76-01-16 Colfas, Whitmas, Co W. T. Jan the 16th 1876 Sabbath Eve from R & C Henderson to E Damrell Dear Grand Ma Your very kind letter bearing date Dec the 16th came safe to hand one week since. Oh the pleasure and satisfaction It gives to us, cannot be expressed in this letter. we are so glad to know you are able to answer our letters yet. But sorrow to learn you have the sore eyes and have bin afflicted with your old disase again. We trust this may find you Improving fast. Your letter found us all well except Robert. is able to go around. He had a spell of bleeding at the Lungs since I wrote before. was very poorly for two weeks or more, I cant brag of his health yet, he coughfs and spits bad looking stuff and a little blood occasionaly. (I have write to sister Abbie to send some Medicine, she reckommends) it is August Gelawess, and Germin Syrup. We have also wrote to a Friend up to Lewiston nearly a hundred miles away for to send some American Anadine Linument. We will live in hopes that some of the Medicine will restore his health. Robert thinks of trying the medicine he has sent for if If it dont prove to be good he thinks of sending for the Bloggetta Oil, Meary had a serious time, sure, any one with the Lung disease is to be pittied, it is very distressing. There is none of us knows what we have to undergo before we leave this world of sin and sorrow. Grand Ma I think you can do so well in your old days, you are Somewhere in 70 aint you? There isn't many old women that can do so well. We recd a letter from Abbie & Henry the same time we got yours. Josie wrote to Sara and sent her Picture. She is a pretty little girl. Henrys Folks was all well, a part of them was gone to church. Uncle Jo Heples was real sick with the chills, the last they heard from their, the rest had all had them. It is bad to be seperated so far from our Friends & relatives. It is still worse to be Sick but we have all got to put up with all of these trials in this life. It seems odd to learn of our cousins being Married that was so small when we left there. Frances Anns Husband must of been an awful piece. of late years I never heard the like hardly. there is so many Divorces called for and given. I fear if Mary gets Joe Shase they wont be a suitable couple unless he has changed a good deal since we use to know him; I hope Mary will get a good Husband. One that she can live happy with the rest of her days, if she Marries. I wish we had her picture. I would like to have all of Pas Family. there is so many of them. Pa is the father of 19 Children. I know he must look old. when we get a letter from home or one that gives news from Home it makes me home sick. on the letters are a great satisfaction though we study about you all back there and when we get a letter it brings our old home fresh in our mind though it would be strange and all would seem odd to us. Times has changed things so much in 12 years. Grand Ma you wanted us to leave this cold country. It is true we are not satisfied but we have a nice little start of young cattle 50 head and they most of them are Heiffers, 9 cows are all the old cattle we have, cows with calves worth 15 Dollars 2 years old 7 or 8 Dollars so you see we couldn't get much for our little band. Robert says he dont know what he will do yet. We have had a tolerably fair winter so far. there is but little snow on the ground now, it is going off very fast and getting real muddy. Cattle dont half to be feed, except a few that is very thin. Horses lives out and looks well. We are in hopes this winter wont be as severe as last was. continued on Jan the 18th Grand Ma I will try and finish this letter. there is a couple of men here to Night. It seems as if we are blessed with plenty of comany. We had a housefull last Saturday. Men, women and children. They nearly all live 6 and 7 miles away and like to of all come visiting the same time. A part of them came Friday and they all left Sunday morning. This is Tuesday Night. We are all as well as common. Robert gets no better as I can see. Health in this country is pretty good. There is one old Lady here in our Neighborhood that has the Lung disease. We hope this may find you and all of our relatives and Friends well and doing well. We would love to see them all so well. We are so glad to learn they are all getting along well, I dont know why Pa dont write to us. It would be more pleasure than he can imagine to us, if we could here from home regular. January 23rd Dear Grand Ma as I have not finished this letter I will still add a little more to it. We dont get a chance to send to the P. O. very often and you see I can write at my pleasure. This is Sabbath night and we are moderately well and Passed the day off pretty well considering this is such an out way place. Eliza Hunsaker and Hannah Hunsaker it use to be Hannah Henderson, came over, we all went to William Henderson today. there was a house full of us all and Hannah and I got up a pretty good dinner. had an apple cobler. I was quite a rairety for this country, no apples grows here to amount to any thing. vegetables of all kinds grows fine. if the frost did not come and kill them, which is pretty often the case, crops was pretty good here last year; We thought our winter was so nice we have had 5 days pretty cold and bad wether. the snow is drifted and pretty, plenty of it now. It is so cold, the children cant go to school. It is dismissed one week. Emmet has cut his foot so he cant go to school or help to do the work to home. William Henderson oldest son is stopping here while going to school He is almost grown. It is William Henry he is about 19 years old. Grand Ma as I am writing to you and trying to give you all the news, you must talk to them all back there for us, and give them our best Love and respects. Aunt Thena and Uncle Ning and children in particular. Tell Mun to write to us. I would write to Mun this time if I hadn't written you all I can think of nearly and we suppose you are living with Uncle Nings and they will hear the letter read. We have not heard from Brother Bens in a long time. I think we will get a letter from them the next mail. We have got one letter from Uncle Lawrence since he was Married. He is very much pleased with his wife . said Allice was going to get married and he would tell us more about it in his next letter. Grand Ma we would like so well to live near Eliza Norton. they are splendid folks. Robert talks some like going down their if he can trade or sell out to suit him. he thinks changing climates has a good dead to do with his health of late years. Now Dear Grand Ma I will bring this letter to a close hopeing it may find you well and also the rest of our relatives that left. Our children would all love to see Poor old Grand Ma. They must learn what you write and ask many questions about Grand Ma. changeing the subject this is some of our home made Ink. it does not seem to hurt it to freeze. It is made of Log wood and Bieramate Potash. Please write to us Soon and often, we will never get tired reading your kind letters and never forget you good advice. Much Love and many good wishes inclosed in this letter for Grand Ma. From your True and affectionate Grand Children Robert & Cynthia Henderson Good Night,