Oct 19th 1870 :: Solomon Berlin to Sam & Elizabeth

Locke Ind Oct 19th 1870

Dear Brother and Sister

I received your letter last Saturday and was glad to hear from you that you are all well and in good spirits. that is more then we can say, we have been Sick all of us but Warren he has not been sick yet. we have had the Billious fever and chill fever, Francis has it now. there is more sickness here this fall than has been since I have been in the State but not many deaths. Father and Mother keeps up middling well. better than can be expected. the rest of the friends & neighbours are some of them sick but not dangerous.

we have had a very good summer here. good crops. of all grain kind the best that we have had Since I have been here. fruit is not very plenty Except peaches, there was a good many and we had also plenty of potatoe bugs. they wore here by the thousands but still we got a good many potatoes.

the wether has been nice all fall untill about a week ago. it sett in raining and now it puts in good time. it is raining now and has been all day. Mary was here last week at our house sewing, this week to Lavinas, she talks some of going to Michigan, Three Rivers to Delows, to set up Dress Making.

I should like to come out there and see you but that cannot be this fall and I feir that there will be a poor chance next summer. if I build a house, I cannot get away but you must not think that I will not come for I shall if I live and keep well. I want you to Excuse me for not writing to you an answer to that letter last spring. I neglect to write and I thought there was so many writing that they wrote all the news and I would wait untill they got through.

now Sam, I have got them Cattle yet. I had a good lot of trouble with that Big Ox. he would go just where he pleased and I had to tie his head down then he would stay where I would put him. I have them almost fat. I have been feeding them for some time. I want to sell them if I can this fall. I paid that sale note last Saturday. I did not know where the note was and I found it to Prats in Elkhart.

now I must tell you some about the times. money is hard to get. it seems very scarce yet wheat is $1.00 per bu, corn 30 cts, Oats 25, potatoes $1.00, Butter 28, Egg 15. we have had a meeting hat time about our Election. Billy Williams was nominated and Haskell went Independant and then the Democreats did not nominate an man and went for Haskell and then some of the Democrats got mad and then Elson he came out Independant and Billy Williams was Elected with a good majority over both. there was a good many Republicans went for Haskell. I will here send you an assortment of the tickets. I will have to come to a close for this time.

yours respt S Berlin
write again

==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+==

Elizabeth and Sam Coppes were living in Nodaway County, Missouri.

Warren, age 8, and Francis, age 12, are the sons of Solomon and Fianna Berlin.

Mary and Lavina are two of Solomon's sisters.

See The Berlin Family :: List of The Letters for a complete listing of all of the family letters.