Sunday evening March 23, 1851 Salt Lake City
Kind and beloved companion of my youth [Elder Erastus Snow 1818-1888], once more do I seat myself to address you by letter, but greater would be my joy if we could behold each others faces in this land (which time I hope is not a great way off) and unbosom some of the feellings [feelisngs] of our hearts to each other. Yea I feel that my joy would be almost complete, but when this priviledge [privilege] will be granted unto us I know not. I feel sometimes that I am left almost alone, or stripped of those who are the nearest and dearest to my heart. Since I parted with you which was like tearing my heartstrings from me allmost [almost] to be separated for such a length of time. I have not only been called to part with my son, but the two only sisters I have in this region of country, all the relatives that I have that belong to the church, I feel to say almost sometimes that it is hard yet I know it is all right, they have filled up the measure of their days and usefulness. they are freed from suffering, and have gone to rest, where they will receive a reward for all their sufferings, why I am spared I know not, I do not know of what use I am here the Lord knows best, I suppose I have not finished the work that was assigned me, I feel sometimes as I said before that I am left almost alone yet I am in the midst of my friends, I feel that if I have any friends on this earth they are here. Yet I have brothers and sisters whose society would be as dear to me as those I have parted with had they have followed in their footsteps but they have not and my feelings or affections in a measure have become alienated from them, yet I have a hope within me that I shall yet enjoy the society of some of them in the flesh walking in the footsteps of those of those who have gone before them, I would not forsake the society of the saints here for theirs if I had it in my power, this people is my people, their God is my God, with them I hope to live, with them die, and with them be raised in the morning of the resurrection, Mary died in February of the dropsy, she was confined to her bed about eleven weeks, three weeks before she died she was taped which prolonged her life a little longer than it would have been had she not have been taped, she was a great sufferer. I suppose you would like to know if we are all alive, we are all well and enjoying good health at present, little Artimesia has been quite unwell most part of the winter but is now better. About a week ago I received a letter from you dated July 4 and also one dated August 10 which was a precious morsel to us I assure you it being the first word we had received from you since you left the states, our hearts were made to rejoice in the prospect that lies before you and hope and pray that your labours [labors] may still continue to be blessed untill [until] thousands in that land may be made to rejoice in the truths of the everlasting gospel, thrust in the siccle [sickle] and reap with all your might while the day lasts for I hope the hour will soon come when it will be said unto you come home to the Valley of the great Salt lake and dwell a season with those whose hearts will be made to rejoice at the sight of your presence, your letter dated May 4 I have never received, but I hope ere this you have received the letters I sent you for I have taken pains enough to have them go to you, I have paid 60 cts [cents] postage on every letter I have sent you and backed them as you directed me to, there has been no mail that has gone out from this place or come in since last fall except this one, so I embrace the first opportunity in writing to you, although they have made an agreement with government to send out a mail the first day of every month and they have done so but they could not get through, but I shall expect through the summer to hear from you often, I suppose you would like to know Something how we are getting along with our affairs at home. In short I can tell you the [avails] of the gold mines, one poor old mule, the yoke of cattle the boys left here, and 80 dollars that I received last fall when Brother Lyman returned, Edgar died at the mines, Henry returned the last of January, he brought no money he says, but four mules, he said we might have two of the mules, or one mule and the yoke of cattle. Charles chose the cattle instead of the mule, we have succeeded in paying up most of the debts you left unpaid, we have paid up for the three mules you bought by turning out considerable of our stock, and other various ways, the most of the means you sent to us by brother Haywood and Woolley we drew in money and paid to brother Sullivan. Out of what you bought and left in St. Louis I received the trunk, one sack of sugar and about 20 pounds of peaches, Br Woodruff says the apple was all stolen on the steamboat and the other sack of sugar he let a man by the name of Walker take to bring and has either sold or eat it up, I could not get it, we brought him to trial and the court decided he should either produce the