Letter home to Eckford

Hospital...sick with the Mumps
concerning brother John coming to camp
page 1

Kalamazoo Sep 25th/ 62
Dear Mother

I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines. I am in the Hospital at present sick with the Mumps. I have been very sick for a few days but am getting better now. Today is the forth day that I have lived on nothing but coffee and a little broth I am not able to chew anything scarcely. How do you all do at home. The talk is now that that we shall leave here next monday so there will be no use of your answering this unless you can write so as to get your letter here before Monday morning. I would like to have John come out here tomarrow or the next day so as to take my clothes home. Have him come so as to stay until ...

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page 2

...Sunday or Monday I will let him have money to pay his fare when he gets here. Well I do not think of any thing more to write so I will close I will write to you as soon as we get to our place of destination. It is said here that we go to Nashville Tenesee. So good bye
    I remain
      your affectionate son
       Wm O. Wells

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It is interesting that as Wm.'s penmanship becomes more florid in later letters his punctuation, style and spelling deteriorates. Periods disappear; "any" becomes "eny"; the "e" disappears from "have" and "are"; and "I" becomes "i."

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Table of Contents | Wells Letters

edited by Peter J Wait, 9/17/03