Allen Creek Feb. 16 1862

Much respected Brother,

I has been a long time since I wrote to you but I believe a longer
time since I have had a letter from you. I believe that letters are
miscarried or something it appears that my letters do not all
reach their place of destination from some cause or other but
it is not to be wondered at these war times but I will try another
it may be it will reach you if it does I wish you to write
immediately and give me the news of my friends and the country
generally it is a great treat with us to get a letter from you or any
of the friends in that country more so than it is for you to get a
letter from us as you are there in the midst of friends and
acquaintances and we were here all alone among strangers but
we now have many good warm friends in this country and if
one enimy I am not apprised of the fact.

When you write let us know if you can what has become of
Brother Joseph I have written two or three letters to him and
have not received my answer the last letter I had from him he
wrote that he had volunteered and did not know how soon
he would be called upon to go into service

This leaves us all in good health except bad colds this had been
a verry disagreeable winter for Kansas it has been tolerably cold
now for about two months and snow or ice on the ground the
most of the time but the day is quite plesant and the ice almost
gone the snow and ice melting has raised the streams so that it is
difficult to get about through the country but that will not be apt to
last many days.

I sold six shoats the other day for ninteen dollars and fifty cents
to pay the last cent that I owe in Kansas and when I drove them
to the man that bought them he said that they were much better
then he expected so he said he would give me five dollars more
though it is almost impossible to sell anything for money in this
county we raised plenty to eat last season but have been verry
tight run to obtain clothing I see no other chance to clothe
ourselves while the war lasts but to raise cotton and wool and
make our own clothing.

John I wish you could see the old woman, Victoria and Alice
to see how much they have improved since we left Ills the old
woman has out growed her cloths, Victoria is larger than
Josephine and verry stout and healthy Alice had much better
health than she ever had in her life Oly is fat and healthy, full
of life and can talk and sing enough for two common children
John had been going to school this winter his school is out this
week. Josephine and Kimpton [Kempton?] are well and little
Lucy is fat as a pig she can sit alone and has two teeth she is
quite a good looking child you may think that we are annoyed here
by thewar but we are not except that it makes verry hard times the
people in this country seem more religiously disposed generally
than in any country that I ever lived in we can go to meeting
every Sunday and three times through the week and not go over
three and a half miles from home the Christian church holds meeting
every Sunday and every thursday evening the Methodists every
tuesday evening and the United Brethren every friday evening and
the United Presbyterians hold a meeting twice a week

John be sure to write when you get this I would be verry glad if you
could come and see us but if you can not come you can write give my
respects to all the family and tell them all to write that can write

I got a letter sometime ago from somebody about Camron making some
inquiries about laying a land warrant but I can not give him the necessary
information he did not assign his name to the letter

yours with much respect

Wm C. Butler