sugar or pay 30 dollars, but we have not got either yet nor I do not much expect we shall, the 55 dollars you paid to brother Woodruff he says he bought a yoke of cows in Kainsville [Kanesville] and paid forty dollars for them and they both died on the way, and in all he had expended considerable more money than you paid him to get the things here, so you can see by this that we have sliped [slipped] up on most every thing we depended upon to help ourselves with or make improvement, and we are sometimes drawed in to pretty straitened places, all thing remain about the same they were when you left as for improvements, we have thus far raised a plenty to eat we fair [fare] as to our living about as well as when your are at home, we have had a very mild winter this winter, and to all appearance quite an early spring, there has been a good deal of sickness the past winter and some of the most singular diseases I ever heard of, and some that prove almost as fatal as the cholera, many of our old standbyes [standbys] one after another are dropping away perfectly worn out with hardship and suffering, there has many things transpired here since you left which no doubt would be interesting to you, but time and paper would fail me to write them all, I will make mention of some circumstance to let you know how we do up business here in Salt Lake valley, brother Hamilton from Sanpete Valley shot Doctor Vaun on Sunday before a whole congregation of people for intimacy between him and his wife, he had his trial and was honorably acquitted and God blessed, there has been many splendid buildings put up here since you left, they have finished the counsil [sic] house and put up a large store house, and besides severall [sic] other store houses for merchants that bring goods in here for sale, they are a going to wall in the temple block this summer and prepare for building the temple, they are also building a University and a Seventies hall and many other publick [sic] buildings which is an ornament to the place. I suppose you will here long before this reaches you that brother Young has received his appointment as governor of the state of Deseret, and your brother Z S Snow [Zerubabbel Snow 1806-1888] Chief Justice, he will be [ornd ?] this sumer [summer], next April conference this church is twenty one years old and is generally considered that she will be able to do business for her self, and there has been a general call for all of the people to come to conference br. A Lyman and C Rich with a portion of their families have gone to the coast to make a settlement and P.P Pratt to the pacifick [sic] islands and G A Smith to the little Salt Lake or Iron County, there is none of the twelve left here E T Benson and W W Woodruff, Martha Ashby is married to brother [Buckland] and Benjamin to Julia [Ann] Robinson a sister of Rozetta Grant, I have been quite steady this winter I have scarcely been out of the neighbourhood [sic] I have attended but two parties this winter and those were at the [bath] house and they were the right kind to I had the honor and pleasure of being waited uppon [upon] by brother E T Benson I hope you will not be jealous by any means for all is right Elizabeth is still living with Susan she is well Charles and his wife and Minerva still live in the other row Eliza has a son five months old little Erastus is well and has got to be quite a large boy we have a large school house put up close by us on brother Attwoods lot I think now the children will have an oportunity [opportunity] of going to scool [school] steady schooling is verry [very] high I have paid five dollars a quarter this each one of the children but I intend too [to] keep them at school if it costs twice the amount, your brother William came on last summer his wife has been verry [very] poor ever since he came here. Sister Wines has become a member of his family, he takes charge of Jacobs affairs Marys health is about the same as usual sister aldrich lives with Mary most part of the time Willards family all well has put him up a verry [very] nice house Mothers health is not verry [very] good she does not enjoy herself quite so well in the Doctors family as she did before he made addition to it they are well Sister White is well and also brother Nobles family, Sister Ashby takes charge of the family since Marys death Elizabeth Minerva Charles and his wife all join with me in sending love and best wishes to you we thought it best to but one write to time and manage so as to have letter go out every month, I had some poetry of my own composition that I had thought to have sent you in this letter together with a lock of my hair and the childrens but I have concluded that I will not send it this time. I shall look for you home in fifty two [1852] without fail do not disappoint us for time will seem verry [very] long after that I must close I have written as much as you will want to read,
[signature cut off, but context and handwriting indicate Artimesia [Artimesia Beman Snow 1819-1882]
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