01st Dec (1858). Cloudy, leave our camp, traveling over the same fertile lands and rough hills, crossed the line into Madison county; 14 miles from Huntsville the point we had been so long toiling to reach. We found the ridges and mountains well timbered, seeing no very large bodies of level fertile lands, but the level lands and valleys on the streams were not only fertile but extra fertile. We go into camp 8 miles from Huntsville after a move of 19 miles, clear and windy. 02nd Dec (1858). Clear and mild morning. We leave our camp this morning for our point of destination where we arrived at about 10 o'clock in the a.m. We found a very enterprising little village of Huntsville, where we had the pleasure of again going to that part of our original company who would not accompany us by the way of the Iron Banks crossing on the Miss. River. As they had no slaves they continued the original laid out route through Illinois. Although there were several families in our party who owned no slaves these would not desert the original company. Well, we were all glad to meet particularly with girls if they were coons; not black ones however, but good looking white clever girls. As one of these families were of the name Coon, and all from N.C. We found Huntsville a very pleasant little village situated in the elevated lands of Madison county. Having eight to ten creditable stores, churches and good schools, we find the people very clever and accommodating particularly to emigrants, as nine out of ten had a good desireable farm to sell whether he could deed it or not, as many only had claims. You see settlers did not mind exchanging their improved places for a place in the woods, provided such exchange dropped a snug sum of cash into the pockets of their own pantaloons; just to accommodate our poor families who had been so long exposed to the elements you know; you might take some of them to be ignorant but they were the slickest traders you ever saw, as many emigrates found out at their cost. A young man came out with us who I will call Miles, his father was well fixed in N.C. and gave him a good education, both in literature and music, and he would boost to us that he was going west to grow up with the country and grow wealthy off the ignorance of the backwoods hoosiers. We said Miles, you won't be there three years before your daddy will take pity on you and send you money to come back home. He only lasted two years and dad sent him the money, and poor fellow got back home, and I don't know if he got the "fatted calf" or not. But he did get home by the aid of daddy. Why this poor fellow used to stretck himself up and compare himself to Daniel Webster, but we all would to his face, compare him to something much smaller than old Daniel. He was a stuck up fool, with plenty of sense had he used the and sense instead of the fool parts. We left Huntsville by the Ozark road, take up camp at Methodist E.S. camp-meeting ground where there was abundance of good shelter which we were allowed to make use of. This camp is on War Eagle river four miles South of Huntsville. We expect to remain here until we select homes, or decide to try some other location. Land is very fine but prices for improved places are very high. Our day's drive 12 miles. Appearance good for rain or snow. Number of miles traveled to date is 940, passing over portion of five states being on the road lacking only a few days of two months. 03rd Dec (1858). We remained at our camp with the teams and families, some of the men are roaming over the country looking at the lands, finding the creek and War Eagle valleys very desirable lands, as well as the mountain table lands, generally at reasonable prices. We never saw so many squirrels in our lives. And we slaughtered hundreds. The trees in the valleys were covered with winter grapes and good fat squirrels, all of which we made good use of, we also found plenty of honey, which could be had at six cents per pound fresh, right out of the bee colonies. Bee gums were scattered all over the orchards, just setting about on rocks, apparently just were they hived. The hives, on gums were a part of a hollow tree set up with a piece of puncheon or flat rock laid loose on the top end, floors in many of the dwellings were of puncheons and some had only dirt floors, tramped as slick as sin, (as many of the young people of to-day, no doubt, do not know what we mean by puncheon floors. We will tell them. They were timber from four to eight feet long, split out full diameter of the log, about two inches thick and hewed perfectly smooth on the side intended for the top side of the floor, and when neatly placed in the floor they made a splendid and neat floor, many of them there were made of walnut and cherry timber, which was abundant there.) Hailed and snowed all day, many of our company were terribly dissatisfied with the country, not being used to the mountains, as this section is very mountainous. In fact we found Madison county principally a mountainous county. Notwithstanding this we found much sickness, principally chills and fever, we find this part of the country well watered. 04th Dec (1858). Still hailing, we still hold on to our camp. Nothing of note occurs, evening, hail, stormy and raining. 05th Dec (1858). Sabbath, we heard a sermon by a blacksmith, named Smith, a Methods minister, by profession. Clear and cold, glad to see it so.