Jan 20 1865 [ Friday 20 Jan 1865]
Mrs. Elizabeth R. Snow [Elizabeth Rebecca Ashby Snow 1831-1915]
My Dear Sister
I take this opportunity to drop you a few lines we are all well and trust you are in the enjoyment of the same Blessing
Brother John arrived home last Friday [13 Jan 1865] morning and stayed with me until day before yesterday [18 Jan 1865] he brought with [him] a mass of crude notes taken from the records of the town of Salem we have diligently [?] And aranged [arranged] them and find that the first of our name in Salem was Thomas and Edward Ashby about the year 1639 they or one of them were probably the founders of the family and ancestor of our Antony Ashby who married Abagil Hutchinson and afterward married another wife named Hannah Surname not given he had 8 children whoes [whose] names we have on record From his son Benjamin 1682 decended [descended] 3 Jonathans in successive generations with their children then comes another Benjamin about the year 1721
The first Jonathan married 1715 Jemima Felt she was our ancestral g g g grandmother [great great great grandmother] I have not her Birth or death but shall probably get if from Bro Felts geneology [genealogy] if he has it as the third Jonathan was the father of our Grandfather Benj’n [Benjamin] Ashby we have lot of corrections as they had large families we have arranged the record and corrected most of the names. We intend to keep as good and perfect record as we can and wish you would send the names of your children with time of Birth [?] Say in this form Elizabeth Rebecca Ashby Born May 17, 1831 (M D Year) [17 May 1831] married Erastus Snow that is he born mo d year [month day year] Louisa 1885 St. George or if dead state death
Give me all you children with the name of Husband or wife with date as above pleas [please] if not to [too] much trouble to furnish me Nats [Nathanial's] Faily [Family] in the same order and any little scetch [sketch] of history which you would like to be transmited [transmitted] to the future generation and pleas [please] assist us to get a perfect record and they can then trace it on easily I forgot to say with you there [their] son or daughters in law give their father and mothers name and birth etc as above This may be some trouble but It will make a valuable record and be of importance one of these days pleas [please] excuse hast [haste] and my hands trembles I have been writing so much
Your Bro. Ben [Benjamin Ashby 1828-1907]