Addressed to Miss Harriet Hosley Pepperell Mass
From Walpole Mass postmarked Jul 17

Walpole July 16 1854
Dear Sister I take the opportunity this morning to
Set down to write you a few lines that we are all
Well at this present time I received your letter yesterday
And was glad to hear you spoke a bout my coming up
But I don’t see how I can for the present for they
Ant no more sings of my moving then they was
When I wrote to you before Fishers house one I spoke
Of we didn’t no as they occupied it They sleep in
Their this summer they thought it would be some trouble
To move them out they ant but one house mine
That is empty I ant sure of getting that is close
To Lumans the man has gone of and shut his
House up his wife is dead they don’t know where
He is gonter let it or not Luman said he would
Write to him to see where he would or not they herd
He said he would let it for 35 dollars a year
I have got to men here now Clapp and one of greys
Men I am sorry that Ella Jane has forgot her
Father I did not want her to if she had been to house
She wouldn’t move then he I don’t see how she should
Forget him more than we She wont rember any of
Us much longer if that is the way she forgets
So quick I don’t mean Elbridge shall forget him
I speak of him every day or two and so does
He went down in the burying ground with

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With me the other day he talked
Considerable about it I can hardly realize it my
Self that he is gone for a week after he died
It seemed just as so he was a coming back
We could not make it seem any other way
To think that he couldn’t be Spared to me any
Longer Elbridge asked me the other day what
Made his father die I told him he was so sick
He could not get well he said he had a sore
Arm I told him he had a lame arm I told
Him his father wanted to get well so he could
Take care of him he was afraid he would be
Naughty boy I told him he did not want to
Die and leave him and Clarence they is
No one noes how he suffered in mind because
He could not talk and take comfort the children
He suffered enough with his disease they is no one
noes any thing a bout it what a comfort(?) it
is I hope if any the rest of them have at
it wont work in their throats as it did
in his for I think it is dreadful I think all
the boys feel some worried about it to think
it took hold of him so quick as Mr M__ick
said he was just in prime of life I could
write you a good deal more but I rather tell you
when I see you I can tell you better then I can
write I have been thinking about writing to

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Harriet Durant about coming down and staying
With me She told me when I was up there she
Should like to come down and saw straw I thought
I would let it alone till Hannah come(?) she what
She thought I want to get one or two you must
Come down if you can I must have some one
I cant stay alone if I only can get a house
To move and then I shall no what to calculate upon
If I had got to pay this rent I should
Want half a dozen of men boarders and it
Would be good deal burden for me then it would
To move some where and pay low rent and
Sow I cant tell yet not till I find out
I want of Hannah to stay a spell with
Me when she comes for I am alone the
Most of the time caroline she is of and on
She don’t stay here steady She is down to Maryland (?)
Good deal she will be going back next month
In the shop I want you to be shure and
Write to me again before long and I will
The same I can tell you twice as much
As I can write I don’t know as I will
Stop to say any more at this time
And so no more now

Eliza J Gay

Transcribed by Rob Young Oct 2 2008
if anybody wants the scanned copy
let me know