Brown Family Letter, January 1, 1884

LETTER #6, JANUARY 1, 1884, South Bend, Ark.

Dear Brother, Your letter received a few days ago. Hope you had a good time at Xmas. We had a Xmas tree at our church out here. We had a fine time, but I did not get any presents as usual.

This is New Year’s day and I have been counting up my assets and liabilitys. I find that I am in debt about $20 and have $5.50 owing to me, 2.50 of which I never expect to get. I have a contract to work out all I owe and perhaps what I can collect of my debts I will have enough to last me until I can get some more. The $20 is what I owe out here beside what I owe you.

John Loyd (Floyd?) has written to me and wants me to go with him to some new country where we can get Government land and homestead a place and go to work on it and make us a home apiece and live at home and be independent as a hog on ice. I have written to him that I would go in the spring if I could riase the cash. What do you thnk of it?

Today is the coldest of the season. Thermometer down to 17 (degrees).

I don’t know what else to write now. Write soon. W.H. Brown

P.S. Write to Knoxville as usual. South Bend is only another name for it. The place has had two or three other names viz. Pitsburg, Black Fort, Mayville, WHB

Transcribed and submitted by Betsy Smith