Northhampton
Peoria County, Illinois
July 17, 1853
" We have had a very cold wet spring here but the crops look well now The Scarlet Fever has been very fatal through this section of the country. JOSEPH HAINES's folks have lost two of their children, LEWIS and NEWTON. Mr. LE HOLESTER both of theirs, and Mr. HENNAN theirs and LUCAS both two of theirs, and Mr. ROBERT WILL both of theirs, and NANCY WILL her ROBERT and HENRY STAEL and AGNATE many more I could mention. SAMUEL SEWARD has lost their baby with the Croop. The last account we had from Mr. BLUESthey were all sick but him with the Scarlet Fever. CATHERINE HANE is dead. GEORGE SEWARDs are well and still on their place "
Peoria, Illinois
Oct. 31, 1853
"CLARK CLEAVLAND has left his wife and has bought the HITCHCOCK place up the river and started a House of Pleasure there upstairs he has got 12 women so they say. CARLILE got home from California this summer past. BEN WHITE started home, got as far as New York and died with the Scarlet Fever."
Peoria
December 1853Dear Cousin [JOHN HENRY LISK],
Henry I can't but congratulate you on your speedy trip and good luck, just think what a risk you all ran when the powder cage blew up, and to think that the Indians did let you pass them in peace. Oh what a blessing was set on the heads of your company. [JOHN HENRY, his brother MYRON, sister HANNAH CAROLINE, and a number of other Peoria County residents joined a wagon train in the Spring of 1853 and headed west].
Henry, you did not write anything about NORVELL MERIDATH, whether he went through with the rest of you or not. I think I saw him in town this week and spoke to him, although it might have been his brother. But I
think not, he inquired after you and MYRON [LISK, JOHN HENRY's brother] and wondered why he did not get a letter from you and so I think it was NORVELL. HARRIET [wife of DAVID C. LISK, the writer's brother], or that she-devil as you called her, was here and stayed six weeks and you must know that we enjoyed the visit very much for she has got another girl and she is crosser than I ever saw her before and whipped three times as such. She took everything that she .left with us when they moved back with her this winter.
DAVID did not come with her and I expect that it was a time of rejoicing with him while she was here, but enough of this.
Now I must give you a list of Peoria. In the first place, I will tell the weddings: AMANDA COMPHER and PETER FRY is married, and BEN SWENY to Miss TLUMER, and Miss MAXWELL. BEN WHITE is dead and Mrs. CASE, and several others has died since you left here, and one of the girls has got babes and a going to have them I ever saw before. MARY ANN WACKUF she is agoing to have a baby and it is a married man's or at least she has swore it on one and that one is CALHOUN, now what think you. AEAKON
HOW has been sleeping with one SALLY JOHNSON, and I expect that she will have an heir next and the rest of the girls is as bad and thus ends the baby story.JANE [LISK, a sister] is intending to go to California in the spring — JOHN [H. LISK, a brother] has been sick with the fever [Scarlet Fever] and SARAH [J. SHARP, wife of JOHN H. LISK] has been to Ohio this summer
and Mrs. POST was with her. Mother's [ESTER STILLWATER LISK, wife of BENJAMIN LISK] health is very good at present. BILL [don't know surname] is turned out over the plains of Wethersfield and is running after HIB, and CHUCK is after ELLEN, and old HENRY is after MEG with all his might. CALL is in the East and according to all accounts she had better stay there. Mother BUTTRICK wants to marry bad.SARAH CATHERINE LISK
Lawn Ridge
Dec. 15, 1853
"HARVEY McCANE's wife was buried last Sunday and old grandmother WOOD is dead. SARAH CAROLINE LISK is married. Her man I do not know. Our friends on Spoon River were all well the last we heard from them. GEORGE SEWARDs folks are well. LEVI HICKs folks have been to Texas and have come back. They have lost all their property. They are all well. Mister HIDEs folks are all well. Mister FERGUSONs folks are all well. Mister HALLOCKs folks are all well. REUBEN BEBA is married. LEVI BOOTH is married. Father MOTERER folks are well at present. NANCY ANN don't run alone yet.
