aaa-0097.html

Lawrence Ohio

Novbr 13th 1881

Dear Brother I Recd your letter and now will attempt to answer I am Rejoiced to learn of Your Exceeding good fortune in Your mining Operations And from the manner You tell me You are investing I feel quite Sure You have a permanent thing And think After So long a Struggle You Are doing a wise act by investing in land I am Still poor and Expect Always to remain So but I am Heartily glad to know that you are in a condition to take the world Easy I would be delighted above all things to come and See You and all of the Relatives in that County but fear for the present I Shall not get to Come The farming You Spoke of I think I Should like if I could Sell here and get anything for what I have Yet I dont Expect I could farm in California as I presume it is quite a different process from our farming if it was producing Tobacco and farming Hillsides by Physical Strength and awkwardness I could bring as much Experience to the Business as would be likely found in any one Jane has not been at Home Since I wrote to you before and that partly Kept me from coming to See you as I Expected her Home in good time if we concluded to come but the River was so low that the Boats Could not run So She took Rail and went out into Noble Co and the people where She has been most of the time Since She went from Home wanted her to work So She Staid and I have not Seen her yet the fall has been Beautiful and I have my work in better Shape for taking the time to visit than I Ever had before But it is now getting So late and I am worn out nearly with work So I dont know whether it would be advisable to Start I have not more than made Expenses this Season drouth Cut our Crops Short and Tobacco is Still unsold but it is Certain the price will be low if I had plentiful means I would have turned merchant and Bought instead of Selling Tobacco but my Capital is Small and there is a lisence to pay for privilege of Dealing in the weed So I dont think for what I could buy that it would pay the Crop could be Bought for from four to five dollars per cwt I think I Shall sack my own I Recd the likeness you Sent me and it now occupies a place in our album beside it's father @ mother and it affords me a pleasure to look at them that I would be verry unwilling to part with I think you might have Brought your wife and Babe over that I might See you all as it would not Cost you any more than it will to Board out this winter and in your present Circumstances you Could Spend that amount without inconvenience I dont think if I dont get to come to See you this winter that I Shall ever come and I have about give up your coming to See me I Should like to have the pleasure of meeting you again before we take our leave of Earth and I am tolerable Notionate So I might take it into my head to See you before Spring write often anyhow my Regard to your wife @ good wishes for Health and Happiness of the little one your

brother

Amos McFarland

to John McFarling

c:\mcfarl\mcfltr1.ca

aaa0097