Poe Archive

Stonington
Jan 5th 1832

My Dear Brother,

I have not received a letter from you since you were at Milan Village but hope to soon. I received your good letter of January 1st at Auburn last week as well as that of my Dear Father and I were very glad to hear that you liked your situation. I wrote you not long since and directed it to you at Milan Village and supposed that you never had received it as I have not received any answer.

It is very bad trabeling the roads remind me something of ours. I was to Uncle James a fortnight ago last Friday, they were all prretty smart and desired to be remembered to you. Uncle was over to Lyme and Salem not long since they were all prretty. Uncle saw John he was very smart. Mr. C. A. Smith was married to Miss Emma Stanton three weeks a last Wednesday. There were 70 people there. The measles are on the point there are a great many sick with them. Little Charles Babcock has been very sick with the Typhus Fever, but is getting better slowly. Our little baby is very sick with the lung fever she was taken on Sunday night and has had watches every night since. Last Tuesday Aunt Ann received a letter from uncle Charles mailed Jan 13th. He had a passage of 28 day three days out they had quite a gale; they got on the Bahama Banks and lay there three days. It cost them 3000 dollars to get off. It was the new ship Huntsville.

I have not attended meeting today as it has snowed all day and hailed and snowed nearly all night. It would be good sleighing only if the ground had frozen before the snow. I sent my watch over to the bridge to have a crystal put in and to have it regulated as our clock does not go. Our school is prretty full. I have began to study and reck[on] I like it very much. It is more interesting than the Latin. Mrs. Foster is up here spending a few days. Mrs. Hubbard has watched one night; she is very kind.

Monday evening. I thought that I would not send my letter today as I thought I would give you a good long letter and expect one in return. Yesterday it snowed all day and now it is very good sleighing. It was Town Meeting today, they was triing to get a road from Mr. E. Williams down through the Robison Pasture. I have not heard whether they have got it are not. The quills I sent by Betsy were for you instead of Horrace. I have got me a pair of India rubber overshoes; they are very warm. I sent by William Babcock to New York for them; they cost one dollar and a quarter.

We have a grate to burn coal. We all like it very much. It is very handy in sickness. The school begins at 9 and lets out at 3 in the afternoon our dinner is plain bread or 6 crackers, no butter allowed. We have a clock for the school room. It cost 13 dollars. We paid half of it when we got it and are to keep a year on trial and if we like it, we keep it and pay the sum. I wrote Father and Mother last week. Vimis Pendleton is agoing to watch here to night with the baby. Aunt Ann sleeps in the room we all think that she is better, the doctor came morning and night.

Tuesday evening. January 7th. Joseph Palmer the son of the widow. Joseph Palmer died last night at 8. He came from Norwich yesterday. He had been very anxious to come home. Betty Cook froze to death about 20 rods from this house night before last. She was not found until about 9 or 10 o’clock in the morning.

I have got my watch. It cost 37 ½ cents. The baby is a great deal better. Aunt Phelps has got a very hard headache tonight so as she has gone to bed. I am very well, with love to all Grover and aq good share for yourself. I remain your affectionate brother,

Charles B. Noyes