To: Margaret Barnard Young (living in then Burnsville, Yancey County, NC) now, Madison county, NC From: Elizabeth Barnard Love Postmarked: May 09, 1848 in Hazelwood, MO -------------------------------------------------------- Dear Sister I have once more set down to write you a few lines with painful emmotions my dear Sister I have to communicate to you that in less than one short year we have been deprived by death of our two oldest children Robert died last September in santafee he turned out volunteer and was ellected first lieu. In his captains company they belonged to the 3 rgiment of mounted men from this state he was taken sick about the 3 of July and was never able to set up another day he was hauld in a small waggon across the sandy desert between Missourie and New Mexico to the city of santafee where his poor body lies far away from his home Oh sister you may better conceive than I describe my feelings whil I am writing on the subject the tears allmost blinds me I can scarcely write legible we have never learned the particulars of his sickness nor death Patsy was married two years ago to a Mr. Lea from east Tennessee. She diedon the 27 of March past she left a little daughter 5 days old she was perfectly willing to die She kept her sences to the last I weand my Baby and am suckling hers it's a very pretty healthy child. She named it her self she called it Mary Elizabeth the rest of our family is all well I have had 5 children since I saw you 4 daughters and one son Dorcas, Diannah, Letitia, Thomas and Ellen my youngest is about 16 months old Margaret was married a year ago she has a fine daughter about a month old She married a Tennesseean by te name of Burnett they live about 15 miles from us. She calls her baby Martha we have a good country notwithstanding our misfortunes I am entirely satisfied to live here we have a beautiful farm Mr. Love raised between 3 and 4 thousand bushels of corn last season something over 3 hundred bushels wheat a large crop of oats, I feel so anxious to hear from you all it renders me very unhappy at times, but I am compelled to think as little as possible about my own connection as it appears they have allmost all forgotten me I have not received but two letters from any of my own connection since the death of our poor Brother John I own I have been a little neglectful about writing but I have written to that country so often and received no answer that I am more excuseable I do hope you will not fail to write to me as soon as you receive this do write all about all your own family and all the connection and friends if old uncle and aunt McElroy is living do remember me to them tell them I hope they have not forgotten me tell all our cousins I want them to write to me and let me know all about their families now Sister do write as soon as you receive this letter and let me know all about your family as I don't know how many children you have or whether they are all living with you or not I received a letter from Sister Dillard a few weeks since it give me a great deal of satisfaction indeed she stated she would have wrote before if she had known what PO to direct a letter to if that is the reason you don't write I hope you will see from this letter direct to Wright County, Mo. Hazelwood PO Mr. Love had flattered himself that he could arrange his business so that we would have been able to have went to North Carolina this Spring but we have entirely abandoned the idea. I shall write to Farther in a short time it as been allmost three years since I received a line from him I don't know what can be the cause but I do believe I have an adversary in the family I may be wrong buti do think I have good reason to believe it but I know if I have given any cause to be treated the way I have been I was ignorent of it but I submit to my fate as I know this world is but a dream Mr. Love joins me in love to you and Joshua and all the friends. Elizabeth Love