[Note: this letter was partially burnt. Missing parts are indicated
with dashes.]
Dutch Creek Iowa, June 8th/56
Dear Brother & Sister
I now take the pleasure of writing a few lines to you to let you know that
we are all in reasonable health and prosperity the children are all well
----- are going to school. we have a school in one mile of us this summer.
we have not sold out yet but I expect to this summer there is a man in the
neighborhood now from Ohio that has been looking at my farm and likes
it well and says he will start back home tomorrow morning and will sell
his farm in Ohio in one hour after he gets back he is so well pleased with
this country I think he will buy my farm ----- $20.00 per acre. 185 acres
I dont know where I will go to yet but I think I will try and get a little
farther south. I will let you know if I do sell I think it a pretty certain
sale.
the friends and neighbors dont want me to sell and leave this part of the
country ---- they work against it some
Our Rail Road is a certain thing now they are at work on the Air line road
within 20 miles of us now and think they will have the cars running within
2 years from the mississippi River to Oskaloosa. I suppose lands will raise
verry much when they get the Railroad in opperation but I am willing to
resk that and let mine to now for I think I can do better by ----ing south.
Some of the friends got a letter from John Henderson last week from
Oregon he said the Indians will take Oregon yet.
John I want you to write and tell Wm and James to write for i am anxious
to hear from you ---- oftin. direct to Dutch Creek for our Talleyrand
office
failed on account of them trying to get an ----- abolitionist appointed
for
P.M. ----- have had a verry backward spring but our crops look
well
wheat is verry fine corn tolerable I received a letter from Father the same
day I got your letter there was nothing new in it but Thomas Hutchison had
gone out to fight the Indians a first lieutenant If you get any more word
from him write to me immediately for am anxious to hear from them often
Minerva is going to write to Lavina in a week or two she will tell ---
all
about their scool etc.
The health of this country is verry good at present and has been for the
last year or two, there has been but one ----ng in all the country
around
since last summer and that was a small child. The weather is verry dry and
warm but threatning rain every day. I met with a misfortune this spring I
had a horse to get lame and came verry near dying so my team has been
broken up for the last three months and a half I rented my farm and have
burned one lime kiln and expect to burn another or two this season and
then follow plasturing the balence of the time and if we can make our
arangments to suit we intend to make a visit to Illinois this season some
time write soon and I will answer Fare ---- for a while
Joseph Butler
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