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Springfield August the 20 1820 My Dear Parents I once more take my pen in hand to write a few lines to you which perhaps you think I have almost forgot but no you are almost every hour of my life in my thoughts I think how much comfort you can tak together if you are sick or well and here poor me is all alone I have four Children that has got the hooping caugh & one more that dont begin to caugh yet they don't appear to have it verry hard yet the times are verry hard for them that are in debt as we be it is all most impossible to collect a debt we raised a great crop of all most all kinds of grain last year but it did not seem to amount to much this year our crops in general cam in very light so we cant expect much for them as to our trade that we can calculate nothing on that for there is two new fulling mills and coardin mashines set up in this town one of them is with in a half a mile of us