Letter from Preston Roberts to sister Martha, 1857-1864

ROBERTS, MOORE, MCMANNIS

Posted By: Vanette Hobbs Hamilton (email)
Date: 12/12/2005 at 12:16:37

Letter from Preston Roberts in Cedar County, Iowa to sister Martha in Ohio. Nancy (Moore) is Preston and Martha's sister as are Catharine and Maria. His wife is Martha McMannis. Written between 1857 and 1864.

Pee Dee Cedar Co May 3rd 18??
Dear Sister

I set down to inform you in a few lines that we are all well at present and hope those may find you the same Nancy received your letter direct from mail and was pleased to hear from you allso that you thought of coming to Iowa I did not like to answer your letter as it was not written to me but Nancy insisted that I should do it well Martha we would like you to come hear to lieve we all like the Countery well and are well satisfied but we dont like to advise you to come heare for fear you might not be satisfied but I will tell you as near about the Countery as I can in the first place it is as healthy a place as ever I lived allso a good neighborhood very clever people and moral meeting and Sunday school nearly every Sunday the land produces well easy farmed never mised a crop since we have bin heare we had a very cold long winter but I guess Iowa was not a lone from what we could hear we have very warm pleasant weather now it feels like planting corn every thing is very heigh feed more especially wheat is worth $1.00 doll corn 75 cents oats from 60 to 90 cents owing to the scasety potatoes $1.25 to $1.50 timothy seed $3.50 clover seed $3.50 flour $3.50 per hundred butter 25 to 30 cents eggs 12 to 15 cents chickens are selling at 25 to 30 cents a piece turkies $1.00 lard 14 cents per lb side meat 12 1/2 cents all kinds of garden truck will bring a good price any time at the railroad 7 miles from us any thing we have to sell will bring the cash it is a good place to make money and to spend it I had 850 bushels of wheat sold it from 80 to 95 cents per bush I have got 65 acres sowed this spring we rais spring wheat all togeather we rais from 20 to 30 bushels to the acre I dont see but what it makes as nice bread as fall wheat

I suppose Nancy told you what nice gardens they had hear the ground is very loos and mellow so much so that winter wheat wont do heare only once and a while Martha I do not othink this part will ever be a fruit Countey for apples we have plenty of wild fruit of all kinds a most I suppose Nancy told you about that
well you want to know how land rates heare raw parie from 10 to 12 1/2 doll per acre without a licke done to it improved farms 20 to 35 dollars in our neighborhood down by the railroad a good eal higher there was a place sold this spring close by 80 acres of parie 25 broke and fences a comfertable house a well of watter and some straw sheds and four acres of timber 2 miles off that is near a nough to get good parie for $16.00 dollars it was sold three years a go before there was any improvement made for 3.50 dollars there is 40 acres joining me and 5 acres of timber 1 1/2 miles from it on a very publick road it is all fenced and broke with a comfertable house 16 by 24 one story and half high I heard the other day that he would sell I am not able to tell you what the price is but between 12 and 16 hundred dollars he bought it about 18 months ago for a thousand dollars but he built a house on it since he bought it there is several small places to sell I think you could suit your self You cant buy a place that has timber on it that I would have the land ant good close to the timber another thing it is generally broken and not so healthy for newe commers Now Martha I have told you as near the truth as I can we all like the Countey first rate and are doing well I believe I could live the balance of my time without working much if I was sominded that is more than I could of said if we had staid in Ohio nothing would please me more than to see you come to Iowa we will assist you all we can if you would come but read this letter and judge for your self
there is a good society young folks heare I think a very good place to rais a family of children they turn out a big crowd of youngsters at their singing schools There is a nice meeting house 80 roods from us They have picked on a cite for a new schoolhouse right close to the meeting house we will take a vote on it to morrow I think we will get it there I received a letter from Catharine Some time ago she states that she was comming back to Iowa this fall I wish she was heare now to live with us She can live with us long as she wants to O well I had liked to of forgotten to tell you the news that Catherine wrote us that Maria was maried and had a family of five or six Children Catharine thinks she has done well I am glad to heare it it supprised us very much I thought Maria would end her days an old maid but she did not like to mis a good chance.

I must bring this scribbling to a close dont neglect writing as soon as you get this and let us heare from you I wrote you a letter once before this and never got an answer

my love to you all Jesse Fentons family and all inquiring friends from your brother
Preston Roberts

Original transcribed by and in possession of Vanette Hamilton, descendant of Martha Roberts.