Frank A Palmer, his wife Sadie A Palmer, and children Harry and Nettie, had lived in Howell County, Missouri, attended the same church as David S and Belle Ferguson. Sometime between 1893, when Nettie is listed on a Pine Grove school program, and 1895, the date of the first letter from Frank to Grandpa Dave, they had moved to Barry County, Mo. Nettie was married to Louis (Surname unknown), with whom she later had baby Inez.

Jefferson City Mo Sept 8 1895

Friend Dave,

Excuse me for not writeing sooner but have been waiting and expecting some time to be paid so I could send you the money to pay Mr Clark, and by the way I have just written to Mr Clark and have explained to him our agreement when I bought the plow. He was not to charge any interest. You see the plow was 30.00 cash or 35.00 on time and he said there would be no interest to pay. So I just told him in the letter if he would turn the note over to you I would send him the 17.50 through you immediately upon his order.

We will be paid here tomorrow the first since our July pay. I do not think we are going to work much longer. The River is getting very slow and they are short of material to work with and it is a hard matter to keep men when the weather gets cold.

It has been quite cool here for several days and colder tonight than any time yet. My Pardner has gone home sick and I came near having to go to. We have had a tough time this season. Sure the hardest, hottest summer work I believe I have ever done on the River.

I dont know whither I will be able to come by Willow Spgs or not. If they shut down soon it will leave me a little short financialy. I just have one months wages comeing to me now out of my whole summers work, that is in money. Of course I have the crop Charlie raised for me this summer.

I will get out of town as soon as possible. After I get home will rent a place out of town where I wont have house rent and fuel to buy and am going to get a hustle and see what I can do towards trading for a place. If I can not trade for a place, must homestead. If I do either, I will have to come back here next Spring, but I will get a better boat next time. If I trade for a place I will bring my folks here with me next summer.

My folks were all well the last letter I had and hope this will find yourself and Family enjoying good health. Give my regards to all my old Friend and Neighbors.

Your Friend, F A Palmer

Jefferson City Mo, Oct 15 1895

Mr D S Furguson, Willow Springs Mo

Dear Sir & Friend, I received notice from Mr Clark that he would accept the 17.50 and deliver you my note for that amount without interest. The extra five dollars that is paid I think is sufficient if the time did run over. Will enclose you P.O. Order in this letter and please be so kind as to attend to it for me and I will be such obliged to you.

Just received a letter from home and the folks are all well. Hope this will find yourself and Family the same. Nettie said she just had a splendid time.

The works here are going to shut down the 15 of November. Just one month from today. Excuse this poor writing if you can make it out. The boat is running and shakes so I can hardly write. Want to mail as soon as I get back to Jeff.

Will be very glad to get home again. Have had a long hard job this summer and among a terrible Drunken Crew at that. I am sure sick of it. I wish there could be no more Whiskey made.

I would like very much to see you and have a good talk with you again. There is no news of interest to write from here so will close for the present hoping to hear from you again. My best regards to yourself and Family. Remember me to my old Neighbors.

Ever your Friend, F A Palmer

Council Bluff Ia, Oct 5 - 1896

Mr D S Furguson,

My old Friend & Neighbour, your kind favor just at hand and right glad I was to hear form you again. Realy Dave I have treated you quite mean, and if you will accept an apology, I will promise to do better in the future.

Well Dave I have had quite an experience on the works this Season. I have had all kinds of work to do from watchman to Engineer. That was a dandy trip from Jeff City up the River to this place. We are located 3 miles above Omaha, just 662 miles and 8/10 from where we were working last summer. We left Jeff City Aug 22 and arrived here Sep 9, then left here again to go back after another Tow, just above St Joseph. Got back here again Sep 19 and our steamboat was laid up and me and my engineer was put on a steam Pile Driver where we are now and expect to stay untill the works close for the season.

I am going Home via St Louis and am going to stand examination for Second Engineers License and if I can pass will get a good job here next season at $100 per month.

I have a new engineer this season. My old Pardner John McClendon is entirely done up on these works, cause too much "Whiskey". I am sorry for Him but can not help Him any.

I just had another letter from Home this morning. The Folks are all as well as usual. We have a little start again of a few Shoats, Chickens and a Cow. We raised a fairly good crop of corn this summer. It was very dry and corn did not do as well as it might have done with a little more rain.

I can not complain considering our circumstances and am very thankfull for what I have. My wages was $10.00 and $15.00 less this season than every before. I always got $50.00 per month on the "Melusina" but a watchmans wages are $35.00 per month and the other Boat only paid $45.00 and I was only on her two months this season. The Job I have here pays $35.00 per month.

Great Scott, you had aught to see the men hunting work when we first came up here You would think there was a Circus in town. There were upwards of Three Hunder Men made application for work in as many days after we landed and are coming now every day.

