Hamersly Library

Polk County Oregon Teritory June 2nd 1855

Dear Children

I have concluded to write you a joint letters in as much as you live near
each other and can peruse it at any time you may wish to I received
your kind and interesting letters by the last mail  John's dated 13th and
James's dated 8th of March and was much pleased to hear that you was
all still alive and injoying a reasonable portion of health , that greatest of
Earthly blefsings; I was not only glad to hear that you was all in usual
health, but that your kneighbours, friends and the country generally was
in a prosperous condition and that you have facilities by which you can
send your surpluss to the best markets in the wourld and also in return
can obtain the necefsaries of life at a fair price I am always glad to hear
of the prosperity of Illinois for it still feels like home to me, and if I never
see Illinois again I hope that I shall still hear of her prosperity I sometimes
think that if I had the means to bring us back and could prevail on some
of our children to return with us, that I would be willing to go back home
where we would have something to to live on, but when I think of the
greate risk of returning together with the greate expence and the short time
we will have to live and certenty of leaving some or all of our children here
I shrink from the task and conclude that I had better do the best that I can
although I do not expect that I shall ever see much more happinefsin this
wourld for it does seem to me that cannot reconcile it to myself to never see
you again together with all my old kneighbours and acquaintences, but I
must submit to my fate as well as I can. If I was a young man or had the
means to start on I could live much easeyer here than I could in Illinois for
there I would have to work hard all summer to make the grain and all winter
to feed it out and in the spring I would have to commence and go through the
same operation the next year and so on as long as I lived but here we have
plenty good grafs all the year except thare falls a snow (which it does somtimes)
and civers up the grafs for from two to three weeks and then it is necessary
to feed stock till the snow melts off. last winter the stock needed no feed all
winter and I never saw as fine grafs in all my life as thare is at this time in
Oregon Cattle increase faster here than any place that i was ever in, everything
does well that lives on grafs, and the cows gives richer milk here than any
other place that I ever saw but I dont believe that they give any more of it,
the country is good for small grain and tame grafs it is not a corn country
but we can raise as much as we need we only want enough to fatten our
pork and make a little bread for a rarity. You would perhaps like to heare
something about your brothers and sisters I can only tell you that they are
all in good health as far as I know. they all seem to be geting along far
beyond my expectation they have all got a greate deal more personal
property than they had in Illinois. I told you in a former letter what they
all had I believe except Isaac & myself, Isaac has five head of horses and
six head of cattle and good claim of land (but he has no wife) now I will
tell you what I have, I have my waggon and buggy two mules, three mares
two year old colts and two young coalts I have fifteen head of cattle six
sheep thirty five hogs and a few things about the house not worth
mentioning I have bought a qr of deeded land adjoining which thare is
about 96 acres of vacant land upon which I have built me a little house
and expcts to moove into it soon but shall not do anything more than to
save it until I can enter it except Isaac should marry I owe four hundred
dollars at ten percent intrest and have one hundred & seventy five owing
to me at the same rate of intrest. so you see my situation exactly as it is
John you say that Bladly has paid you the rent for last year if you can send
it to me in any safe way I would be glad for you see that I am compelled
to have some money inquire of Quimby if you can optain a treasury draft
and send it to me, or if that cannot be done you perhaps could deposite
the money in the Missorie Bank and send me the cirtificate of deposit,
inquire of some person who you think know and do the best for me that
you can, if you sell the place that Bladley lived on send me all you can after
paying yourself for your trouble you are aware I presume that Isaac let me
have the land that I deeded to him. if you sell it for any more than will
refund to me the money that I paid for his claim I will give him the ballanc
I will just state to you that the letter containnig the duplicate draft to Isaac
Smith and me was not received for nearly five month after date and some
time after the Bank failed so you see that if the draft had not here come to
hand that we would have lost it, but we got the money on the draft and all
is well You have writen in a former letter that you would loose three hundred
dollars by going old Griswould's security I want to know whither you mean
by that that you will loose it by going his security to me or some other person
if it is in consequince of your going his security to me, I hope you will not give
yourself any further concearn about it as you shall never pay ones cent of it
while you live get it of Griswould if you can and if not let it go

You wrote to me that is one of you did, that Alexander Turnbull wanted me to
write whither I knew anything of his son Robt I have never seen him but
sometime last fall your uncle Elijah Davidson saw him about 55 or 60 miles
south of here with a pack train he was then as harty as a buck and as fat as
a bear You also said in your last letter that old Mr. Chinn wanted me to write
all that I knew about Charles I have not seen or heard anything of him since
last Sept  I was at Micha Mathina's this last spring and he had not hear of
Chaley since I saw him last Sept boys I want you to consult with one another
and if you thing best with some of our best friend whither it would be best to
lay off all my timber land except what is necefsary for the support of the farm
and sell it or if you think best to sell it all together write to me as soon as you
get this and let me know your opinions and I will write to you and tell you
what to do.  ferwell my dear children

[to] John & James Butler and families

Peter & Rachel Butler

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