Believed to be written by Jesse Ballard.
Dear Friend:
I am seated to write you a few lines to let you know that we received your letter a few days ago. Was glad to her from you But sorry to hear of your aflictions. But thats what we all have to Contend with.. we have had a large portion of afflictions amon us since we saw Each other. as you was informed of our visit to Ohio & West VA we have Been permitted to Return home safe. We arrived home on the 3 day of Feb past. we visited many of our old friends & relatives while in the Countery. we have not herd from any of Rigses forlks since we wrote to you Before things have Changed a great deal in Ohio since you left there, you wanted to know what had Become of our Childrfen. 4 of mine is Living the 2 oldest & 2 youngest died before their Mother. Richard, John, Mary Irene & Martha are living & all are maried. the Boys is in Ohio & tghe girls is here in Illinois near us. Doing well. Patsys Children is all dead & her & me have not had any Children since we have Been together. Patsy's grandchildren, Theney Ann, left one child that is living that we have raised to Be a amn. he in this County, John W. left 2 children that is Lviign in Ohio. Martha Mayhew as 2 children Lving, Susan has one Child living. She was the youngest Child. She died there in Illinois. We moved here in Clay Co., IL Ten years ago this Spring. Bought & Lived on a farm until 2 years ago. My health has failed me and I sold my farm & Bought some Town property & have quit Business and intend to Live on what I have made heretofore. My health is reasonable good now, Patsy
s Health is good for a woman of her age. She is very fleshy But is afflicted with the Rheumatism in one of her arms But we hope when the weather setles she will get Better.
PS, your brother James Deering Received a letter from you sometime before we went up there. we will send you our pictures as soon as we get them taken.52-07-18 Letter from Coal Grove, Lawrence Co., OH, July 18, 1852, from Jesse and Ruhamah Ballard, ink is very light and hard to read.
Dear Brother and Sister, I embrace this opportunity of writing you a fe Lines to Let you know we are yet alive and in the Land of of the Living and injoying reasonable health except Ruhama. she has not had good health for nearly two years but part of the time has been able to go about & some few things to visit her neighbors but at this time is quiteunwell and scarsely able to sit up, her complaint as is common among & we hope she may yet get well but she is very much discouraged. But iti s with the Lord whether she is restored or not. We received a letter from you on te 10th day of this month dated June 20, 1852, which gave us much satisfaction to hear from you and to hear that you in your old age had come out on the Lords side and are trying to beat your march onward & upward to the fair chimes of Eternal Glory, you can scarsily conceive what satisfaction it gave your sister when we read the letter to them. that is Patsy, Ruhamah, Patsy was at our house when I took the letter home & may the Lord ever keep you both humble and Enable you to stand at yhour past as valiant soldiers of the Corss and Enable you to be Bright shining Light in His Church here on Earth that others may see of your good works and be Constrained to Glorify our father which is in heaven. and as the prayers of the Righteous prevailieth much we desire your prayers in our Behalf, I would say to you dear Brother and Sister that you know that we had Enlisted in our masters cause before you left this Country and we are still striveing to beat our march onward and upward to the fare Chimes of Eternal Glory and our Children have given evidence that they have found the Pearl of Great Price and have united themselves to the Church. namely, James & Mary Jane. THey were Baptized Last Sabbath into the fellowship of the Ice Creek Church. The Ice Creek Church holds her meetings in our immediate neighborhood & is prosperous Church with about 100 members and we have a new meeting house in progress in building & expect to hold our August meeting in it which is on the 2nd Sabbath in Said month & Saturday Before. the Lord has been doing great work among the people in the Countery this summer at the Zoar Church at the mill ware we used to live thare had been a great Revival Several have all ready joined the Church & we expect on the 4th Sabbath in this month thare will Be a number Baptised. among those who have all ready joined is your Brother James Children. Francis & Elizabeth & two of Pastsy Chidlren. John the Oldest Boy & Martha her third Daughter & Pierce P. Polly. Elizabeth Mayhews man. So that Patsys family we might say is a family devoted to the Lord for all that have Come to the years of accountability now Belong to the Church you stated that you heard that E. Mayhew & Elizabeth was dead. they both died last Dec. there was merly a few days between thare deaths. He died on friday the 17th & Elizabeth on