Letter written by Rebecca Davey in Nebraska to her parents Carolus and Nancy Burch.

Original possessed by Lucile Kimball of San Luis Obsipo, Ca. Transcribed by Howard Hickman III, April 1994.



                         Arrappaho Aug 1873
Dear Parents
     Father and Mother and all Friends at home
     I hope you are all in usual health. We are, except George is failing. I never saw him so poor in my life. I think that it is "a mind diseased" He is at present down to Mr. Scarsher[?] "the Hotel" helping him repair his house and make improvements in it. James is haying for Calvin. He had a long trip to Lourd[?]. He was gone 11 days and had some trouble as he was alone but "he came home all right."
     George did not fare so well. One horse gave out. He had to leave his load, come home, and get another horse. He brought her up here and I done all I could for her but she got worse rapidly and at last died with the inflammation of the larynx soon after. George got here with horse. It was the poorest horse but its broke up the team for all that.
     I don't know what we shall do now. I don't want him to sell the place if it is worth 10 hundred to any one. It is worth that to us besides it seems a sacrilege to dispose of it, after all we have endured to hold it so far. We could not get another as good location. This is a timber and water claim with a good log house on it. An underground stable and 40 acres of breaking and one mile from town by the section corner and can see all over town from the east part. A most splendid view of the valley and so. It is said that help come to those that help themselves. So I have hopes that we shall come out all right "yet" for that is what we endeavor to do.
     In the County below here, they raised splendid winter wheat, but it is too new here yet to try it. The ground isn't rotten or old enough.
     The flaugey[?] Pawnees came out on another hunt and drove all the Buffalos off up the river and there they met the Siouxs and had a big fight. Came back whipped out again. I wish that every one of them was exterminated. They are friendly enough to the whites, but Government is at fault. They never should give them permission to come out here. This never was their hunting grounds. It was the Arrappahos and they never came back. I hope they are satisfied this time to stay on their reservation.
     George think that there will be time enough to in the Spring to get those roots and slips. We don't have fall rains late enough here to put any thing out in the fall and have it live.
     I shall send a box of roots home this fall if it is possible. I want some acorn as soon as they are ripe and some maple seed. Them you can get down the creek almost anywhere. Make a little sack of stout cloth and you can send it by mail if it does not weigh over four ounces.
     Abby wrote that she thought that the prospects were fair for sending me a box of dried fruit. I shall be so glad to get it, so glad. She wrote that Lect[?] was having the ague. I hope she is better and Aunt Lewey[?] too was poorly. I hope to get a letter soon. .... that you are all better. I wish that you would write to me both of you. Did your orchard yield well. Accept this with lots of love. From all to all.
R.N. Davey
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