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Notice: all or parts of this letter appears in a copyrighted source (Evans 1968) and is presented here with permission. All rights reserved.
From: J. Esrey ( Ray County, Missouri)
To: Daniel and Amanda Rhoads, Jonathan Esrey, Justin Esrey ( California)
Date: June 10, 1852
Note: from the Earl Rhoads collection
Dear Children: I once more take my old goosequill to inform you that we are still in the Land of the living. Thanks be to God for His Mercies. I have nothing particular to write to you. We are trudging along, much after the old sort. Trying to make something to live upon. The weather is as dry with us as California now, but we hope for rain shortly. The crops are rather backward. Corn is small and seems to grow slowly. Wheat will be light on account of Winter freeze. The oats look tolerable. Old corn is now worth $1.50 per Barrel. Hogs are scarcer than I have known them since I have been a Resident of the state. Cattle are high and somewhat reduced in numbers. Good Horses are quite high and so are mules. Bacon and lard are worth about 9 cents; old wheat .75.
The friends are all well so far as I know. Polly Elder has another heir. I do not recollect what they call it. Your Grandmother Forster is living with us. Your Aunt Nancy Forster is dead, which I wrote you before. Joseph Dusenberry is dead of consumption. Robinson Jacobs, I suppose, is dead from what I have heard, but was alive the last I heard, but not expected to last long.
We have planted 120 acres corn and running 4 plows to tend the same. Your brother James (Esrey) is breaking prairie and John and Thomas are doing the same. Shackelford has in a crop of corn and oats, that look well although small. Gouvernour King and Judge Birch are running for congress on the Democratic ticket. Birch is the nominee of the convention. King is independent. Major Oliver is the Whig Candidate. Prospect fair at present. Old Branstetter and Doctor Loin and King for the Legislature. The Whig Candidate perhaps Major Boyce may run, and who else I know not. The fight is warm between Birth and King as it was two years ago between Binton and …(?). I hope you will take time to write and let us know what you are doing. I would say that Lindenschmidt has returned and is now boarding with us. He wants to sell badly and go to the Land of Gold, but his farm is all burned up, and he can’t sell, I apprehend for much of anything. Land is lower I think than it has been altho military land warrants are bought up to speculate upon. There is no place in this quarter to lay them only in the Wide Prairie. If I have luck with my Hogs, I want to fatten 100 this fall,
and so remain
your parent