52-07-18  letter from Coal Grove Lawrence County Ohio July 18, 1852 from Jesse 
& Ruhamah Ballard   ink is very light-very hard to read:         

Dear Brother & Sister  I embrace this opportunity of writing you a few Lines 
to Let you know we are yet alive and in the Land of the Living and injoying 
reasonable health except Ruhamah.  she has not had good health for nearly two 
years but part of the time has been able to go about  & some few things to 
visit her neighbors but at this time is quite unwell and scrarsely able to sit 
up, her complaint as is common among           & we hope she may yet get well 
but she is very much discouraged.  But it is with the Lord whether she is 
restored or not.  We received a letter from you on the 10th day of this mnt 
dated June 20, 1852, which gave us much satisfaction to hear from you and to 
hear that you in your old age had come out on the Lords side and are trying to 
beat your march onward & upward to the fair chimes of Etenal Glory, you can   
 scarsily conceive what satisfaction it gave your sisters when we read the 
letter to them.  that is Patsy & Ruhamah.  Patsy was at our house when I took 
the letter home & may the Lord ever keep you both humble and Enable you to 
stand at your post as valiant soldiers of the Cross and Enable you to be 
Bright shining Light in His Church here on Earth that others may see of your 
good works and be Constrained to Glorify our father which is in heaven, and as 
the prayers of the Righteous prevaileth much we desire your prayers in our 
Behalf, I would say to you dear Brother and Sister that you know that we had 
Enlisted in our masters cause before you left this Country and we are still 
striving to beat our march onward and upward to the fare Chimes of Eternal 
Glory and our Children have given evidence that they have found the Pearl of 
Great Price and have united themselves to the Church.  namely, James & Mary 
Jane, they ware Baptized Last Sabbath into the fellowship of the Ice Creek 
Church. 
The Ice Creek Church holds her meetings in our immediate neighborhood & is 
prosperous Church with about 100 members and we have a new meeting house in 
progress in building & expect to hold our August meeting in it which is on the 
2th Sabbath in Said month & Saturday Before.  the Lord has been doing great 
work among the people in the Countery this summer at the Zoar Church at the 
mill ware we used to Live thare has Been a great Revival.  Several have all 
ready joined the Church  & we expect on the 4th Sabbath in this month thare 
will Be a number Baptised, among those who have all ready joined is your 
Brother James Children, Francis & Elizabeth & two of Patsy Children.  John the 
Oldest Boy & Martha her third Daughter & Pierce P. Polly, Elizabeth Mayhews 
man.  So that Patsys family we might say is a family devoted to the Lord for 
all that have Come to the years of accountability now Belongs to the Church, 
you stated that you heard that E. Mayhew & Elizabeth was dead.  they both died 
last Dec.  there was mely a few days between thare deaths.  He died on friday 
the 17t & Elizabeth on thursday following.  it apeared that they Both Died of 
the Same Disease called Bronketus, a disease in the throat. so they are no 
more among us on this Earth But have gone the way of all the Earth.  E.Mayew 
had considerabl of property in his hands, Before is death But was considerable 
in debt But I think By good management of his Estate the family will have a 
comfortable Living Left  where the Estate is settled.  By the Request of Patsy 
& the Children I administered on the Estate.  the family is doing as well 
Could be Expected.  They are nearly all able to work and are willing so to do. 
 I Staid there Last night.  Patsy has been verry sick But is now getting 
Better.  your Brother James Dearing is yet in California and dose not Expect 
to Come home until next winter.  we get Letters from him Every few weeks, he 
has had verry good health since he has been there. Last spring a year ago he 
sent his wife three hundred Dollars. & thinks By next fall he will have a good 
pile to Bring home with him if e sould live to Come home.  his family is doing 
well Lydia is one of theme woman that knows how to get along in this world & 
is raising up her Children in the nurture & admonition of the Lord as the 
scriptures Directs, as you herd Susan Ballard id dead and John is maried again 
 he maried Kasandrer Riggs, Daughter of Levi Riggs & is I Believe a verry fine 
woman and they have a fine son But after her Child was Born Both she lost both 
of her Breasts and they have to raise their Son by hand & Susans Children all 
grows fine & I think they have a good stepmother Mary was out to see us Last 
Sabbath and I saw Jon the same day at meeting & they ware are well, We hear 
from Jarriot Riggs& family they are getting along verry well from wat we hear 
from them it is Likeyyou have herd that Jarriot had Joined the Baptist Curch 
some years Back & he is now as Strong a Baptists as he used to be a Methodist 
& several of his Children has joined the Baptist Church, we hear from William 
Dearing occasionly & they have generally good health & is doing well as to te 
things of this world, But I am afraid they are not prepared for happyness i 
the wod to come.  You wished to know what County Joh Dearing lives i.  Alll I 
Can tell you about them is I Received a letter from Wm Dearing Last winder & 
the Letter was maled at Grind stone post office the County not marked on it so 
if you wish to write to im Direct your letter to Grankdstone Post Office 
Missouri.  Anthoy Dearing is somewhere in the south part of Missouri & has 
Been there for some years But I do not know what County he is in for him and 
John dose not write to us, you stated you had written to us several times and 
had not got any answer, we have not received But one Letter from you since you 
have Been out thare & that has Been 4 or 5 years past.  I would Like to have 
the pleasure answering a letter from you Every few months.
You wished to know how we are gettig along.  I will now give you a small 
sketch of our affairs.  We are Living on the old Charles Hoog farmthe place we 
moved to when we Left the mill & We have in cultivation over oe hundred acres 
of Land, 0 acres in Wheat, 15 in oats, 40 in Corn 1 in pototoes 10 in Meadow & 
the remainder in (forests?)  wheat crops is verry good here, oasts tolerable  
good potatoes has a good apearance, grass is an average crop, corn looks 
tolerable well considering the Backwardness of the season we had a remarkable 
cold  (spring?).  the thermometer stood from 25 to 28 Degrees below Zero & the 
Cold weather contiued some time and the sping was very backward.  Cold so much 
so that our Corn did not Come uformaly all had to be planted over & some two 
or three times  and yet thare are many fields tat the Corn is very thin on 
them But for the last       week we have had considerable rain and Coprn is 
Coming out verry fast and I think our Cop will be an average one from the 
appearance now, as for Stock I have a fine Lot of hogs 5 milck cows Between 15 
and 20 head of young cattle some sheep Geese & Chickens a plenty, and we have 
plenty in the smoke house to do us some months yet.  So you may see that we 
are yet a trying to make aliving and we are Building a new Dwelling house a 
frame & have it so that we are making some use of it at this time and I expect 
to finish it this winter my self, we have 4 Boys, large enoug to hoe Crops.  
Davis & Samuel makes very good hands on te farm.  Samuel is as heavy as I am. 
davis is not as large as Samuel although he is the oldest.
Thare is a great many of your old acquaintances here have gone to thare long 
hom & many have moved to other parts and things have unmdergone a great many 
Changes in this section of Countery,  Thare is the town of Ironton at the 
mouth of Storms Creek of over 2000 inhabitants with its roling hills & its 
founderys(?) & machines & hofs or various kinds all i operation.  I must close 
for want of room, Rembmer as often as I Receive a letter from you I will 
answer it immediately                  Jesse Ballard     Ruhammah Ballard