I have had it on my mind for some time to address you by letter but have deterred from my object till now. I feel to console with you on the loss of your Beloved companion, an irreparable loss to you. But I trust to her gain. I trust she has gained the joys laid up for the Faithful. This is a warning to the survivors; that we all examine ourselves to see if we are ready to meet death; no age is exempt when the grim messenger calls, we must go whether we are ready or not. Some are called in infancy, some in childhood, some in youth and some in the pride of middle age of life when they are laying their plans and schemes for life. Death calls and they must leave all and go to meet God in Judgment whether prepared or not. There are two things of great importance to us; viz, to live well; and second to die well. To live according to God's direction and to die according to our own heart's desire. Let us all so order our conversation in the world that we may live when we are dead in the affections of the best and leave an honourable testimony in the conscience of the worst. Death is feared and shunned by the wicked, but to the good man it is viewed with a pleasing aspect as the harbinger of peace and eternal happiness which he soon hopes to arrive at.

The gate which leads to eternal life is a strait gate, therefore, we should fear; but blessed be God, it is an open gate, therefore we may hope. When I look back upon those religious privileges I enjoyed in the Land of my nativity or birth and now view that I am deprived of many of them, it makes me sigh for them, but we have the same God here as we had when in the East and he can hear and answer prayers here as well as in the East. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him should seek to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We have here a small Baptist church, but no minister. The church meets together every Sabbath for conference and prayer meeting. At some of these meetings we feel that the Lord does meet with us and warms the hearts of his children by the influence of His Holy Spirit and we can truly say it is good for us to assemble together to worship the Lord.

We are not privileged with schools here yet near to us, but they had a school about three miles from here, taught by Elijah Palmer, but it was so far we could not send our children, so we tried to learn them at home. But I could not attend to instruct them regular for some days. I could hear them read four or five times in a day and some days I couldn't get time to hear them read any, but Lucy can read most any word of one syllable and Almira knows most of her letters. I am in hopes that next season we can have a school near. At this present time, Elijah Palmer is here boarding with us and Gideon I Wilbur is working for me by the month.

I hired Wilbur to work for me two months, and his time will be out before the first of April. I pay him $10 per month and I have hired Parish Troy to work 2/3 of the time for 4 months to commence the 3rd of April. I pay him $14 per month. I have undertaken to fence a pasture of sixty acres and to add to my field 20 acres more which will take about 5000 rails and 1500 stakes. I have engaged a man to make 3000 rails to be done the 8th of April at 52 cents per hundred, the remainder we shall make ourselves. We have on hand 1100 rails. I intend to break 15 acres of prairie this summer and I expect to plant 20 acres. We have a very rich fertile country, but it requires labor to produce. We can raise corn without hoeing, but not without plowing. It wants plowing four times and if we cannot cut or cover the weeds with a plow, we hack them down with a hoe, but generally we can do it with a plow. We can raise from 50 to 75 bushels to an acre and wheat is not a sure crop but in a good season from 25 to 30 bushels per acre, but in some seasons it will freeze out and then many times only from 10 to 20 bushels per acre.

People keep a great many hogs, but the season past has been a hard season for hogs for there had been no masts, or shocks, as you would call it, for hogs to get. Some seasons they would commence on strawberries, when they are gone plumbs will come, then hazelnuts, then walnuts, and white oak acorns and then red oak acorns and the latter will last all winter and so the hogs will live without much feeding and fatten. But this year they have needed feeding nearly as much as in the East. I have only a few myself that I have wintered. Only about 50 and that is about as many as I have raised corn to feed. I have wintered 17 head of meat cattle and two horses, 10 sheep, 3 of the ewe sheep brought 3 lambs. We have to pen up the sheep nights to keep the wolves from destroying them. The Prairies afford abundance of feed for cattle and a man can summer as many as he can procure. It takes time for people to get fixt so they can have everything they could wish for.

We have our lands to break and fence, and some buildings to build and this will shelter our heads from the storm so we can't go ahead as we could if we had everything to do with as in an old country, but the land we own and every improvement that we make adds to its value. My father lives in Stonington City. Lately he is making arrangements to fence 30 acres of prairie this summer, and Ethan and Amos are calculating to break 40 acres. William is laying out to break 10 acres, so we all shall have as much business as we can attend to. We have not got any steam mill yet, but Father is talking of trying to have a steam mill put here next summer, but whether he will be able to do or not, we do not know.

My brother, Samuel NP and Mr. GIW set out yesterday morning for the mill with 26 bushels of wheat. I expect they will be gone for 4 or 5 days. It is a bad job to get milling done and when we send to mill we calculate to send enough to last several months. I wish you would write when you receive this. Write me the particulars of how you are getting along. Likewise Benadam and all that you can think of that would interest a friend. Esther's health is not good but is so she keeps about. The children and myself are hardy and healthy. My family joins with me in sending their love to you and your children. Give my love to Caleb Grant and Lucy and tell Lucy that Harriet Chapman was married to James Grant last Wednesday and is a going to keeping house in the spring. Erastus is keeping school now about 15 miles off. As time and paper fails, I must come to a close, by subscribing myself your friend,

Allen B Peabody

A year ago last winter the Legislature of Illinois granted to the citizens of this part of the country, a county, taken partly from Sangamon and some from Shelby and some from Montgomery counties by the name Dane County, granting them the same privileges as the other counties had from which this was taken. But last winter it was altered from Dane to Christian County. Direct your letters to Stonington City, Christian County, Illinois.

Allen