Jacksonville, O. T. Nov. 26/54
I received your letters of Sept. 21st which were the first for four months. You say you have not received any letters from me since May. Well, it is not my fault for I have written several since that time. I expect you think I am an undutiful son. Well, maybe I am, but I could not come this fall without sacrificing very much on what property we had so as to make what little I had considerably less. I did not like to do it for I have worked very hard to get it. We have bought a farm and gone to farming. Joseph Crain has gone into partnership with us. ... Wheat is worth from four to five dollars pr Bu at present and will be higher soon.
There have been considerable fever and ague in the valley this season but it is healthy now. All of us have had our turns of it but are well at present. I do not know what more to write and I will not promise when I will be in the states but I am coming some of these days.
from your affectionate son
John R. Tice
N. B.
Charley Miller, Isaac the drayman's Bro is here working for us.
... He wishes you would let Isaac know where he is.
Jacksonville, O. T. Febʼy 4/55
Dear Father and Mother,
... I received a letter from Mother some time ago which was the first this winter. The mails to this place are very irregular for I know you have written more letters and you were upbraiding me for not writing more. I think I have written [letters] pretty often but you don't get them.
We are farming now, that is Andrew Davison, J. Crain and myself are partners. We have got about seventy acres of wheat in the ground and expect to put in twenty-five more besides oats and barley. You give it to me pretty hard for not coming home in the fall. The reasons I did not come are these that I could not sell out my interests here for what they were worth and I have worked hard, too hard for what I have got to sacrifice, and I saw a good opening to make more by staying a while longer, and again I do not think I would be satisfied to live in Fountain County, if I did come back, and to go back there and
