Ione Valley Cal[1]

November 8th                                             

   1894

 

    My Dear Mrs Whiteside[2] and Family your letter I can assure you was received with gladness and read and reread by myself and Annie and will sertainly take time to answer it in my poor way, I will say first I was quite sick all last week but am much improved now.  We had our dinner Advertised for Lection day and that could not be postponed, and on top of all that three Ladies came down from the mountains on Saturday fore noon to make me a visit not knowing I was sick and they stayed until Monday I cant tell you how I did make out to live through.  Mr Amick took them up to the Hotel for Dinner Sunday after Church and we done the best we could under the circumstances so I will go back to our dinner on Tuesday.  The Ladies all done fine they would not let me do any thing but sit in a rocking chair at the door and collect for them we had too meals at noon and at evening supper and a few of the Ladies stayed and had hot coffee at midnight for the men that had to count the votes and of course others that were up at the time.  They took in six dollars and seventy five cts at that time at a cost of nothing, we cleared fifty five dollars on the meals for the day, and sold several dollars worth of our dry goods put $60.00 in the bank the next day and have a little left to work on again.  So we are well pleased with our financial success I told the Ladies that you said you did not expect to remain long there, they all said write and tell them to come Back at once, the minister we have will not remain no longer than we can secure another he says he can not leave his family down south nor cant move them. he dont know when. his wife is the only Daughter and her father and mother come out to winter with them and they are all on her Brothers farm near Los Angeles and the brother is in poor health. so he says he could not separate them under the circumstances we like him very much but he is stopping at the hotel, I expect to take him down to see Mrs Wayland this afternoon, Carrie Brasiers husband come home the other day I dont know whether she will go with him or not her baby is getting better. but she says there is lots of room for improvement yet  Nellie Jarvess Baby has been quite sick but is well again and they are moving I think to day to Amador, we are very sorry to loose them but such is life.  it seems the most useful ones has to go as well as the others, Mrs Surface her self hasn’t been well for some time I don’t think that they have attempted to keep up your little class and its too bad to think of I wish you could write Mrs Wooley and Mrs Surface a joint letter on the subject maybe that would rouse them up if any thing would the young man we thought of getting we dont no where he is now, nor do we have any Idea who we will get I think Mr Swain will rent his house soon. he has been waiting on us so if we got a man with a family he could take his house Jim Amick says they owe you some for music lessons when you write again send an order for the amount and I will collect it and forward it to you.  I am ashamed of them to think they did not pay before you went away we haven’t done any thing with the things in the house yet except the chairs the day the Ladies did met here I had the chairs brought here and have them stored away here I wish you had your rockers any way. you did not say whether you were keeping  house or not, please tell us all for we are vary much interested about you all.  They have service once a week at the school now the first Mr Mc Donald preached the Sabbath he was here.  I took him up my self the service was vary nice for the occasion he made it so plain any child could understand.  they don’t bring the Boys out to church scarcely any more I will speak to Mrs Bank when I see her again about your letter. but probably she has been so busy.  She has lately been to Sacramento on Business and her Baby has been sick, Mrs Adams will be home this week from a too week visit to her sisters at San Jose vary much recruited they say.  well my Dear friends, I will have to close for this time as I am getting so nervious I dont expect you can read what I have written  Kiss the little man me and lots of love to yourself and Mr W.   Your Friend  Mrs A.L. Amick

 

the answers that you gave to your question was a varry comforting Promise in time of trouble.  My dear woman I have for one have experienced some of those trials, and then is the time we need to search for all the comfort we can but God is able to carry us through

 

please excuse all mistakes in spelling and writing



[1] Sarah WHITESIDE lived at Ione, California, USA. This seems to be a letter from a friend from her time there. I have not taken the time to run down the various names mentioned.

[2] Sarah (McCullagh) Whiteside