HALL LETTERS #5 (FINAL LETTER) Ira Hall Sr. died in 1879 at age 78. His wife continued to live on the farm at Stowell's Corners. Two years later, she (Mandana Hall) wrote this letter to her son Ira Jr. in Mexico, Audrain Co., MO, June 30, 1881. The father of Ira Jr's wife Helen had died in the past year as well, which explains Mandana's "kind regards to [the widow] Mrs. Beatty." The "Uncle John" is probably Helen's brother, John W. Beatty. Mandana Hall died in 1885 and is buried beside her husband in the Sulpher Springs Cemetery in Hounsfield. Stowels Corners June 30th 1881 My Dear Son Ira, Your welcome letter of the 14 inst was duly rec'd and I was glad to hear from you again. You say "We are tolerably well". Are you not very well? I would be glad to have you enjoy the best of health. Did Zelon [Ira and Helen's third son] have the mumps? Your garden must look nicely, with corn in tassel, it is not much above the ground here and it will be a long time before we have new potatoes. Will you have any peaches this year? We have had a great-deal of rain here. Yet I don't think crops and vegetation look as well as they did last year. There are not so many apples here on this place as there was last year, and I think not any where in this vicinity. Grass they say is lighter than it was last year. I did not get the papers you sent me to Watertown. I have not got any from you since quite a while before I left Ella's [Ella Ingraham, her daughter] last spring. I sent to Watertown to enquire if there were any papers there for me and they said not any. Ella and Hully were here a week ago last Sunday and staid over night. Reuben [nephew] is not feeling very well since his northern trip. He went to Ogdensburg, Potsdam and Renssalear Falls. He said that Byron Inglehart's daughter was sick with consumption when he was there. She has since died. I do not think Reuben will go west before Sept., if he does then. He is not well and does not seem to have ambition enough. He has been talking of going to the big woods and rusticating awhile in hopes that he might feel better. I thank you for your generous offer to pay my fare to Mexico just for my own gratification; but I should not wish to accept it after your giving me all of your share of the rent. I know that your family expenses must be very large and I do not wish to add to them. When I wrote to you I was thinking that if you only lived but a short distance from here how nice it would be for me to go and stay with the children or have them come and stay with me so that you would not feel anxious about them and could go and have a pleasant trip. As you say that you don't want me to come on your account at all I think I will stay here for the present. Ella does not want me to go west - She says she does not want to be left alone, and she has such a little tyrant for a husband I would feel very bad to leave her. My things here need care. I have plenty of work to do piecing and quilting. Ella wants me to make her a spread like yours. Still I would like to be where I can do the most good for my time is short. How are the boys spending their summer vacation? Does Uncle John live on the farm now? My kind regards to Mrs. Beatty when you see her. My love to the boys. Please write soon. God bless and take care of you and yours. As ever your loving mother, M. Hall --------- Posted by Kelly Hokkanen More Hall information at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~khokkanen/hall/