Hurrah for W J Bryan and Free Silver. You can just bet she is Red Hot up here and right in two good Republican states at that, Iowa and Neb. We are sure a goner if Free Silver does not win this time.

Well Dave I expect my old place could be bought cheap enough but realy I do not think I want it again. We like the country over where we are now so much better and it is so much better land and can raise good crops on it and I can get very good land at a very reasonable figure.

I can not possibly buy land again right away. I have fully made up my mind to keep entirely out of Debt in the future. A man that is fixed as you are with no debts and good land in cultivation is all right there, but a poor man as I was and no start and in debt, stand a poor show. I can rent land over where I am and make more out of it than I can and own the land I had.

If I can succeed in getting Engineer License this Fall and get in a couple of Seasons work on the River here I can come out all right. You see when I get License I can get a Steam Hammer or a Grader at $100.00 per Mo. and a season or two at that rate would fix me all right.

I can not be positive now that Mrs Palmer and I can come to see you all this Fall as I had thought to do. I should like very much to come and see all my friends. I often think of the good old times at Pine Grove and vicinity and of the genuine Neighbourly manner in which yourself and Family treated me and my Family. The kindness of our Neighbors was more than I expected amoung Strangers. My only regret at leaving was parting with such Friends.

I hope Mr. Vandandaique can sell at a good price as he is so anxious to sell. I thought Mr Whitaker was pretty well satisfied. Where did Mr Tabor go to? back to Iowa or to Dakota. When you write again tell me how Lawrence & Mr Brown, Mr Bennett, Mr Stiles, Mr Rickey and Tom are all getting along. How did Mr Rickey come out with the Farm Loan Co,. I heard this spring that the Loan Co was closed up by the State Treasurer. Nettie said in a letter to me that J. H. Tilly had left his wife or she him, I forget which now.

Will close for the present hopeing this will find yourself & Family all well and enjoying yourselves. Would like to hear from you all again,

As ever, Your Friend, F A Palmer

Cassville Mo., Jan 3, 1897

Mr. D S Furguson,
Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Well Hello Friend Dave. A Happy New Year to you all. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves and had a good time during the Holidays. It was a dull time with us here. We were all alone Christmas and New Years too, but say hasent the weather been remarkably fine up to the present time. It could not be beat sure. You are just right, the farmers took advantage of the fine weather here and have nearly all their plowing done.

I have done nothing on this place not knowing what I will do between now and spring. I may not farm next season. I am thinking of trading for a 40 close to town and if I do will have no team to work it and will have to rent most of it out.

Next season I do wish you could come over here and look around a little, Dave. I just know you would be well pleased with this country and what it can do. It is a good country for cattle and hogs and just as good for fruit as it is over there. There is ten times as much corn raised here as there is over there too. I sure think it away ahead of old Howell anyway.

I will have to go back on the River again next season. I guess you seen by my last letter to you from Council Bluffs that we moved quite a distance up the River from where we were. We commence work in the Spring at C.B. where we stoped that fall and finish that work, and drop down to Atchison, Kan to work there. There is work to do all along the River back down to Jefferson City. It wil take about two years to work back to Jeff.

I got to see nearly all my relation after we quit work. Some of them I had not seen for 12 years. There has been a mighty change in that country since I was there last. There has been a big change over there too since we left, from what the folks tell me. I am hungry to hear from Old Time Friends and wish you would give me all the news you can.

I am sorry I could not bring my wife and Harry and come over and see you all this time, but we intend to come as soon as we are able. That does not hinder you from bringing Mrs Furguson and the children and comeing over here. I know you would all enjoy the trip and we would try our best to make it as pleasant for you as possible. So come on over if you can and we will try and come to see you next Fall sure.

I suppose you have read in the Papers about our Embezzling County treasurer. He only swiped $10,000 and unless his Bondsman make it good, he is sure in close quarters. Some of the schools had to close on account of no funds. The County Collector has taken in money enough to start them again, they did not have to stop long.

I have been quite busy since I came Home fixing up around the place getting ready for cold weather and just got through in time Judgeing from the way it Rained here night before last, yesterday and last night up to daylight. This morning it commenced to freeze and Snow a little and has been getting colder all day untill now and is snowing hard now (4:00 Oclock PM)

Just as I finished this sentence Sadie & Nettie yelled Dinner, so had to stop and go to dinner, then had to do up the chores and it is now 6:00 Oclock and Great Scott but it is getting cold. I pity the stock that is out to night. That is sure one good thing we have on this place, a good shelter for our Stock and plenty of water. There is plenty of water here, everybody has a good Pond or Well.

Now Dave, please write soon and tell me all the news, and how you are all getting along these hard times. I am afraid times are not going to be much better than they were. Will close for the Present, hopeing this will find yourself and Family all well.

As ever, your Friends and Neighbors, F A & S A Palmer

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