[About July 1, 1828.]

My Dear Stephen ,

We received your letter of March 31st, which was most welcome, for it was better than twelve months since we had recived a line from eather your or Brown, I had began to think that the unfavourable reports that we heard was true or that you had got so much taken up Colonizing that your Sister was forgotten; you accuse me of neglect, and forgitfullness you sencure me wrongfully my Dear Brother, your are never absent from my thoughts; often O! how often do I think of you, and lament that we cannot meet once in a while, if you could only look in on me, and see what a family I am surrounded with, you would not be surprised that every moment of my time was Imploy'd. I shoud of writen you oftener but Mr. Perry being obliged to write on business, thought that it would be just the same as if I had written myself, I wil indeavor to write to you of tener in filter; but you do not receive all the letters, that are sent to you I wrote you a very long letter by Mr. John McCormick, and also wrote to you by James Cole last winter neather of those letters I dont expect you have ever received, as I have heard that the men never went to Texas, so you see My Dear Brother that you are still remembered by your Sister and all your old Friends; Judge Carr is now hear, he always inquires very particularly after you, he is still a Widdower, his Daugh [ter] Maria, I am told has grown up a very pretty and Amiable Girl, she keeps house for her father, and you know how particular he is, Verginia and Cordelia are also with him he has but three Children, and Welthy— Adeline Lewis is also a Widdowe with one Child a Girl, she keeps house for her Father, in Herculaneum— Elias looks old he is inclined to be disapated, him and Honey are still ingaged in manufacturing Shot but do not do the business that they formily did. H[erculaneum] I am told looks as if it was poverty struck, business is very dull every where, led is low, the Fever River mines have drawn great numbers of the miners from this part of the country, the Cir. Court sits hear this week the Suit of Price agaisnt the Perrys comes on. the Supreme Court gave it against price, but that did not sattisfye him, and he has now sued Ruggles Samuel John and James Perry, God knows how it wil terminate this time Price since he has been in possession of the Mine A Burton Propperty has nearly extricated himself from debt; their has been an immencé quantity of mineral raised off of that land, and still continue to make discoverys, it is the opinion of all your old Friends that if you would come on, their might be something done in the business. I cannot se for my part why you cant visit Missouri, what are you spending toiling and labouring your life a way for in that Wild Country you have no Family to provide for, is it possible that you cannot relize a nought [enough] (after incountering all you have for several year back) to ennable you to Visit and Spend a few months, with those old Friends and acquaintances that never will for git you, you ought to recollect that our Family are a very short lived race, a few years more and we shall be mouldering in the dust with our fore Fathers— why then my Dear Stephen will you bury yourself in that remote region, your life is pretty well spent few years more you will be 40—you are now alone not incumbered with a family— You have now open'd the road for Brown and since he has made Choice of a companion to share with him the cares and vexation of the troublsome world, it is necessary that he should make evry exertion to make himself comfortable and independent; but you my dear Stephen have no one but your self, and is it possible that after an absence of so many year that you cannot visit your Sister, who you very well know cannot go to see you I have thought a great deal on this subject and have almost concled within myself that you have lost all desire to see me or my children again I am very well convincd that Brown and his Lady will visit me, if kind Providence will only Smile on them I am in hopes that we shall be able to git some thing from Fox Mr. Learning says that the estate is worth 6 or 7 thousand Dollars, and that he thinks Fox will compromise—which will be much better than going to Law, I wish My Dear S. that you would try and settle and arrange your busines so that you could spend the nex Fall and Winter in Missouri—

[E. M. Perry.]