Bloomington March 14th 1869

Dear Wife & Children

I recd yours & Lilys last night glad to hear you are well hope Lilly will succeed in her edging business if she can do anything at it go in and dont back down.

my health is fine I have had a fearfully hard job this last week putting in Pattent Bumpers lifting & Boring hard wrenching in putting in large Bolts, the dirtiest work I ever done my hands look like Hen Tibbets(?), ask Mr. Folsom if the Mr Heath at the Shop is A.C. Heath formerly master mechanic at the Amoskeag shop in Manchester there is a man by the name of Carley that boards here wishes to know as it is his uncle if he is the man. Carley is Boss of the Planers in Machine Shop. Speaking of Oyesters we have three oysters and a plate of soup every sunday for dinner and soup every day at dinner if we want it but I dont eat any but Oyster-Beard vegitable Vermicelli Maccaroni &c I let pass.

we have plenty to eat the only fault is slack cooking of some of the meats B. Steak ever[y] supper since I have been here except sunday then cold meat Tea & coffee morning & night I get Tea at dinner made on purpose alone two or three kinds of pie at dinner no puddings mince, apple, Peach, Blackberry, Prune, custard, Cocoa-nut, Lemon, and Cherry pies Prune, Blackberry, apple, Peach, or cherry sauce at tea the house is lighted with Gass which is a nuisance for the pipes leak and stinks all over the house in every room it will not shut off so I have it all night and keep ventilated as well as I can and put a stopper over the burner in day time. The city is also lighted with Gass and all the principle streets have wooden sidewalks and the streets are thouroughly paved with mud but I think it may be plesant in the summer barring the dust which is inseperable from this whole western country. Business is dull here yet I am told it is always so in winter as there is no lumber or wood business here as in most places but work is very plenty in summer at good wages as then all surplus help is absorbed by the farmers. Lil tell Dick that if he is a copperhead that you will cut his tail off chock up to his [      ] bottle

I am in hopes that it will be a little more agreeable here by and by and that the mud will go away but it comes every time there is a little shower sticks like putty your cold streak has reached here and paid us for the warm Feb. I dont think of any news to write Owen ought to pay that 8 dollars I guess Currier & Turner will always owe me that note. Well the Battle of life will soon be over, and none then will depend on me for a living; and there will be no hole left where I go down, "So Mote it be".

C Shedd

write or post Mondays so I shall get it as it is so far to the office that I dont go very often except saturdays