Pleasant Valley July 14th 1875

Jo. Davies Co. Ills.

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Dear Uncle

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I should like to hear from you very much and so I am going to ask if you could let us hear from you. I don’t expect you will be at all sure of getting this letter. How can you bear to live away up there where no one can see or hear from you. Why can’t you come and spend the rest of your days where you can be taken care of when you need care. I should like to see you very much and I have often thought I would try and come and find you and make you a visit. Do you like the country up there, or can’t you leave if you wanted to. Do you have any white neighbors. What is the name of the nearest Post Office and how far is it from where you live. Aunt Addie lives in Louisville Kentucky now. I wrote one letter to you once before, did you get it. We are all well and I hope you are too.

The crops look well down here. We haven’t had any grasshoppers here, but in some parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri the grasshoppers have stripped every green leaf from the whole country last year and in some places this summer, and even ate the bark of the trees. We had an uncommon cold winter last winter and now it is very warm. Did you have colder weather than common last winter. Are there many Indians around where you are and do they act friendly to the white man. If you ever leave the country where you are and can come and see us we should be very happy to have you. Is there much wild game around there. Do you hunt for wild animals much. Ma is very busy this summer but she will write as soon as she can. I do most of the letter writing.

 

September 15th 1875

Dear Uncle,

This has been lying a long time waiting for Ma to write but she can’t find a spare minute. We had a frost here in August that killed a good many fields of corn. What kind of weather are you having now. What kind of crops do you raise up there. Do you live near Frazers River. Well! I can’t think of anything more to write so I will close. Please write as soon as you can and we should all like to have you come down here and live where we could see and hear from you once in a while. Good bye from your nephew.

 

William Scott Smith

 

Pleasant Valley Ill.

Jan’y 1st, 1876

Dear Brother Whit,

Willie wrote this letter to you before I wrote my last but I didn’t know it until after I had mailed mine and I have let it lie week after week for leisure to add a little to it. It seems strange that any one can’t have time to write a letter nearly any day, but when there is work needing to be done for the comfort of some one of the family, one is apt to put off the claims of the absent, especially when it is so doubtful whether our letters ever reach you. If I could be reasonably sure that half of my letters would ever find you I would take time to write oftener but we hardly ever get a letter from you and I suppose you as seldom hear from us.

(from Mary)