From Edward Fitch to Dear Mother
I was very much pleased last night to receive a good long letter from you dated March 28th. You say “I write saying we should have Carpenters - - should not be able to write and since that you have written two letters.” Well if you have we rec’d only one and that reached here the 27 of March, one day before you wrote this but one. I did not blame you for not writing only that I wanted to hear whether you would come out here or not but Mr D’s claim you cannot have now I suppose though I do wish you could come out here and buy Mr Nichols for the boys and I will give you ten acres off from mine for you to live on, if that is all you want, or sell it to you.
Did your first baby make you forget that there was anybody else in the world? So that you think all young folks are just so? To be sure we think every thing of it but we have not forgotten you yet. I will hug and kiss her for you but I wish you could see her yourself. I dont believe you ever saw any thing quite so pretty. Your story about what assistance you have had in building the barn astonished me for Wheeler said that Lee Claflin headed a paper with 100.$ to help you re build and that others contributed something also.
Appleton writes but little you say. He writes less to me for I have not had one line from him since last November some time. I wish as you do that he had a good wife as good as mine but no matter. I dont suppose I should know Elijah now but I should like to see him. Tell him that I suppose he has given up all hopes of having Emma Claflin and Sarah has got a Lady picked out for him that will just suit him I think.
I am very glad of what I hear by the papers of the revivals in the different States East. We have a very little of the same spirit here. I attended a morning prayer meeting this morning before the regular church service commenced. There have been some few converts here, two were immersed in the Kansas river last Sunday.
I sent a note to Uncle Dr. a long time ago for 100$ half of which you sent and the other half Appleton last June.
I found the first violets of the season last Fri. Apr 9th. I guess you dont have any in Mass now. We have had rain almost every day now for a week and the storm does not seem to be gone yet. I think that I write pretty often to you especially when I dont hear for such long times. Do you sell milk now? I asked you two or three times to send me the headings of that Family Expense book you once had and I wish you would if you could just cut off the top of a leaf or two and one of the monthly summary.
Mr Savage has gone East again to get him a wife as he failed before. I hope he will have better luck this time.
The lady he has gone after is just about the age of my wife. The Catholics gained quite a foot hold in this Territory now. They have a Mission among the Indians west of here and they have the largest church in Leavenworth I guess now. There are more Germans here than Irish and they are, as a general thing, a better class of citisens than the Irish. They are mostly Free State men while the Irish are Democrats which is Pro Slavery to all intents and purposes. We have four or five kinds of flowers now in blossom on the prairie and the grass is green and it looks splendid. Have you any green grass there now?
