[Envelope] Mr. Erastus Snow [Elder Erastus Snow 1818-1888]
St Louis Missouri
[Post Mark 1 Nov]
From Artimesia 29 Oct/54 Answerd[Answered] Oct 29 1854
Salt Lake City Oct. 29, 1854
My dear Hustband [Husband].
After a silence of three months I again seat myself to pen a few lines to you. I suppose you will think it rather strange not receiving any news by the last mail but lay nothing to my charge for I think I have a reasonable excuse as my little son Franklin was only nine days old he being born on the 21 I was not able to write and Elizabeth wrote the mail before she thought it did not belong to her to write and Minerva declined writing for some reason or other I know not like she did the mail before so you see between three stools you come to the ground for news if you had had but one wife I have no doubt but she would have managed some way to have got a letter wrote [written] so this is what you get by having so many, but enough of this. my health is gaining though I am not able to be about on my feet much in consequence of the weakness I am troubled with. my little son Franklin is now five weeks old and a smart little fellow and grows like a weed. he can laugh and talk and almost ask when he shall see his father, but suffise [suffice] it to say I have my hands full with my two babies. have you forgotten your prayer the night you got home from Denmark if you have I have not we can now realize the answer.
I cannot say the rest of the family are all well for the children are all complaining they are taken with something like the cholerama [cholera] bug which would run on them for severall [several] days and then they would begin to get better. the sore eyes would follow, they are now badly afflicted with soar [sore] eyes which seems to be a general complaint amongst both old and young I hope when this reaches you it will find you in the enjoyment of good health and good spirits. I suppose you have fatted about two inches on the ribs by this time eating apples and peaches. by the way I have had two to eat one was a present to Franklin the day he was born I eat [ate] the peach and saved the stone [to] plant him a tree. I supose [suppose] you would like to hear something about your outdoor affairs. I cannot write as encouraging as I would be glad to, but you know or ought to by this time about how things go when a man is away if you don't I do to my satisfaction. I find it is not much use for me to try to do much canion [canyon] work. it costs me more than it comes to. I have made two attempts since I last wrote to get the lumber out of the canion [canyon], and have failed and have got to buy my lumber most of it at last. brother Olsen is now putting [puting] the roof on the barn as I have not been able to get lumber from the Doctors [Doctor's] mill untill [until] now. he has made some of the fence around the lot he has been to work some for himself while waiting for lumber, but says he shall do all the workyou wanted him to do before he leaves. Carl has gone to his Father. br Hanson has left me to my own destruction. soon after you left he was taken sick and did not do any thing for some time. since that time he has had no ambition nor force about all he cared for was to have the time pass away. I had to watch him to see that every little chore was done. I thought if I bought my lumber as I had already highered [hired] a man to help Carl make the the [sic] adobies for the farm he would get up my wood. he hauled three or four small loads then said he could not go to the canion [canyon] any more. I told him he was not the man for me if he could not do my work I must get somebody that could. after you left I gave him your summer suit and got him a pair of shoes a hunting shirt and other shirts. when he came to go away he wanted me to get him a coat pants vest a pair of boots shoes drawers under shirts shovel spade I told him what he had done since you had been gone would not any more than pay for his board as for what he earned before you went I did not know anything about it he thought he had ought to have fifteen dollars a month if I would get him all of these things he said he would wait for the rest till you came home. I told him under the existing circumstances I could not afford to do it because I did not think he had earned it. some told me not to pay him anything. but I gave him ten dollars out of the store your flannel under shirts two pair of socks two dollars in money, and told him that was all I should give him till I heard from you and what ever you said pay him that I would do. but I would not give him his board for what he had done since you have been gone tell me if I shall pay him any more if so how much. I am making my fortune from the farm I have had a few bundles of oat straw not an oat on it and about what corn fodder would grow on two rows across the garden and one half ton of hay I hardly know what to think of brother Peterson I have sent word to him time and again for him to haul my hay. about the middle of september I sent word to him to come and see me he came I told him I had been told I would get no hay he was mad but did not say but little I told him I wanted he should haul Ivins his and the other men yet owed for they wanted it. he said he would and did so and promised to haul mine. the next week after he hauled Ivins but has not done it but has been continually hauling for himself to sell ever since he first commenced cutting and has stacked two stacks for himself. now it is all killed by the frost I have no benefit from the cows since you left scarcely eighteen pounds is all we have received since he has had the cows. he intends to look out for himself instead of any boddy [anybody] else by the course he pursues. brother Beckstrum [Beckstrom] and brother Olsen has [have] taken it upon them to get up my wood and see to things about the lot and I have concluded to live without a man this winter. sister Beckstrum [Beckstrom] makes it her home here yet but has been out a washing almost every day in the week. they all send their love to you. Brother Olsen says tell you he will do the best he can in getting your work done. I have been trying some to sell the horses and get
[around the margins] one good yoke of cattle to work for I find a horse team is not the right kind of a team for such teamsters as I have the cattle you had of the Doctor Briant [Bryant] now has he says one of them is so old he cannot eat a mouthful of hay he will sell them the first chance he has. sugar you thought would be very plenty but it is now very scarce if we had as much as we had last winter I should feel quite rich. write to me what you think I had better do in the spring My sheet is full I shall have to close the mail has not yet arrived. I am anxiously looking for a letter from you Elisabeth says give her love to you and please except [accept] mine as I have no room to write any [more] this from your affectionate wife A Snow [Artimesia Beman (Snow) 1819-1882]
Oct. 31 it is now the last day in the afternoon, the mail has arrived and I have just been perusing your letters which were joyfully and thankfully received I assure you we were [happy to] hear you were well and had arrived safe to your journeys end I will write an answer to a few things you have mentioned. the adobies are made for the farm but Peterson has not got the walls laid up yet you told me when you left you had paid for six hundred feet but had made a bill out for 900 this is what I understood from the Doctor I have got the 900 but paid for the other three hundred but had paid work to get that the Doctor sold his mills and there are so many debts coming against them they cannot get lumber fast enough to pay them I will get the balance as fast as I can horses and cattle are much lower than when you left so Bryant says the California market is down and that of course brings them down here he says if he can get 80 dollars for them he will get all they are worth it is so late I hardly I [sic] shall be able to sell them this fall if I could I should pay some in to Livingston I am sorry I did not know you wanted me to take things at Z [?] store. I asked you before you left and you did not tell me to I have not taken up any more than I could help whenever I had anything to pay with I have paid the most that has gone to your hired men I have not but little from Z [?] store for our family use he has bought me some wheat little lumber and shingles it is a little laughable as well as provoking there has [have] debts come against you seven years old there has [have] two come against you six years old and this morning the man came you bought prince [horse?] there was twelve dollars he said due him but I did not pay him nor I don't intend to as for Pumroy I hauled the lumber myself so he is in my debt I have done the best I knew how considering my inexperience in such matters brother Beckstrum [Beckstrom] seems to be a fine man will remain with us till he gets up my wood then they will go to house keeping I am sorry you will be so disappointed in not receiving news by the October mail but it was not my fault I have not bought my wheat yet but 1/2 a [?] buys just enough to keep me eating wheat has not fallen much their [there] being so many soldiers here to winter and our own emigration. I must close or I shall be to [too] late for the office the children all send their love to you and except [accept] of my warmest affections