write back and let me know if you receive this

Middleton Decbr 9th 1872

Dear Uncle & Aunt

I was over at Marks yesterday and thay showed me the letter thay had
got from you, and although that lad that your Dear Mother mard and
spoild so much has been a long time out of your sight and so much of
your mind that you have never thought it worth your wile to write to
him, yet he still thinks enough of you to drop you a few lines, if you
will think it worth your wile to read a few words from such a mard
young youth, well when I growd up and looked back I see I had been a
little spild, and I rememberd how some of you bigger chaps had scolded
that Dear old Mother and told her she had ruined me, and that I never
should be good for anything, well I thought I would try and see if I
could not make a man out of the Dear old Mothers spoild lad, and what
success I had in makeing a man

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out of the lad you must judge for your selves I have nothing to say,
but I made up my mind that if I ever had any Children and I told them
to do a thing and thay told me thay would not, the fur would fly the
very first time, well I have had quite a nest of Children just 14 but
the first time is to come that one has told me thay would not, well
thats plenty of that stuff, but perhaps you will want to know what is
come of all these 14 brats and how I have found bread and Chese and
boots for such and army, well the first we called John he was 22 last
June, I sent him to school at home as long as he could learn any thing
and then he went to high school till he could teach school himself
about two years ago he went with his uncle Henry Goodwin to Nevada
near Callifornia and the first year he saved 500 dollars in gold by
driveing a team of mules, this year I understand he bought 10 mules
and 2 wagons of his uncle and has been teaming for himself he puts

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all the mules on one wagon and ties the other wagon behind so as to
save a driver of course he would have to run in debt a good deal to
buy such a team but I understand he has been makeing a good deal of
money, the next we called George Henry he was 21 last August he is a
better sholar than John after he had been to high school he went
through the Colage of writeing and bookkeeping and got his Diploma he
is now about 100 miels away from home but will be back soon, next is
William he is teaching School this winter he gets 35 dollars a month
he will be 20 in Feby, next is Daniel Edwin the tallest in the lot has
been one term to high school and is going again this winter he is 19
in April he intends to out strip the other three in learning I never
herd one of these 4 swear and thay are members of the temperance
cause, the next is a pare of twin boys very much alike one of them
bids fair to make the stoutest [?] man we have thay go to school in

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winter and work on the farm in sumer like the others have done before,
we have generly one going to high school sumer and winter, well now
the girls begin wich we call Mary Ann She is taller than her mother
she has gone about as far as she can in common School, the next is a
boy we call Charles Ralph, next is a boy we call Joseph.  these two go
to school and help the other boys night and morning to milk and feed
the cattle, next is a boy James Albert he goes to school and night and
morning feeds the hens, turkeys, and some calfs, next is a girl Sarah
Jane goes to school feeds and cleans the cage of her canary bird every
morning, next is a little boy a little over five years he goes to
school and helps cary in the fire wood at night, his name is Samuel
then comes a little girl Zilpah about four years old wich we thought
was the last, but behold about three weeks ago there came another girl
wich is yet without name this makes 14 unless I have forgoten some,
hold on one minet before I leave

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the Children I ought to tell you that most all of them have got the
toes, well what shall I tell you next perhaps I had better begin
towards the first as I dont know that I have ever writen to you
before, when Mr Morton and I got here my pile [???] was not very large
but [???] however I got 80 acres of land and how I got it paid for I
can hardly tell but it was by hard work, Morten and I built a little
house to live in we cart [???] down the trees got them to the sawpit
ourselves cut them into such stuf as we wanted and built the house all
of wood we was just a fortnight from the time we set to work till we
was liveing in the house well we bought a cow and most of our liveing
was new milk and bread and I never was a better man in my life, it was
my job to make the bread and his job to bake it out of doors on a fire
on the ground like gipses, well one day it raind and Morten went to
see some English folks a few miles away and as I was resting me on the
bed I thought I had herd tell that in former times old women made
butter in a bottle, ses I why cant I make butter in a bottle, so there
was about a quart of good cream in a jug that

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I had saved to mix bread with and there was a two quart bottle on the
shelf, so up I jumped of the bed pourd the cream into the bottle and
behold you in about ten minets good shakeing there was a big lump of
butter in the bottle but how under the sun was I to get it out of the
bottle, well I pourd the butter milk of and set a plate on the floor
turnd the bottle upside down and give it a gerk with all my might and
out flew a wad of butter as big as the cork hole and about as long as
my finger, in this way I emtied the bottle and to my supprise I had
near a pound of as nise butter as I ever saw, well I salted it and
made it into a very nice shaped lump set it on the shelf, so at night
when Morten came home and we sat down to supper I sat the butter on
the table and he looked at the butter and then at me as if he was
thunder struck, how hast come by that lad, I tell you we had mery time
over that butter, and we had plenty ever after, so after a time his
familey came over and our happy bachlers life endded, I soon got
married built a house of my own went to live in it worked hard days
made my furniture nights, there I was I had to work for my liveing,
fence and plow up my land as best I could. years past along I paid up
for that 80 acres of land and I bought 40 acres more in course of time
I paid for that, then I bought 20 acres more paid for it, then traded
40 acres of land off for a nice pare of boy [???] mares harness and
new wagon.  I soon sold them again and bought 60 acres more land for
1200 dollars land war [???] riseing now very fast well I got that
paid for, about that time Joseph Gyte came him and me bought 80 acres
tgeather and when George Gyte came I sold my share to him after a time
I bought 80 acres more for 1560 dollars I got paid in course of time,
then I bought 120 acres for 2050 dollars got that paid for then I
bought 40 acres for 1000 dollars got that paid for, then I bought 90
acres for 2650 dollars then I bought 40 acres for 1500 dollars then I
traded part horses and part money for 30 acres, then I bought 94 acres
for 3500 dollars then traded some horses and some money for 30 acres
more, I have at this time

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730 acres of land in the farm that I am liveing on there is 200 acres
then I have a pasture field of 154 acres 2 1/2 miles away close to the
rail way station I buy cattle in the spring let them fat on this
pasture and then sell them, and being close to the town a good manay
people lays their milk cows, then I have about 130 acres of wood land
and the balance I rent out and take a share of the crop for the rent I
have one third of what ever thay grow, this farm that I live on I
growd sumer 40 acres of wheat 35 of corn and 13 of oats the balance
was pasture and hay my stock consists of 14 head of horses 31 head of
hornd stock 85 sheep 21 pigs there is some complaint running amongst
the horses for hundreds of miles it is like the influenza it has spred
a hundred miles in a few days mine have all got it now

December 14th 1873

Dear Uncle and Aunt

I have just been looking in my drawer and picked up this letter that I
wrote to you a year ago, I have often thought I would finish it and
send it, as there is no great changes since I wrote it except William
when he got through teaching school last winter went to Nevada 

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to John, George Henry and Daniel Edwin, are boath teaching school this
winter one of them gets 40 dollars for 20 days teaching wich is called
a month and the other gets 42 dollars one of the twins is going to
school to the State University one of the others was going with him
till he began teaching the winter term, you will find that the mard
boy is now a middle aged man you will find him inside this letter come
over to make you a visit O. I. say how are you all shake hands with us
old Chap

hopeing to find you all well as it leaves us for wich I feel thankful
to God the Giver of all our blessings, Yours & CT

Daniel Vernon
Middleton
Dane County
Wisconsin
America