The widow HAMLIN has gone back East and is going to stay a year."
Fairfield
Marshall County, Illinois
May 1, 1854" BARBARA and DENNIS WOOD died last winter. BARBARA died in January, DENNIS is February, with the Scarlet Fever. Miss HAINES a little girl and calls it MARTHA. REUBEN HAMLINs wife has another boy, Miss BARTON
has had a little and it died. HENRY ROBINSON wife has a great nice boy."
Peoria
Oct. 17, 1856"Dear Cousin (MYRON LISK),
The electionis near at hand and the whole of the state is in a harrow I tell you and it is rather a tumult in the city now. I tell you, it is every week and sometimes twidce, a meeting of one partyor the other. A week last Thursday the Whigs had a meeting in town and they had a boat with thirty ladies in and then it was taken through all the principal strees. What you think of that. Well this is what I think, if those women had been at home they would have saved them credit. I say let the men have their meetin and hurrah for Fremont or any other candidate want to but let the women stay at home and do their work.
JOHN [LISK] has been to York State and he saw all the old neighbors [in Broome County, NY]
JOHN brought home some apples that grew on our old farm and for that FANY TOVIS sent mother.
JANE [LISK] is married and well of it. She was married in July but they are here yet although they
will move on Saturday next. Her husband's name is STEBBINS and he is a Presbyterian minister.
He has four children and one of them is married andone is in Iowa so he has but two to bring home and one of them is
here now. STEBBINS has sent little JOHN to school in Dixson. He will stay there six months and he says that he will give JOHN all the learning he will take. JOHN has been in school three weeks and he is very well suited. STEBBINS owns a farm up in Henry County.We have got SARAH and FRANK [don't know surname, but SARAH was a LISK], GEORGE and ANN [SEWARD, I think ANN was also a LISK], that makes four, and JANE [LISK] and STEBBINS [don't have a given name]. SARAH STEBBINS and little LIBBY four more that is, and mother [ESTER STILLWATER LISK], myself [SARAH CATHERINE LISK] and MATO, a man that ALIC [ALEXANDER LISK] has to work for him, and ALIC, which is four more, that makes 12. JOHN HINES has lost his wife, she died in Spetember and WILLIAM GIEL's little baby is dead. And one of the FULTON girls is married to JAKE SLOW
and SAM FULTON is very sick.SARAH C. LISK
Blare Ridge
Peoria County, IL
October 21, 1856Dear Brother and Sister [MYRON LISK and HANNAH CAROLINE LISK],
" It has been a very dry season. Wheat is very good this season and corn and potatoes are very good. It rained a little yesterday and sprinkled today. we have another boy, he was born the 23 of January, his name is JOHN WILLIAM [MOATES}. GEORGE and ALVAH family are all well and send their best respects to you. We have very pleasant weather for this time of year. We have had a good crop of corn this year. We wrote in our last letter if you know anything about FRANK NICKOSON. He has got back and went to living with his family. He come back last spring
ELIZABETH [LISK] MOATES
Northhampton
Peoria County
March 18, circa early 1860sDear Brothe [MYRON LISK],
We have had a hard time of it here since the war begn. Corn has been down to 10 cents per bushel; rye 17 to 18 cents; pork down to $2.00; hay about from $6.00 to $8.00 per ton. We sold our corn at 12-1/2 and the man hoot it away at crib. As the rebels are being whipped out in all parts of the country the price of everything is beginning to go up again and we look forward to having better times again. We have very cold weather here at present, about four inches of snow. A great many people in this part of the country have not got all their corn out of their fields yet hands have been scarce and the corn so low that it would not pay to gather it. The war has taken away pretty much all ourworking men in this part of the country.
Our children, as well as GEORGE SEWARD, have all got the measles at present but are not very sick with them. ALVAH SEWARD is in the army as a cook at present. GEORGE lives on old father MOATES place an we live on GEORGE's place. ABRAHAM [MOATES] and children all join in sending much love to you all.ELIZABETH [LISK] MOATES