Dear Tom,

Yours of Aug. 16th, might and should have been answered long ago but, as you suggest laziness and procrastination are faults or virtues of the family to which we belong. It is better late than never and better never than not at all.

As to the cemetery's [sic] we visited where repose the dust of our ancestors--There are but two, one in Litchfield, and the Piscataquoq cemetery. The immigrant William, your great, great, great grandfather and his son William were originally buried in the old town grave yard, but the river began to wash it away and all bodies were removed to the place we visited in company with Miss Denton.

Your great grandfather David and his wife Margaret Fisher was buried here in 'Squog.

Many thanks for your cordial invitation to visit you. It is out of the question for us to think of such a thing. Lucia has not been out of the house since the latter part of June, and she has been in a wretched condition all this time. The Doctor says the sore on her leg is healing, and that she is doing as well as can be expected to etc., etc., but she suffers all the time, is very lame and sleeps badly. I am not away from the house more than is necessary. We have a good little Scotch woman to help us, and this we think is very fortunate.

Crops in this part of the world were greatly injured not long ago by a frost, the worst I ever knew for the first one.

The wife of Edward Varnum, your fathers [sic] cousin, died some two weeks ago. She had been a great sufferer for many years. John Q. A. McQuesten , with his daughter Martha were here 2 weeks ago today. John has a cough, and is quite feeble. It is more than fifty years since he left Hamilton, where he learned his trade.

Three weeks ago a cousin of mine whom I have not seen in forty seven years came to our house. He was here and in Bedford some more than a week and the visit was a very pleasant one. He is the dad of nine living children and there are twelve grandchildren.

Do you Canadians ever expect to get cake or candy or ice cream from your Uncle Sam "anymore."

Kindest regards to the family in which L. [Lucia] joins.

Yours,

J. K. McQuesten