Our great-great grandmother wrote fairly understandable letters to her son in the “West,” but there’s erratic punctuation and capitalization. I did chose to standardize that somewhat in this post. Makes it much more readable.

Auburn, New Hampshire

March 19th, 1871

My dear son, James, how do you do, away out there in the cold. I should like to see you, but I do not suppose I shall, I should like to know if you are alive and well. I have not heard from you for a long time. I have not had any letter from you since you were married.

The pictures came but no word from you, James. Please write. I consider you are mine as much as ever you were. I thank you very much for those pictures. I would thank you for a letter. I think Willie looks a good deal as you used to, I think Willie is rather more fleshy. He looks like a good child.

I want you to teach him to love the Savior, tell him the story of the Cross, and how Jesus loved the little children and took them up in his arms and blessed them. When on earth let him look you in the face and see that you mean what you say.

I can’t ask you to come home to see us and then have to go back. There are so many railroad accidents. If you could live not far off I should like it.

How is your health? If we are well now, it seems to me that time with us on Earth is very short. I hope we shall be more & more in earnest to make our calling and election sure and have our treasure in Heaven. Seek to love God above everything else and try to do his will, be obedient to his commandments. I think I have, by the help of God, been trying to do right, but I find that I come far short in everything, so, I will leave it all with Him to do more, far more, and better for us than we can ask or think, for Jesus Christ’s sake.

I should like a letter from Mary any time. Children die sometimes very sudden as well as grown folks. Your father seemed to drop away pretty quick at last and easy. He was very sick the night before. He talked some that forenoon and died little past twelve. He wanted to tell Franklin and Mary something that morning. They asked him a good many things but he said he could not make them understand.

Sarah has been sick a good deal. She wan’t able to come to the funeral. She had been sick more or less most ever since I suppose she had the typhoid fever last summer. She did not get able to be up round much ’til cold weather. Then the children had the chicken pox, and then after they got better she got sick again. The doctor came. He said one of her lungs was badly affected. He thought he could give her something that would help her. She has been better, but not able to sit up. I do not know how it will turn with her. She has not been so well this afternoon.

March 20th

Sarah is about the same, rather better I think. My health is good, for me. Jacob’s wife’s health is poor. The rest of us are about the same as usual. Mary & I try to do all we can for Sarah. Frank appears to be well and smart and tries to do his best. I think Charles H was at home to Town Meeting. He was well. If you want to hear any more about your father, I will write another time.

Good bye, all.

Please give my love and best respects to all inquiring friends, and a good share to yourself. Give Willie a good, sweet kiss for me, James M. Buswell.

——

<<P.S.>>

The children are, all of them, pretty well now.

James, my health has been remarkably good all the time since your father was taken sick, and last summer, while Sarah was sick, except one week and then I was round. I have not scarcely had any cold to speak of. I was up nights with him a great deal. He was a terrible distressed man most of the time, I think.

This from your mother, Mary Buswell.