Metuchen 20 Feby. 1869 

To my much esteemed cousin Sarah. 

We received your letter with the two pictures duly and was very glad to hear from you but sorry to hear of Wm’s loss. I can sympathize with him as I have experienced the same loss and so has my Bro Amos and when we look around, this is nothing new under the sun. I hope his child will live and be a comfort to him. I have to confess my neglect of not writing to you sooner. I hope in the future we should correspond to her three times a year. 

I was glad to hear all of you building a house in schoolhouse. I hope you will live long to enjoy them and be the instrument in training up many children in the way they should go. I was sorry to learn of your father being so unwell. It is true that old age brings on informative. I’m thankful your parents kind children to attend them in old age. May they live long to enjoy them and then meet with happy entrance into those heavenly mansions above prepared for all those that love God and obey his commandments that I hope to meet them where parting is no more that is the main object of life.

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You will be surprised to hear of our change of situation. I sold the farm last spring for $100 per acre as my son Chas (Charles) took a dislike to farming and was bent on learning the carpenter’s trade which he was nearly a company could. He has a notion to build houses for sale which is a good business here as the inhabitants are increasing so fast by emigration that they cannot build houses fast enough. We left the farm on the last day of April 68

Moved to my wife’s brothers McCutchen to board. Child folded with the out the brothers is been very busy and his trade all the time myself and my wife enjoy – I was in visiting friends are renting and in Connecticut also right way and I’m boy visiting my brothers. As we had no time to visit with him on the phone, for here it is true that, “he who by the plough would thrive himself himself must either or drive. We actually found it a greater release from the disagreeable behavior of hired servants then from there anxiety and work on the phone we sold the stock on utensil to Namenda bought the farm.

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 I have bought a lot of land 65′ x 145′ about 100 year about 100 yards from the play a run Metuchen which I pay $800 on which I am going to build a house this spring Mccutchen is growing very fast your brother William would not recognize you to gain if he was here there is many houses built from two to $8000 about 100 men of settled in this facility who goes to New York every morning to do business that that is three churches building here at this time and a Catholic Church which is opened the members on mostly servants and laborers from Ireland or Germany. They get good wages and pay very Labor Day to learn the way to description they kept in there ignorance of the only way to salvation by the grace through faith not to Vascello mind the gift of God Ephesians 26 

And you know that I am blessed savior saves in 10 CJ that no man cometh to the father but by me and if I name in Plymouth on any other weigh the same as the thief and Roba but they are told to do penance and pray and pray to the Virgin Mary and confessed to the priest and pay him well then will be all right now not to search the Scriptures 

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I’m sorry to say that popery is flourishing here while it is dying on the continent of Europe. May the Spirit of the Lord lift up a standard against the enemy but is flooding the world with unrighteousness and superstition       the new Methodist church will be opened in a month may the blessing of God attend them the new at the school full of church will be open in 2 to 3 months. Mechanics wages a very high Masons & Carpenters have from 3 to 5 dollars an hour still they say they can’t save much more than they could before the world war.Rents and other than necessary expenses so much higher.  building materials are extravagantly high in consequence so much building going on.  An Englishman is going to put up a large three-story building near the post office, the lower story to be stores at a cost of some $20,000     he has built himself a house at a cost of $6000 in which he lives.  His businesses is in New York and he is a brazier and Tinman & has been here for 36 years. He is a plain industrious man and I think is become rich.      but riches is not always a blessing

Page 5 my brother William is getting along about the same as when William was here he occupies a form of 90 acres 40 acres 40 acres which I advised him to sell as it makes him too much work and care and his son has taken to storekeeping is a steady industrious young man his two daughters are both at home that Prius good girls and release them mother of a great deal of cat in her old age. I think I told you my brother Amos was married to his third wife and has made the beginning for a third class of children his eldest daughter is married and living at Newark 10 miles from Ray way. I received a letter from Thomas Jackson some month since he is well but growing fat he’s over 200 pounds weight he sends it tends to his business 10 hours per day and his son Henry was married some three months since we the consent of his father his son Thomas fell on his knee so I’m five months since he is now

Walking with two crutches and was doubtful whether he will never have the use of it again.  His daughter has two or three children at Jackson is keeping store at renting married to his second wife and is very comfortable.

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Henry Jackson is living in Pottsville some 50 miles from Reading employs a man and a boy a group making he makes pool progress I cool to see him last June he married a Catholic they have three children all girls she is bringing them up Romanists I’m sorry Henry cast for none of these things I might say the same of Thomas and his family. Better never have been born than live and die without salvation as a man sows so shall he reap

I need not inform you of the price of provisions here you see that in the papers I frequently send you I wish you would send me link on all knocking on all Ilkeston paper sometimes: I sure did I love to see you won’t but don’t expect to in this life honey: there is a great change here since before the war was a great deal more hunger hungry and thirsty after britches been formally many become rich that has been such a large circulation of paper money own government security speculators

Security speculators have made lunch profits. I have received a dollar in gold and silver I have not received on in gold and silver since the first year of the wolf and his paper as low as $.10 equal to five below that is Compa exit 5 cent pieces with a little causing or so of a mixed

Page 7 The winter season here is dolphin labor is thousands of foreign is traveling the roads daily picking the living and having no home and no money mostly Irish unionist Irish something when they have work they have no capacity to save Thursday thousand that is thousands of beer drinking Simons cat mostly by Germans which is A great new sentence that is 10 times more rubber is on highways and housebreaking then formally. I think of scouring over Europe coming here in the new knee 300 due to land in New York now I see by the pipe is a little too out to A great new sentence that is 10 times more rubber is on highways and housebreaking then formally. I think of scouring over Europe coming here in the new knee 300 judo land in New York now I see by the pipe is alloys not too lenient with the predators. I believe this would be the best country under the sun if we had honest men to manage it to manage its affairs the government get robbed of many millions a year the resources of this country is wonderful with you soon have rail road communication when the Pacific ocean we have the better management when general ground is president March 4 I think that Johnson has done 10 times more than good during his administration. I’m glad to hear you’re making progress in England in regard to limiting and right. I hope I shall live to hear of church and state being dissolved there

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Sarah I wish you would send this letter to your brothers and sister at Nottingham and I love them all but seem best acquainted with you and William. I would correspond with any of them I was glad to hear you like coops and see his picture or so. I suppose you’ll think I have nothing to do now I assisted brother William and Harry and harvesting and my watch brothers about the farmers so that I find as much as I want to do my neighbors say I have done work enough for one man but I cannot be idle when I’m doing nothing and get I get the blues as they call it William and John I hope you will write soon as convenient I long to hear from you from your father game he must be noon is June his end. Yeah cousin Caleb I trust you have made God your friend Jesus Christ your savior of the Holy Spirit your comforter how long is it since you became a Christian it is evident play the 11th hour with you but they receive the same the dented the Vin yard at the 11th hour as those at the third 69 here price compares the church to the mignon and it is the duty of all true believers to profess faith before an unbelieving world for Wii read that if the actual confess with thy mouth and believe with the heart that God raised him from the dead won’t be saved. My wife and Charles send their love all. How is your uncle Charles and family?

 From your well wishers and cousin 

John Watson