1867-Niles-estate

Gonzales Co Texas July 29  1867

Dear Eugene & Net
                                                I have not recived any thing  from you all for some time except the paper which you are so kind to send me it comes very regularly & I am sorry that I am so far from the Office & can not send you papers more frequently.  I was at Willis' a few days ago they are all well.  Sheep doing finely they are geting very comfortably fixed, have lots of vater melons.  Will has been very busey as clerk of the Board of Registars of DeWit County.
DeWit has three White Men for Registars. Whites are called plane people now, in this county we have only two Registars one large black Negro & the other a plane man or a white man.  The Negros are all registering.  a good manny of the whit men who are entitled to Register are discouraged & will not come up.  it is thought that the negros registered in this county will out number the whits or as they are called now, plane people.
Will revived a letter from Sister V a shortime ago it states that you are all well except your eyes I am very sorroy that you can not get them cured I hope you will meet with some remedy before long that will restore them.  I went to Willis to get him to help me in streightning up Niles Estate but he was two bussey to assist me much.  I made out an account of the sheep & monney recived.  I enclose you a copy of it.  Willis examened it & wrote the notes which I have signed & will enclose also
        As I am a very poor hand at making out accounts in ship shape I will have to explain some portions of it, so as you can understand it  You will see a credit of one half of fifteen hundred & seventeen Dollars & eighty seven cents, being the whole amt of Monney firnished by Niles.  one thousan off it Jan the first / 57 two hundred the next year, the balance prior to June 1861 when the contract expired
    Our contract was for less than four years at the expiration the amount of off monney firnished was to be refunded & the Sheep or proffits equally divided. Niles was hear when the contract expired.  there was no sale for sheep or anny other property at that time on account of the war.  the future was very uncertain & we concluded to let the sheep all run to gether without a division.
As the 1517.87 was not refunded out of the partnership property it, one half of it $758.94 is due from me after an equal division of the sheep.  I took care of thee sheep during two Lambing Seasons, after I was wounded at Sharpsburg.  In the two Seasons I marked twelve hundred labes.  I have not taken anny portion of Niles intrist of the lambes which I marked during the war, but it required all that I could get for the wool at very redused prices to play the expences of taking care of the Sheep.  there is two claims against the partinership unsettled.  but do not know what they will amt to. I suppose about $200 in greenbacks.
I will pay them as they are a portion of the expences during the war.  The avrage value of the Sheep counting all Ewes wethers Lambs good & bad we put at one dollar & a half in gold or Specie.  This looks like a poor price for Sheep but nearly all kinds of property has depreciated very much in the last Six years.  Better Sheep can be bought now for one Dollar & a quarter per head than could be bought in 1858 & 59 at two dollars & a half.
Last year every thing was unSettled & it did not suit to make a division of the sheep.  I toled Willis that I would take care of the portion of the Sheep belonging Niles Estate on the usual terms which is one third of the Lambs one third of the wool.  (Willis is getting one half of the Lambs & one half of the wool for taking care of a lot of Sheep owned by a man by the name of Chase)
The 272 head of Lambs set down in the account is two thirds of the Lambs from Niles intres of the Ewes.  The whol number of his Lambs being 408 head, one third I keep.
The Amt recived for Niles intres in the clip of 1866 is two third of the wool cliped from Niles sheep.  One third being retained by me leeves $382.31.cts
The a/c is made out in Specie.  the notes are to paid in Specie.  we do not use currency much hear only to pay Taxes & Postage.  Our Sheep are not doing well the Lambs suffering from scab  I sill dip them in Tobaco in a few days.  I am very bussey.  Tell Sister V. not to be uneasey bout me. I will take better care of my health.  Tell her also that I will write to her & Sister Lucretia soon.  give my love to Henry & all the boys tell them I will not forgett to have Socks ambuotipe taken, when I have more time.  All tolerabl well, have had a great deal of rain.  I will try & do better next time

Yours Affectionatly
Keyes