Shelbyville, Ind. October 19th 1849

Dear Father & Mother

Your letter of the 18th of September last has been received and we were glad to hear that you were all well at that time. We are well at present and have enjoyed good health generally.

In reference to your proposition to me and the other brothers concerning one or the other of us coming to live with you and take the farm would suit me very well. It would be a great help to me. Also it would afford me great pleasure to be with you and render you all the comfort and assistance I could in your helpless and declining years. But still I don’t see that I can possibly come and comply with the proposition because I now have a large family of small children and it is so far to move and my circumstances are such that I do not feel my self able to bear up under the necessary loss and sacrifices in fixing up to move and to under go the expense of the traveling with my goods and family. In short I am to poor to come just now.

The health of this country has generally been unusual good the past season and a fair average of all kinds of crops except what which was cut quite short by the ____ produce bears fair prices. Corn 30 cts - potatoes 20 cts - Flour $3.00 per cwt, wheat from 60 to 90 cents per bu, ___ 3 cts pr pound. We have a rail road now in operation to our town from Madison on the Ohio and the cars make daily trips. They leave our place every morning and return in the evening.

Peggy Montgomery and family are well. Jackson Aldridge and myself will likely be out to see you this winter some time to see unless we get disapointed in our calculations we are talking that way now. I wish to be remembered to John Keys and William Tunnell and all my ___ friends. Hope this letter will find you all very well and that I will still hear from occasionally. I want you to write to me certain so soon as you get an answer from the other two boys. As nothing more at present but remain your affectionate Son and Daughter until death

Thomas Alred

Ruhannah Alred