Creator

Sarah [Muir Galloway]

Recipient

Dan[iel H. Muir]

Transcription

[1]

Mound Hill Sept 4th /70

My Dear Brother Dan
I have been longing for a few words from your pen for some time, and on seeing one of your old letters to day I made up my mind to sit down and [illegible] you [illegible], I have been taking a good look at your picture in my Album, and I but want the more to hear from you, Now I pray you be pleased to sit down as soon as you can find it convenient and tell me all that you are doing and all you intend to do, and so satisfy your sister Sarah. Perhaps you will be apt to say [illegible] [compliment?] Well I have been making a Bed Spread, a [mat?], and a Tidy. besides shirts [illegible]



[2]

Pies, Cake, Bread & Butter +c and +c but I [illegible]



[3]

3rd another year at least, she had a very pleasant visit at Father's and he even gave her a little of the needful so that you may be sure she went school-ward requiring more on account of the good will than the money. She has been taking another drawing of the old Home. [illegible]

Sept 18th My Dear Brother how [illegible]

[4]

in vain. I think we are [illegible] [illegible] influence that will tell on the character of those with whom we associate it may be for life. how careful then should we be about choosing our [illegible] [illegible] that our influence may be for the good of those around us. David Celia & I rode over to Father's yesterday the house seemed very quiet [illegible] all seem comfortable and happy. Father ploughs his acres a day and does his chores so you may be [illegible] there is not much spare time with him but he looks well and seems to enjoy it Mother looks well too and takes great pleasure in caring for her flowers and keeping the chips well raked up in the door yard it is a pretty place and she seems to enjoy the beauty around her in her own quiet way. Annie the only child at home was somewhat lonesome after her busy life at Acon[illegible] but she has got her [illegible] home: it is [illegible]



[5]

in her own pleasant room upstairs where she can practice every day so she enjoys herself very well. Joanna is going to school in Portage just now she thinks of teaching this winter. I presume you have long [illegible] [illegible] heard of Maggie's boy I wish you could see him, he is such a great [illegible] [healthy child?]. and such a pet you can guess how much comfort Maggie takes with him I [illegible] he may be [illegible] to be a comfort to her and to help fill the [illegible] [illegible] occasioned by the death of her other [illegible]. John is still [carrying?] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] stove but has taken John Foster as a partner in the business but J. F. still [buys cattle hogs?] and I don't know what [illegible] so that J. K. has a share of the profit in that line too. David has had a great deal of anxiety about his little [illegible] this summer a few weeks ago it seemed as though he could not [illegible] but he is again farming slowly the other [illegible] of the [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] but I suppose

[6]

David is a good deal discouraged about his business affairs he talks as though he had not made his living for some years back. I hope things may take a [illegible]. We get along about as usual here. David always finds something to keep himself very busy our wheat crop kike that of others is rather poor but the corn is [illegible] our Orchard has done very well too and we have lots of apples. but O the P[illegible] B[illegible] I never seen anything like it in my life we kept them down with [Paris?] green for some time but you [illegible] after the [illegible] were [illegible] and as they were growing pretty [near the house?] the [illegible] were [illegible] in every direction we found them in every room of the house you may be [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] [illegible]. Annie George & Allie are well they have had the whooping cough [illegible] but have got over it [illegible]. I must close. Love to you from Sarah

[2]

written to you once, and then waited and waited and now, thought I, just to stir him up a little, as Mother and the rest of us are becoming uneasy on accou -nt of his long silence, I will again write, and beside, if you are any like myself when away from home you will be glad to receive a letter from home any time, and by any member of the family; and "by the by" I doubt not that you were duely informed that, there is a new, "side sprout," as John designates them, an the old family there as you will see from the date of my letter, I am again a resident of the old Hickory Hill, and as I must inform you the other [illegible] olin branches have all fled, and I alone am left to comfort

[3]

and cheer; [I alone?] to fill the old house with sunshine and smiles, or tears and sighs. Mary as you are probably aware has been home, made us a visit, and returned to Madison Joanna has gone to Portage to the High School again; and I expect to remain where I am all winter at any rate, so I do not think it is quite right to leave Father and Mother alone; I shall have my little [illegible] up home, and as I have taken lessons long enough to start me & expect it will Sulp me to [illegible] many pleasant hour. send them I will have my books +c. & have been here alone just one week. and after the sort of life which I led in Oco[illegible] I find this dreadful lonesome So for pity's sake write to me

Location

Mound Hill [Wisc.]

Date Original

1870 Sep 4

Source

Original letter dimensions unknown.

Resource Identifier

muir02_0323-let.tif

File Identifier

Reel 02, Image 0323

Collection Identifier

Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc

Copyright Statement

Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Owning Institution

The Huntington Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.

Pages

5 pages

Keywords

Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters

Share

COinS
 
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.