The following letter, written by AUNTY PATTERSON, in May, l853, contains interesting facts concerning early Decatur County History. The letter was published many years after it was written by MRS. PATTERSON by a Decatur County Paper, what publication we did not learn. The letter was clipped from this paper about twenty-six years ago by T.F. AKERS, of Manilla, Iowa, brother of W.H. AKERS, of near Grand River. He sent the clipping to his brother near Grand River and it was forwarded from there to us. The letter follows: Plum Grove, Iowa, May 4th, l853.

Good morning to you all. I hope you are well. We received a letter from you not long since speaking of your intention of emigrating to Iowa next fall. We were glad to hear that you intend coming. Our county is improving very fast. The election is over and the county seat matter is settled. The present site is one half mile east of us in fair view. So you see we will be close to town. The town is surveyed and the lot sale comes off next Tuesday. There are four stores waiting to come in as soon as the lot sale is over. There has been great excitement about the county seat but now it is settled according to a late act of the legislature, granting the people a vote on it at the April election. There were three sites picked out and ours, which is Independence, carried it over the others and gained the day very unexpected to the most of us and you had better believe there was some snorting and foaming about at other places but they can't help themselves now. There has been a great quantity of land entered around Independence since the first of the month. There is very little vacant land in two miles of the county seat. The west part of the county comes into market in July next. It is thought that by next September the vacant land will be all taken up. But it will be cheap. You can buy entered land cheap or you can buy a claim. The men here think nothing of going to California. There are several wanting to sell and go there next spring.

* * * * I wish you were here now and well satisfied. I wish you to bear in mind that this is new country and you will have some hardships to go through. I don't want you to come and be dissatisfied or disappointed. This is not the Garden of Eden or paradise, but it is a rich spot of ground in our sin-cursed world, where the decree has gone forth, "from the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat bread." I want no handsomer or richer place than the one we now have and I could not be better suited this side of the new Jerusalem, the holy city. But, as I have told you we have many privations and hardships, such as going fifty miles to mill and eating cornbread and venison and a wild turkey once in a while, but there is a better day coming.

* * * * Our quarterly meeting commences on the first Saturday in June in Decatur City--the first quarterly meeting ever held in Decatur County, Iowa. Pray that the Lord will come and meet with us and sanctify our souls and convict and convert sinners and give us a glorious time long to be remembered in this far western wild. Oh that He would bless the little vine that He has planted here and make it grow and spread until it covers the whole earth.

* * * * Pray for me that I may land safe in Heaven when all my toils and sorrows are over.

* * *Yours in much love,

--PAMELA PATTERSON