Letter to Mary Bruce from Elizabeth Irvine

BRUCE, IRVINE

Posted By: Rebecca Stewart (email)
Date: 7/30/2005 at 16:32:34

**Mary Bruce settled in Floyd County Iowa

Iowa, February 22 1863

Dear brothers and sister, I now seat myself to write to you a few times in ? to one we received from you this morning. We are all well and were glad to here from you and to here that you all well. I hope that these few lines will find you all well. We have had a good winter here. We have not had any cold weather at all. There is not much news to write about. The water is pretty high here now. William wrote the other day and sent you the description of his ? and wanted you to get the deed made out and send it to him. That ? that William wrote to you about was sold before he got your letter for two hundred and fifty dollars but there is plenty of land that you can get if you come out here. If you come we can find a plase pretty quick and you can suit yourself better than we could now. that was a good forty if you had of wrote a little sooner. You wanted to know the best way to come on the ? but you can make the most to come with your team if you fetch a pare of four or five year old horses pretty well matched you can double an them mares is better to trade of here if the times was not quite so hard I would come out and come with mary on the ?car/ the best way for mary to come is on the ? and you to come before it brakes up to start rite off if you are a coming at all and you will be here to put in some crops and land is cheap now if you cam take your things to elgin and they will save you some thing and they will not have to come through Chicago box up every thing you can and sent it on the cars it will not coast you but a little and your team will come a grate deal easier if mary comes on the cares write a week or two before you start and we will meet her at the cards in cedar falls you can get good cows for fifteen and twenty dollars a piece write as soon as you get this and let us know whether you are a coming or not tell us all the news I don’t think of any more at present come the way you think best to but this is the way I should come. ma sends her love to you all. I had a letter from pa and he said he was a coming out this spring. write as soon as you get this I should like to be there and come out with you. good by from Joshua Bruce to Charles and Mary Squier.

Dear sister, as Joshua was writing I thought I would write you a few lines … I received a letter from John to day he was well he has been in bad battles this winter but he is spared yet. you told about elder giffords having a donation I was glad to hear they got so much lots I wish we could have been there they had one last wednesday for their minister here they only got about 10 dollars in money and enough other stuff to make about 22 dollars we did not go the water was so high we could not cross the river there was about 100 hundred there it was to perilous they had Joshua and me an … he is a … that is all the … we have around here. Johnny is about sick with ? a sore month I guess I will stay happy that you will be out here in a few .. be sure and come this spring it is lonesome out here.