Letter of William Silvus
#335 on Mary Cole’s Chart.

July 25, 1881

Dear Brother and Sisters and All Friends

I will try to pencil you a few lines to let you know that by the mercy of God I am still on earth and my head is as good as it was in Ohio.

Hoping these times may find you well I had not forgot you though. I have worked well. We had a hard winter much snow having high waters. So much rain.

Come night we had great snow drifts here, I had snow in my hand the 26 day of May that was covered with hay. You should come and see this country to see how we live here. Some burn hay for to cook with corn cobs one told me he used one hundred 25 bushels of corn we have to go 17/14[???] miles for wood here they get one load a day the snow drifts were so bad last winter we had to burn fences. We don’t have so steep hills here as you have in Ohio.

Well I have not heard from my sisters for 2 years I write to them but got no answer last fall I was at William Newhouse 2 months He is doing well He has 100 and 10 acres all good land to plow. He has kind woman I think a good deal of her and family where he lives apples and grapes are plenty but here the last apples I bought 30 cents a peck. They did ask 5 cents for one. It 16 miles to Sioux City that is the county seat and the store hay are a dollar for 100.

As soon you can write to me if you get this I want hear from you all once more

From your brother

Wm Silvus to all Silvus in Ohio

Woodbury County, Iowa

On the outside of the letter it says:

To Isaac Silvus Beverly Ohio.

This was a letter written in pencil and found in my mother’s attic. It was written by William Silvus who was born 18 June 1801 in Westmoreland County PA. He went to Iowa to homestead sometime after 1870 when he was in Athens County Ohio census. He wrote the letter to my great great grandfather Isaac Silvus (#339 on Mary Cole’s chart). I have left the punctuation, grammar, and spelling just as they were in the original letter.

Judy Bedford