Kirtland Ohio March 10 1839Dear Sister

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it is with pleasure that I now embrace the opportunity of writing a few lines to you to inform you of my health which is verry good at present and hope these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing I received your friendly letter and was verry sorry to hear that Sister Susans health was so poor I should have wrote before but have been careless or negligent about it not having had a convenient opportunity to do it give my love to Mother and Clark and Susan and tell them that I should be verry glad to see them but when I shall I know not perhaps never more in this world although I design to come [over] next fall but if sister Susan is as low as you wrote I think it will be doubtful if she continues until then but tell her that I hope to meet on the blissful shores of heaven tell her to put her trust in the redeemer of sinners who died that we might live we are only placed here to prepare for another and a better world let us then strive to be found faithful unto our Saviour and our own souls and then when we have past this unfriendly world we all unite again oh my Dear Sister do remember these things and strive to impress

them upon all of our friends but in an especial manner on Mother and Sister Susan give my love to Mary Cornelius & Levi likewise to Brother Shepard and Carseldana Verona & Lyman you wished me to come back so as to be there to the consummation of your nuptials but it is not convenient for me to be there but you have my best wishes for your prosperity and happiness in this life and the life to come give my best love to Brother Andrew if I may so call him give my love to Brother Zebina and family if you should have an opportunity likewise to Sister Lydia give my respects Esq Fletchers family like wise to Mr Israel Andrews and wife and children like to Mr Elisha Dodge and family like wise to all enquiring friends Cousin Josiah and wife and family send there love to you and the rest of our friends to the east he has seven children three girls and four boys Mary there oldest girl is twenty years old the other girls names are Lucy & Electa the boys Samuel Gordon John and Josiah Caleb Paine that married Cousin Electa live about sixteen miles from here in the town of Bainbridge they came on last

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fall Stephen gibbs that married Rebecca went from here the last of November for Iowa Territory and his family with him people are a moving from here to the west as much as they are from the east they say that it has been a verry hard winter here this winter but you would think that it was a verry light one for the eastern Country the snow has not been over eight inches to a time this winter and the people say that is as much as they ever have and I think it is better than to be worrying through the snow drifts from four to six feet deep I believe it to be as healthy here as it is at Vermont and as productive and therefore prefferable spring has happened here I believe that I have wrote all that I think will be of any interest to you so I will draw to a close after requesting you to answer this on the reception of this tell Clark that I should be verry happy to have him & Susan write to me if Brother Shepard is there tell him to write to me I will draw to a close by wishing you peace prosperity and happiness through life

Lemuel Colton

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Miss Ruth ColtonCraftsbury VermontKirtland [    ]via Albany New YorkMarch 12