Dear Brother
My Husband recieved your
Letter, asking him about going
on a mission, and i hope
you will pardon me for taking
the liberty to write this, as
my husband is a very poor
hand at writing and explaining
his feeling. We have under-
stood that it was a bishops
duty to look into a mans
cicrcumstances to see if it
would be possible for him to
leave home, this however our
bishop must have omitted to
do, or otherwise he has a very
poor judgment. There is others
here who have complained of this
My Husband says he would
Page 2
perfectly willing to go on a Mission
if his circumstances would
permit. He has been runing
a small farm of my mothers,
for some time, but my mother
passed away 3 months ago,
without any will, and ^we^ will
now have to have the deeds
probated, and pay my brother
(who lives in Canada) for his
share of the land, as there is
not to much for a family, and
my husband is allready in
about 300 dollars debt for wagons
and Machinery. We have been
married 12 yrs and have so
far lived in a little log Cabin
14x16, which is not only very
enconvenient but very unhealthy
and miserable, as we are now
no less then 7 in our family
I have been in very poor health
for the past 6 yrs, and am
unable to do my own work alone
as i often have to ceep the
bed, but so far i have had
to get along with my largest
Childrens help. I can hardly
see how it is our cercumstaces
are no better, as i do not think
any body can live more economical
than we do, my husband
does not use liquor or Tobacco
in any form, and he is very
careful about getting any thing
which can be done without
Myself and all of us has not
yet wore a stoking [stocking] which
i have not manufactured
from the wool myself, with
my mothers help, and i have
knit ^our underwear hoods and jackets^under and and had
Linsey and flannel made
here at home out of the yarn
which i ^and my mother^ have made ourself
Page 3
for nearly all the under ^woolen^ clothes
which we have hneeded for both
ourseff an Children. We have
up to this time slept in beds
which my husband have nailed
together of lumber, and have
not any furniture bought
out of the store, except a
sewing machine which my
father gave me, and 4 Chairs
the rest my husband has naild
together himself, it is now
4 or 5 yrs since my husband
commenced to put up a little
frame house 16x30 and which
is not near completed yet.
my husband must ceep the
farm a going, as that is our
only support, ourseff as well
as our Children must have
a little to eat and to wear
right along allthough it is
of the very plainest
Page 4
so he can only work on the
house when there is a little time
left, and when his health permits
he has allso had very poor health
for some time, being much troubld
with rheumatism rheumatic fever
and lung trouble, which he
has inherited from his father,
and he has sometimes been
taken down for months, and
he seldom feels well, and is
generally attacked when taking
cold, he will allso have to
sign notes for wire to fence
around what he has cultivatd
as my fathers had it fenced
with willows which is now
fell to the ground. It is not
easy for the farmers to get
along with such a small price
for their produce and especially
on such a farm as these
Page 5
which is all hills and rocks
and not more than one fourth
of the land can be cultivated
and but little is left, when
the machinery is paid for
and what a family consumes
has been taken away. My husband
has allso entered a homestead
up on the mountains for a
pasture, this spring, and
law requires him to reside on
and Cultivate same for 5 yrs
it can not but very little of it
be cultivated though. My Husband
is the Leader of ^the^ Choire of this
place and spends very much
of his time attending to it
and it can not be said that
he does ^not^ attend his duty in this
respect
for the truth of this
i refer you to either or all
of our nearest neighbors
who are well accuanted with
Page 6
our circumstances
they are
Brother Peter Baird
Brother Lois Keller
Brother Hans Petersen
And Sister Helen Tink The Bishop ought to a mans
inquire into a mans circumstanses
before sending his name,
i should think. I feel like
doing the very best i can
but on account of my ill health
with my little ones, it would
be very hard for me to have
him go, even if ^other^ circtumstances
would permit, as i have no
relatives left to me in this
country, and i have experin
that it is little help we
Page 7
get from anyone else
I would like to ask you a
quistion
Can myself and
Husband be bapticed for
and take Endowments for my fathers and mother
who was bapticed into this
Church 20 yrs ago, but
on account of some trouble
with his neighbors with some
land, they disfellowshipped
him from the Church, which
i think was was very unreasonable
This aught to settle it.
Did the Bp. name him?
If not they should be
informed. With the approval
of the Stake Presidency they should do
the work for her parents. J. F. S.