Dear Wife & Children every one

We last week received Watsons Letter of Oct 3rd too late to answer till now. I felt grateful to learn that you were all then well; & I think I fully sympathise with you in all the hardships & discouragements you have to meet; but you may be assured you are not alone in having trials to meet. I believe I wrote that we found every one here more or less unwell but Wealthy & Jonny; without any sort of a place where a stout man even could protect himself from the cutting cold Winds, & storms which prevail here (the Winds I mean in particular.) much more than in any place where we have ever lived; & that no crops of Hay or any thing raised had been taken care of; with corn wasteing by Cattle, & Horses; without fence; & I may add without any meat; & Jasons folks without any Sugar, or any kind of Breadstuffs but corn ground with great labour in a hand mill about Two Miles off. Since I wrote before, Wealthy, Jonny, Ellen, & myself, have escaped being sick; some have had the Ague but lightly; but Jason, & Oliver have had a hard time of it; & are yet feeble. They appear some better just now. Under existing circumstances we have made but little progress; but we have made a little. We have got a Shanty three logs high chinked, & muded; & roofed with our tent; & a chimney so far advanced that we can keep a fire in it for Jason.

John has his Shanty a little better fixed, than it was; but miserable enough now; we have got their little crop of Beans secured; which together with Jonny Cake, Mush, & Milk, Pumpkin, & Squashes constitute our fare. Of Potatoes they have none of any account. Milk, Beans, Pumpkins & Squashes a very moderate supply just for the present use. We have also got a few House logs cut for Jason. I do not send you this account to render you more unhappy but merely to let you know that those here are not altogether in Paradise; while you have to stay in that miserable Frosty region. We had here Oct 25th the hardest freezing I ever witnessed South of North Elba; at that season of the year. After all Gods tender mercies are not taken from us & blessed be his name for ever. I believe things will a little brighter here before long; & as the Winter aproaches, & that we may be able to send you a more favourable account.

There is no proper Offices before whom a Deed can be acknowledged short of Lawrence & Jason & Owen have not been able to go there at all since we

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got here. I want to learn very much whether you have received any return from the Cattle of Mr Hurlbut in Connecticut; so that I may at once write him if you have not. I trust you will not neglect this as it takes so long to get letters through & will greatly lessen my anxiety about your being made in some measure comfortable for the Winter. We hear that the Fall has been very sickly in Ohio, & other States. I can discover no reson why this country should continue sickly but it has proved exceedingly so this Fall. I feel more, & more confident that Slavery will soon die out here; & to God be the praise. Commending you all to his Infinite grace I remain

Your Affectionate Husband, & Father

John Brown