Submitted by Linda McCormack, Sept 1999
Texas Travis County Oct the 12 1851
Dear brother,
After a long silence I once more take my pen in hand to let you know we ar giting a lone. we ar well and hope when these lines comes to hand will find you and family enjoying the same like blessings.
I received your leater the 23 of Augest which give me great pleasure to hear from you. all I had must com to the conclusion that you had forgot us. when I received your leater I thought that I would hay wroat that weak but through neglict did not.
Mr. King started to missouria the twenty fifth of augest . I haven't heard from him since he left read river which is about three hundred miles. he was well and giting alone very well. James Stirling was with him they hay gon back to receive their mites for their land.
their has binn a good deal of sickness hear this sommer but on won died tha you knowed. my self and two of our children has bin sick. I was confined to bead abut foor weaks. the children had the chills three months. they don't hay the chills near as much as in Missouria. this country is pleasanter climat than missouria but I had rather liv their than hear.
we can't raise anything their that we wanted to eat. hear is no place for gardening. the corn grows very well, wheat does tolerabel well. there is not meany that sows it-- is a great place for cotin. William McFarland can pick his hundred pounds a day and our oldest picks his eighty a day. they don't giv as much this year for picking as they did last year. the price is foar bits this year. they are picking for Chamberlain.
we haven't bought no land yet. we raised no crop this year. Mr King worked at his trade. he thought he could make more if he worked in the shop than to higher his corn geathered. it has to be geathered so soon the geanerly greater in augest. hands has from ten to twenty dollars a month. Mr conaway talks of moving back to Areansaw this winter. he is not contented no whar. onley at a grog shot-- he loves his dram yet.
Chamberlain and Sarah as gon their to day on a visit. Sarah has three sons and won daughter. John has too daughters and won son. we have too sons and too daughters William McFarland says he will com out too see you in five or six years moore. he has bin at his uncle johns and says they wer all well when he left. I havent seen John in twelve months.
the Baptust held their sociation in a mile of us. it continued too weakes. their was several professions maid. time of the Meathodist camp meating, their was forty or fifty maid a profesion of religion. won of Conaway profesion.
pork is worth six sents per pund, beaf is worth from too and a halfe too thre sents per pound, corn is worth won dolar per bushel, wheat is worth from won too two dollars per bushel.
Sarah send her love too you and famly. tell Hariet and John Tate that William has got to reading and when he gits to writing he will wright to them and tell them to wright to him. his grandmother thinks more of Will than won of her own children. at least she makes more of him than she evear did of won of hern. she is at Johns at this time. she would like to se you and famley she told me to giv her love to you and famly.
George, wright as soon as you receive this and tell rebecca that she had beater come to texas for the woman has nothing to do but to tick and lice the children and pick read heads out of the meal and mind the screw flies of ov the children when they ar asleep. you must not think strang of mi bad wrighting for I had to mend my penn with a case knife. when you wright direct your leater to weber perarie. I don't know wher we will live next somer. I reckon you had heard of your brothers death and his sons death. your brother lived four days after he was taken sick; John lived for weakes after he was tanken.
I must come to a close for the son is nearly down. give mi love to your mother, rebecca, hariet, John Tate, and except (can't make out) I havent anyuthang moore that is worth yur attention. if you will pay us a visit we would be glad so no more but remains yur sister till death
Elizabeth King
Hannah's parents were John Lewis King probably born in TN and Elizabeth Barton King also born in TN.