On Envelope:

G.S.L. City 30th June 1856 [Monday 30 Jun 1856]

from Artimesia & Sarah [Artimesia Beman Snow & Sarah Lucina Snow]

June 30, 1856 [Monday 30 Jun 1856]

Great Salt Lake City June 30 1856 [Monday 30 Jun 1856]

My dear husband,

I embrace the present opportunity in writing a few lines to you in answer to your letter from Laremie [Laramie] which we thankfully received and was very sorry that you had such a tedious time on your journey it was what I feared for we have [had] cold disagreable [disagreeable] weather for sometime after you left. I also received to day [today] [Monday 30 Jun 1856] a letter dated june 4 [Wednesday 4 Jun 1856] in which we were thankful to learn that you were so near though we are all tolerably well Elisabeth [Elizabeth Rebecca Ashby Snow] has another daughter born on the 16 [Monday 16 Jun 1856] she is now getting along finely had some little trouble at first with her breast but has dried the milk away entirely and will have no more trouble with it I think you will have to dream again Minerva [Minerva White Snow] is about yet as well as can be expected she is now writing as for myself my health is prety [pretty] good with the exception of the rheumatism or something of the kind in my hands and arms which troubles me very much they are so badly swolen [swollen] Some mornings that I can scarcely dress myself and quite painfull [painful], as for Julia [Julia Josephine Spencer Snow] I hardly know whether she is well or not she has not been at home for the last two weeks only long enough to call on me for a pair of shoes and gloves and soap to wash her clothes. Martha has been with [us ?] so far and waited on Elisabeth [Elizabeth] as I hardly know how we should have got along I do not feel in very good spirits tonight for I am tormented and perplexed with one thing and another all of the time if it is not Charles to saw and smash down my fence on one side it is Allen on the other side to bother me about the land you surveyed he has forbiden [forbidden] Shirtliff [Shurtliff] mowing or touching it unless I will pay him three hundred dollars [$300] which deprives him of hay to winter the stock on unless I can secure it in some shape he says the land is cheap at that and thinks I had better do it some how [somehow] it is going into Brigham's [Brigham Young] hands for Dr. Richards [Dr. Williard Richards] family he says. then you cannot get it for five hundred dollars [$500] and the farm is not much without it I do not know how I can do it unless I turn out the mules which will cramp me for a team very much unless I can get another yoke of catle [cattle] some way I wish I could hear you speak and know your mind about it. Bryant says the land is cheap at that price for ten acre [10 acre] lots are selling from 100 to 150 dollars [$100 to $150] Shirtliff [Shurtliff] is going to talk the matter over with Jacob and whatever they decide upon I shall have to do there are also two other tens [10s] that are claimed by other individuals Vancott I think claims one but then he does not care so much about [it] the crops looks very well considering the drouth it is very dry there are acres and acres of grain that perfectly parched up for the want of water the grasshopers [grasshoppers] have destroyed everything at Cache Valey [Valley] brother Kimball [Heber C. Kimball] says we are going to see harder times before next harvest than we have this Shirtliff [Shurtliff] says the worms and alkali has [have] injured the wheat considerable but he has ten acres [10 acres] of corn that cannot be beat in the big field there has been a general call made for every man to work in the canell [canal] that they might derive some benefit from that I kept Frank there over tow [two 2] weeks Shirtliff [Shurtliff] will write you all the particulars about the land the wheat on this lot looks nice it is admired by every one that passes it is now turning and will do to end in about ten days [10 days] and perhaps sooner I think we shall have enough to last till we get some of that but no more the garden lookes [looks] well some of the grafts looks [look] nice and some of them are dead we get no track of the mare I wish I could for I am rather cramped for means to supply all the wants and calls as I shall derive no benefit from those debts till fall my hands are prety [pretty] much tied I have received one more cow and calf which is now on the farm the private leter [letter] you sent me I gave to Sarah to read and told her she must answer it brother Smith is fishing round a litle [little] since he came home [he] has given her an invitation to the fourth of July [Friday 4 Jul 1856] it is now twelve o'clock my sheet is full and I am tired so good by [goodbye]

yours affectionately A Snow [Artimesia Beman Snow]