On Envelope:

from Artimesia Snow May 31st /56

Snow Erastus [Elder Erastus Snow 1818-1888]

Care of br [Brother] John Taylor

St. Louis Mo. [Missouri]

crossed out End of the Mormon New York

enquie [enquire] after Julias [Julia Josephine Spencer ?] sister about 20 years old of Sister Nighting visit her for Julia

Great Salt Lake City May 31, 1856

My kind and affectionate companion. As the time is drawing nigh for the departure of the mail which is the first opportunity I have had of sending a letter to my knowledge I embrace it with cheerfulness thinking you will be anxious to hear from us as we are from you and have had no word from you since you left Bridger but hope about these days if nothing has befallen you, you are drawing near you journeys end which place I hope and pray my heavenly Father you may arrive in safety and in better health and spirits than when you left home. for you did not seem to feel as well about leaving home this time as you have heretofore which causes me to feel more uneasy and have more anxiety about you. but I lay it partialy [partially] to your bodily health and thinking that perhaps a change in your matters and affairs togather [together] with your journey may increase your bodily health and then of course your spirits will be more boyant [buoyant]. at least I try and flater [flatter] myself with this idea or thought and as you promised you would try and take better care of yourself I confide in your promise and trust you will and hope all will be well with you while absent from us but I can hardly reconcile myself to the thought of your staying two years and a half the time looks long very long. but if even this would suffise [suffice] for a few years that you might be permited [permitted] to stay at home and take a little rest and enjoy each others society I would reconcile myself to that. But I have about made up my mind that nothing will suffise [suffice] but go go till you get so old that you cannot go any longer. but between you and me there is but little comfort to be taken living in this way. there is not much satisfaction for you to have a family and always be deprived of their society and then and [on] the other hand there is not much comfort for a woman to have a husband and always be deprived of his society it is hard for either side and it is only for the sake of the gospel that I reconcile myself to it any way but for the sake of the gospel we become willing to endure all things and pray that we may have grace and strength give [given] to us that we may be able to bear up under all the cares burdens and anxieties that shall be heaped upon us in this life that in the end we shall not lose our reward for all our sufferings and privations here. do not think that I am a murmuring or complaining for I do not feel that kind of a spirit exactly but when I feel heavily the weight and burden resting upon me I often wish it might be otherwise but as it seems to be my lot to almost always live alone I will try and be content therewith. The family are well or as well as can be expected We all feel the affects more or less of the warm weather we have had very cool weather most of the time since you left till [until] within the last two weeks everything bids fair for a plentiful crop we have had tine [tiny ?] showers of rain the next day after you left I had my flour weighed I had only twelve pounds more than you told me to keep for my own family so you see I had to disappoint Sister Richards [Franklin D. ?] I expect she feels quite hard about it. I hear by the by that you and brother Coward have had a quarrel since you left Sister Coward [I] understand is going to follow him in the next mail if they [that] be true it is no more than [we] have had with Charles White about the fence. I had to call on brother Little to settle ours he was over to the lake when brother Olsen put up the post and rails he came to me about mine which went strait up to the fence and the way he smashed up the poles and pried up the posts you would have thought he was a giant. I went up and forbade him touching the fence he cared nothing for me. I called on brother Little he came over went to him and slaped [slapped] him on the shoulder told him he was his prisoner and must go with him he blowed in his usual stile that the lot was his and fell to him by the pioneers after about an half hour he cooled down and promised not to disturb the fence any more. L. [Little] told him if he did he would take him and put him where he would have to work the fence is now done not a word has been said he is as good as pie. brother Litle [Little] wished me to say to you he had attached four hundred dollars more mail property Zera [Zerubbabel Snow] started about two weeks ago he took a new wife before he started a sister Sawyer. I suppose he has writen [written] you all the particulars about business affiars [affairs] Shirtliff [Shurtliff] went and got the sheep according to your directions received 50 head of sheep and 11 lambs but says he got 6 more than anyone else would if I had sent him he has hired a man one Jordan [?] to herd them this summer in the fall he will take them on the farm he does not think he can afford to take them for one third but says if you think he can he will try it I presume he will write you. Frank is still with us he is now at work on the road I have been called upon to pay thirty one dollars road tax I think if this is the commencement of taxes I do not know what the ending will be I C [Isaac ?] Haight has sent on over for 24 dollars worth of books no one knows anything about them and also the watch you sent proves not to be the right one and the man whoever he is will not except it brother Brown will probably write you about it Zera [Zerubbabel Snow] told me before he started to say to you he had a talk with brother [Brigham] Young and he blessed him with a double portion of the Spirit of God to attend him while he was absent that then he would be satisfied if he would became as great a man as his brother Erastus [Elder Erastus Snow 1818-1888] was he thought it would be comforting to you perhaps we have as much voice and bustle as ever and feel sometimes as though I would never live so like you come home and it will soon be like the old misers letter voser [?] and woser [?] as for Julia I hardly know what to say I have thought sometimes I would never mention her name but knowing you would be anxious to hear how she proved herself I will write you a little how things go as for help she is no maner [manner] of account she is gone full one half of her time then she thinks of is to make her fine clothes and go and come at her will and pleasure and when she is at home shut herself up she will do it and if not she does not.

(in the margins of the pages)

for the last two weeks she too [has] a notion to do her washing alone she tells the children she is not a going to help me do mine any more it is hard enough work to do her own. Sarah has been gone the last two weeks. I thought if she was entirely away perhaps she would take hold and help me a little this week I have been doing the work alone she has washed up the dishes and this morning she came home She asked me if I could tell her which room she was to have. I told her the room upstairs I told her if she had made her [?] when she first came here she could have had a bed to herself long ago but when she made new tick there was not [?] to fill it and now she would have to [?] Sarah [?] till [until] I could get something she said you told her she was to have the bedroom I said you intimated nothing of the kind to me but right do the reverse and more than all that I could not spare the room I must ocupy [occupy] the closet I would not [?] everything into the parlor she has gone off again up to her [?] she gets everything put into her head when she is at home I feel as though I wanted her to stay away from her Mother and become more united with us and take hold as she might or be entirely away for the burden is coming very heavy on me when the rest all give out 4 [for ?] how to shoulder it when I am the least able to bear it if I did not have her to board I should [...] to eat to come and stay with you I cannot wait is an amount of bread I have write [written] to you the truth and just as things are Sister Olsen is now confined to her bed she has met with quite a mishap my sheet is full you must rectify my mistakes for I have not time to look it over this from your true and faithful wife

Artimesia the children all send their love to you