On envelope:
Mr. Erastus Snow [Elder Erastus Snow 1818-1888]
St. Louis, Missouri
San Diego and Panama
Post. Box 333
Jany [January] [22] 1855
Answered April 22-/55
Postmark: Salt Lake City Utah Feb 1
Salt Lake City Jan. 25, 1855
My Dear Husband,
I embrace another opportunity of writing a few lines to you which I suppose I shall have to send by the way of California as all communications between here and the states or across the plains seems to be closed up for the present and the account of the Indians being so hostile towards the whites, but I am quite thankful for this priviledge [privilege] although it is a much longer route. I say I am thankful for the priviledge [privilege] of writing so I am for I esteem it as such although it is a great burden and task for me to write as that fact you very well know but I will do it so that I may hear from you, for I know if I do not to you, you will not to me but if it was not for that I do not suppose I should ever write another letter, it seems a long time since we have herd [heard] anything from you it is now two months since there has a mail come in. I suppose the next [ones] we shall get will be by the way of california [California], and which I am in hopes to hear that your health is improveing [improving], I feel quite uneasy about you sometimes knowing the billious [bilious] state of your system generally and the sickly country you live in, what knowing that so many of our Elders that are sent on missions are droping [dropping] away it gives me unpleasant feelings at times, but I know that you are in the hands of the Lord and if it is his will you shall [go] all if right and if he sees fit to take you from us all we can do is to be resigned to his will, as for the health of the family it is quite good at present, we have been sorely afflicted with sore eyes but are now better although the children eyes some of them continue to be quite weak yet, little Erastus is as fat and hearty as ever, little Franklin or Franklin D., if you choose to call him so I have left it for you to put on any additions you may think proper, is not near so hearty a child as Erastus but is rather of a slender and delicate constitution, he favours [favors] Artimesia very much as he grows older, but he is a smart little fellow if has got more of the Beman blood running in his veins, as for myself, I do not feel as well as I did when Erastus was four months old but still keep fleshing up, I am considerable bigger than when you were at home, if you do not back out I shall [?] up with you after a little if I do I reckon we shall make a bedfull, I guess I would like to try it tonight anyhow and see how near we come to it, but as you are not here I guess I will lay aside my letter as it is half past ten and try it along as usual with my little Franky so good night my dear.
Monday evening 29, I suppose you would like something about your out door affairs, I wrote you a long letter by the October mail which was cut off or in which two men was killed, but I understood most of the letters and papers were preserved in which I wrote all about your affairs and about brother Hanson leaving and all about Brother Peterson and the farm. I hope you have received this letter so that I may get an answer to it, but br. Peterson has done a little better since, has hauled what he calls 7 1/2 tons of hay, [3] tons to brother Ivins, in [answer] half each to the men you owed, 1 1/2 tons to br. Christian toward laying up the house as brother P [Peterson] would not pay him out his share as you said, br. P [Peterson] says he will try and handle the rock this winter so I can have the walls laid up in the spring he has also been paying me some butter along this winter, that barn is pretty much enclosed the large door is not hung yet the Blacksmith is now making the hinges, the upper floor is laid and full of hay it is taking [?]. Brother Olsen is still living with us here all the mean we leave this winter you know how very slow he is and he is slower than ever for he has a wife and baby to attend to they had a little girl in five months after you left, don’t you think we are getting smart, they require a great deal of attention, at the rate he now works it will take him all summer to finish your work, a fraction of the fence is made but I cannot complete it all for the want of nails, if mine was done the Doctors is not now, no edging of it at present, the five acre lot is not fenced. I had a few poles put on between you and brother Savage & sent [Hans] down two or three times to work he would stay about half day and come home and say he did not know what to do, like it was with every thing else he set out to do, he told sister [Bistrim – Beckstrom ?] if I would have some one to get up the wood and do the work he would do enough to pay for his board but I did not wish to board on any such scale, and William counsiled [counseled] not to hire a man this winter at all if I had my body that was worth a tallowed rag I could do something but as it is I have not done much, your stock the last I heard from them was doing well, we have had a severe snow storm I have not hird [heard] from them since, there was one cow and calf died since you left. I have killed three dry cows that were fat it took two to pay up any beef bill the horses I sent over to the herd several weeks ago. I have not hird [heard] from them since, I am not owing but little to any one but L. Kand Co. [Livingston & Kincaid Company] they have not called on me for a draught yet, and Zera [Zerubabbel Snow 1806-1888] avises [advises] me to let on it slip along as long as they are a mind to let it, Brother Liston was here not long since he says br. B [Brigham ? Beckstrom ?] is going a head [ahead] finely [finally] with his mill and expected to have it runing [running] soon after he left. I have received my share of every thing for the herd, ground, excepting wood there is a little looking yet as for the fire were lot, the ditch you made dry has washed full of sand it will have to be done over again, I hope you will get my letter I sent in the October mail, and write me what you think I had better do, Zera [Zerubabbel Snow 1806-1888] thinks if he does not start the distilery [distillery] again in the spring he shall hire a man and take one of the teams belonging to the distilery [distillery] and keep King hauling or at work for the three familys [families] if I do not from [hear] you I shall do what he thinks is for the best, as for scool [school] books I mentioned to Zera [Zerubabbel Snow 1806-1888] about them he said he had already sent you an invoice of books but I would like for you to send on some small Geography for new beginners we had quite a riot on Christmas day there were about two hundred engaged in the fight on [North] sides it was between the Soldiers and citizens there were two or three of our brethren pretty badly hurt and ...
Were [?] or two Soldiers that were so badly hurt they died afterwards [afterward] though it was kept verry [very] still, dry good is plenty but there is not a pound of sugar to be bought. If my sheet is getting full the Girls are well and send their love to you . Minerva wrote by the last mail, it still remains here you [will] receive it the same time you get this the children all send their love to you. Sarah is [?]. I have no more room so goodby [goodbye] for the present, this from your affectionate wife Artimesia