thursday following. it appeared that they Both died of the Same Disease called Bronketus, a disease in the throat. so they are no more among us on this Earth But have gone the way of all the Earth. I Mayew had considerable of property in his hands Before his death But was considerable in debt But I think By good mangagement of his Estate the Family will have a comfortable Living Left when the Estate is settled. By the Request of patsy & the Children I administered on the Estate. the family is doing as well as Could be expected. They are nearly all able to work and are willing so to do. I Staid there Last night. Patsy has been verry sick But is now getting Better. your Brother James Dearing is yet in California and does not expect to Come home until next winter. we get Letters from him Every few weeks. he has been there Last spring a year ago he sent his wife three hundred Dollars & thinks By next fall he will have a good pile to Bring home wiht him if he should live to Come home. his family is doing well. Lydia is one of theme woman that knows how to get along in this world & is raising up her Children in the nurture & admonistion of the Lord as the scriptures Directs as you herd Susan Ballard is dead and John is married again. he amried Kasandrer Riggs. Daugher of Levi Riggs & is I Believe a very fine woman and they have a fine son. But after her child was Born Both she lost of her Breasts and they have had to raise their Son by hand & Susans Children all grow the fine & I think they have a good stepmother Mary was out to see us Last Sabbath and I saw Jon the same day at meeting & they ware are well. We hear from Jarriot Riggs & family they are getting along very well from wat we hear from tehm it is Like you have herd that Jarriot had Joined the Baptist Church same years Back & he is now as Strong a Baptist as he used to be a Methodist & several of his Children has joined teh Baptist Church, we hear from William Dearing occationly & they have generally good health & is doing well as to the things of this world. But I am afraid they are not prepared for happyness in the world to come. You wished to know what County Jon Dearing last winder & teh Letter was mailed at Grind Stone post office the County not marked on it so if you wish to write to him Direct your letter to Grandstone Post Office Missouri Anthony Dearing is somewhere in the south part of Missouri & has Been there for some years Butg I do not know what County he is in for him and John dose not write to us. you stated you had written to us several times and had not got any answer. we have not received BUt one Letter from you since you have Been out thare & that has been 4 or 5 years past. I would Like to have the pleasure answering a letter from you a Every few months. You wished to know how we are getting along. I will now give you a small sketch of our affairs. We are Living on the Old Charles Hoog farm, the place we moved to when we Left the mill & we have in cultivation over one hundred acres of Land, 10 acres in Wheat, 15 in oats, 40 in Corn, 1 in potatoes 10 in Meadow & the remainder in forests. wheat crops is verry good here, oats tolerable good potatoes has a good appearance, grass is an average crop, corn looks tolerable well considering the B ackwardness of the seasonwe had a remarkable cold Spring the thermometer stood from 25 to 28 Degrees below Zero & the Cold weather contineud some time and the Spring was very backward. Cold so mcuh so that our Corn did not Come uniformly all had to be planted over & some two or three times and yet thare are many fields that the Corn is very thin on them But for the last week we have had considerable rain and corn is Coming out verry fast and I think our Crop will bean avearage one from the appearance now, as for Stock, I have a fine Lot of hogs, 5 milch cows, Between 15 and 20 head of young cattle some sheep Geese & Chickens a plenty, and we have plenty in the smoke house to do us some months yet. So you may see that we are yet a trying to make a living and we are Building a new Dwelling house a frame & have it so that are making some use of it at this time and I expect to finish it this winter my self. we have 4 Boys, large enough to hoe Crops. Davis & Samuel makes very good hands on the farm. Samuel is as heavy as I am Davis is not as large as Samuel although he is the oldest. Thare is a great many of your old acquaintances here have gone to thare long home ane many have moved to other parts and things have undergone a great many Changes in this section of Countery. There is the town of Ironton at the mouth of Storms Crrek over 2000 inhabitants with its roling hills & its foundery & machines & lots of various kinds all in operation. I must close for want of room. Remember as often as I Received a letter from you I will answer it immediately. Jesse Ballard, Ruhammah Ballard
Marriage Notes for Martin Floyd and Rhoda WEBB-278024
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