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Regiment: 9th Michigan Cavalry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Seventy Six Iowa
June the 16th
1861
Dear cousin
You know not how often I have
wished to see you, many a time have I in my
lonesome hours thought of any cousin who is far
from me yet never forgotten, but when will I
have the pleasure of being in your company again
and with you whome I had such a good visit when
I was up to see you and found you alone, and to,
when you was to the party before we moved to the
west, where we found a home among strangers
But
Dear Cousin I do not regret our emigration to
Iowa. It is a beautifull country and to those who
have always lived in Michigan do not know what
there is to be seen. Oh! such Prairie it seems
almost without begining or end, and coverd with
various kinds of beautiful flowers, the lilly is
very pretty. O Sina how I wish you could be here
to live, I know you would like it. you could not
help it. there is nice young folks here but the prairie
is so large that they seem so far from each other.
O Sina I feel quite lonesome sometimes, because
I am so far from my relation friends I have here
but not relatives. I realise very sencibly that I
am quite widely seperated from those whom I love
in years gone never to return, yet I think I am
to be so happy for years to come as I have been in
some years past at least I hope so.
Oh! dear what
a time we had when Gramas folks was here O what
must Our parting have been. Louisa told me of you and
all the rest of the folks, O how I want to see you all
I wish I could come there and stay a while then I
could see all my relation. Sina tell them all I think
of them often give my love to them tell them there
is not one of them forgoten though I cannot write
to them all tell them I much desire to write to them
all but we are in a land of strangers and we all have
to work. I have wanted to write too you before but
when I have had lesure from work we have been
engaged in something else that we couldant. And
I am such a poor writer too that it seems such a task
for me, but excuse me all, we are all well and
hope these few lines will find you, and all well and
enjoying yourselves first rate. O Sina do write to me
and send me your picture. tell Hall Wiser, I want his to
do not fail to send them to me. Sina you
spoke about you and I being old maids I think
we bid fair for it and who has a better right than
we if we take a notion, old maids are good I think
so if we will be good I am willing.
O We live on
the prettiest place I ever lived on in the world
and if we owned it I should be very happy. there is
a nice green yard with pretty trees set in rowes front of
the house and is beautiful Indeed without mistake
this is the most beautiful county I ever saw
but Sina do write and send me your picture dont fail
I must close for Lissa wants to write. my love to
you and all tell them all to write to write to me
from you ever
affectionate cousin Mariam
Lucina Larrabee
it is so dark I cant see
PS Direct your letters to Mariam M Cook
Washington
Washington County
Iowa
