Letter from James Lyman on farming, profits, and family health

East Hampton July 30th 1859

Dear Brother

I can tell you that I have been trying to begin a letter to you for some weeks but my time has been so much occupied that I have had [?] perhaps you will believe me [?] I inform you that we have planted acres of corn and potatoes [?] the hill farm besides [?] at home. The [?] that [?] planted on the hill is the one that we bought off Mr. Edwards the earn looks [?] at [?]. [?] [?] cause you must know that that it required a large amount of labor [?] the land [?] lend the corn on that piece of land hence our time has been more than usually taken up then our [?] in large and these things with other states [?] [?] my time are that of [?] found very little time for writing or any thing else and there another thing which I think has not weighed much if [?] with me that I think I will [name?] [it is then?] that you have directed [?] but [?] half sheet to me since you doubled [?] [?] [?] by any means think of [?] that there has been any [?] sleight on your part but shall attribute it to [?] the respect of your many cares but it use to be very pleasant to receive a letter from Brother Horace but you must not think from what I [?] [?] that my [?] to has in any degree cooled [?], far from it far from [?] received the [?] of your [?] it made my heart bleed as thought the [privations?] [?] [?] that you had been called to help through and make it thought of the great need that there is of the preservation of your health because the laborers are so few in Oregon as well as [?] care for the wants of your dear companion and your sweet little babe it seemed to me that were it [mat?] for there thought that our kind heavenly Father orders every event in love you might with reason complained of your lot as being a hard one but praised be the Lord every event in life his ordered by Him Who observe the falling of a [?] to the [?] and who numbers the hairs of our head and it becomes us as creatures of his care to resign ourselves to him as dear children feeling that although this way is in the dark yet after all it is the best, I can imagine how pleasant it would have been for you in your [?] to have had a dear brother to send for as brother Josiah Did for you at Lenox but that was impossible. How much your dear Mary must have suffered during those days of suspense when your life was hanging upon a single thread as It were expecting soon to be left desolate in that for off land of strangers but it pleased him who [?] the [?] to the shorn lamb after [?] her to taste as It were the better [?] to remove it from her may it be that we shall so [?] the hand of god in all of these things that it well lead to devote our spared lives more entirely to thus [?] than ever before else we may expect that if there ends are not answered that the [?] will be repeated or some [?] our [?] upon us.

[?] [?] you [?] that I do not [?] very fast with my letter but the reason is [?] of time but I think we shall get it ready for the next [?] with this letter we shall enclose a letter to brother henry Hearns whim you [?] it to keep it till he arrives he started from St. Louis the 6th of may and from Conrail Bluffs about the last of the month we have had one letter from him dated july 5th he was then at fort Laramie jan 18th west from Washington or some where abouts at may [?] that he will arrive before he reaches you i hope [?] for your sake and his that he will [?] wih you in Portland or near here at least.

There is a prospect at present that another [?] congregational will be formed here, the town has increased so much that our present house is to small and it seems necessary that something should and for several weeks the subject has been agitated whether to build a large house sufficiently large for the whole people and dispose our present house the best way we [?] or build a smaller house and form another [?], last Friday [?] we had a final [?] meeting which I suppose has decided the another in favor of two societies, how we shall get along with the expense I cannot tell Williston and company well with he seminary [?] the [?] society. The whole matter has been kindly and pleasantly managed with little if any hard feelings so that it cannot be said that we have quarreled ourselves [?].

We have recently received a letter from brother Josiah which communicates the cheering news of a prospect that he will dispose of his [?] [?] he has been building. Prof [?] of Philadelphia and mr. lord have examined it and are much interested in it and a prospect is an [?] (when it shall have been sufficiently tested to proof its quality) to buy It and give It to [where?] there is a Meeting [Damage] Albany the present week and he expects to carry [?] exception and if Prf. Bond of Cambridge University decides in its favor it is probable that he will dispose of it in the way how spoken of Prof. Rogers says that more he asks for he better and Mr. Lord thought that $2000, would be a small for it brother, I thought that if he disposed of it in this way he should not realize less than $1500, I hope that he will dispose of it to advantage for surely he [?] the [?] of it. There is a little news in the matrimonial though as the law now is we do not hear much about it till after marriage, Louisa Lyman to a Mr. Wait of Hatfield in may and soon after cousin [?] Lyman to a [?] Smith sister of cousin Caroline Clapp’s husband and are some others but they would not interest you in particular cousin [?] Lyman arrived from the south I have no yet [?] with him and do not know how long he will stay Mr. Bement was down at the exhibition and delivered he [?] he appeared about as formerly he yet feels so tender in regard to the people that he felt as if he could not preach to us and indeed he could not rest nights an recount of old associations coming to mind.

As a consequences of the coalition of the [?] [?] party with the [?] party we have as probably you know already a [?] governor this year among the things that have been made in county officers is the appointment of Mr. [?] of this town as high sheriff.
The [?] [?] low well [?] so favorably for Oregon that I [?] that we shall feel that the postage well be no objection to writing whenever we have any thing to write ever if we do not fill more than half a sheet, [?] was expecting to write some to send [?] this sheet but he thinks he shall not be able to now, he says you are often on his mind and he [?] to write soon I [?] depending upon him to write in regard to mother who has been and is more sick though we hope she is better at present though she is quite [?] not [?] able to sit up she has been sick as much ten weeks though she has not been so [?] more than two or three [?] his disorder has been a [?] of the digestion organs with some congestion on the lungs with a morbid action of the system generally with some [?] affection as you of [?] must know we cannot tell [?] she will get [?] as not bet and [?] she may, [?] [?] wild send a letter soon.