much I often think
of the poor little children and wont to see them very much if you only
knew how Berry takes on about Uncle Johns folks it would make you
sorry for him I know the boys has got to be a great help they have
bound all the grain this year they halled 18 loads of oats alone and
stacked it in the stable Rufus can hall wood go to Mill & so on
Matilda we received your nice present we to much of it to buy a
dress with it unless you had rather we would when Rufus opened
the letter he thought it was to him he said he would not take a horse
for that but soon found out his mistake you must give him and myself
the prise for naming the babe for you John I wont to see you and talk
to you very much but as I am at present deprived of that satisfaction
I wont you and Eliza to write a long letter Lavina I am sorry you have
forgot your old Aunt and little cousins so quick write to the children
they live very lonely Isaac you must Be a good little boy and try to
learn all you can if you live to be a man you may be a youseful one
Erastus you and Ganville must make hast and learn to write so you
can write us all the news the children says they wont you to send
Aunt tilda by letter and they will pay the postage give my respects
to all that think us worth inquiring after give my to James & Mary
I wish you could all see Lides boy it is a perfect show it is bedtime
so good by to all of you

Margaret B S