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Brainerd Cherokee Nation April 23. Respected Sir,

Miss Ames has requested me to write a few lines to you. I understand that you are the minister of the place where the ladies sent our straw bonnets. And I think we ought to be very thankful that the good people at the North has done so much for the Cherokees. We have no minister in this place he has removed to another station so he could learn the Cherokees language. We do not have any preaching other than once in two months except when some ministers from the neighboring Stations or some traveling minister calls. And I am going to ask you one question will you please Mr Thatcher to ask the Board to send in a minister? I will tell you how the Cherokees live they generally live in log houses and cabbins, though some have framed ones. Some of our neighbors go to the next of government and to the neightboring states and see how civilized people build houses and they begin to live a little as they do. They have gardens and cultivate fields some of them have ?een? sheep, horses, and a great many swine. They have all kinds of fruits such as are peaches apples pears and the veggatables are sweet potatos, beans, peas corn, groundnuts, and turnips &c. which they raise for their family to live on. But a great many of the Cherokees are poor and ignorant and live so poorly that they have scarcely any houses or clothes there they often go to those families that can take care of themselves and if such families do not mention them they think they are stingy. I think you would like to hear about my father's family. The whole number is mine and sometimes