Envelope:
 

TO:  John Brandenburgh
State of Kentucky
Estill County
Irvin Post Office
 

Lexington, MO.
2 July

25

Missouri, Lafayette County
June 30, 1832
 

Dear Brother:

I now take the opportunity to inform you that we are all well at this time.  Hoping these lines will find you all in good health.  I wrote you a letter sometime last winter and I have gotten no answer as yet. I have concluded you have not got it.  I wrote it in haste and sent it by a nabor (neighbor) to town and forgot to put your name to it, only directed it to the post office.

We have a very bad season for crops.  It has been so cold and wet.  There was hardly any corn that would come up.  It was so bad frost bitten.  Corn is 5 cents per bushel.  There is some people that will hardly get bread.  Flour is Three Dollars a hundred.  Bacon is from seven to ten cents per pound and not much to be had at that.  I have sold upwards of two hundred weight of bacon and five hundred weight of pork which I let Brother Joseph have.  A great many hogs and cattle died in the county past winter and Brother Joseph lost his of ______  and I let him have mine and I got his ______ and his colt.  He concluded it must be a better place up there in Clay County than here for all the land here is bought up that is ____ (ink blot).  I shall go up to see
Brother Joseph before long and to see if better than here, then I will go there to live.  I look for Brother Joseph to come down to see me this summer. I understood there was a new boundary line run to include the flat country which from information is good.

My crop is not good but if the season is good from this time, I think that I will make what will do me for I have five acres, a half of wheat which is said to be the best in our section of the county.  It will be ripe within a few days.  I have six head of cattle, four head of horses and plenty of hay.  Have big stand of (ink blot)______ for the maize are very numerous.

I want you to attend to selling my land, if you have not sold it. Henderson has not got any bond for that which was not sold.  I only told Campbell to make him the offer.  I want you to tell Campbell to make the right to them you sell to, or to you.  There is one hundred and fifty
acres which was not sold that Henderson had no right to, only that I told Campbell to make offer to him.  I want you not to take less than One Hundred and Fifty Dollars for the old place and if you can get Fifty Dollars for the land I took up, let it go.  If you can not get any more for it, but I think the _____ and other timber that is on it, that it will bring more.  I want you to do the best you can for me so I will pay you for your trouble.  I want you to make all you can of Henderson.  If old Henderson or anyone else mows for him, try and fix some body to stop them.  If you can catch old Henderson mowing you can make him pay the debt.  If you can sell and get me any money this fall I want you to bring it with you if you come out this fall and if not I want you to send it by some safe hand.  If William McGuire comes out send it by him and take receipt from him.  I want you to come to see this country for if the seasons does not dig ?_________ hasten you.  I think you can better yourself here if you can sell your property there to an advantage. I want you to try and get that money from Hardin if you can for he is a mine man.  I want you to write to me and let me know how you do __________ come on out to let me know now how you are coming on doing my business and whether you received the letter I sent last winter or not.  If you do not sell my land, rent it to the best advantage you can.  Cattle is selling very high in the country.  Milk cow from Ten to Fifteen Dollars. If you move to this country by land ( ink too faded to read)______________.  ___________________________________________________.
 

I want to see you all very much and want to hear from you.  No more at present but remain yours.  Affections to Brother and friend until death.

      Absalom Brandenburgh
      John Brandenburgh
      Samuel Brandenburgh
      George H. Brandenburgh