Letter signed William A. Hall, Randolph County, Mo., to Dr. Nickolas Marmion, Harpers Ferry, Va. Have no recollection of having a small balance against you. Piett’s land cannot be sold at the price proposed by Dr. McSherry. My neighbor Mr. Jackson will give his price for about 40 acres adjoining Mr. J.’s land. I will sell you this small wood lot for what you think it is worth, deducting 10%. I am pleasantly situated adjoining my mother’s farm. Land excellent; I have been rapidly improving but have not yet completed my arrangements for living. Whenever not holding court I devote myself to my farm…ten acres of very fine wheat now beading out, it will certainly make 20 bushels to the acre, my neighbors say more…thirteen acres in corn, five in oats, four prepared for tobacco and waiting a rain to set it out, one and a half acres in timothy grass and two pastures ten acres in each, also an orchard of 100 apple trees set out last year and growing finely. All this land has been put in cultivation in two years with the assistance of one hand; in addition, I have put up good stables, meat house, kitchen, and milk house; my dwelling house and well were made by contract. My family consists of a very lovely wife (I think you and Lydia [Marmion] would like her) two hearty little boys, a black man, black woman, and two children. I will probably have to abandon my present situation. The office of Judge will probably be made elective next year, and as my district has a large Whig majority, I do not expect to retain my situation by their consent. I shall if defeated resume practice of law at Fayette., [ca. 1848] June 1

Item — Box: 1, Folder: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection contains primarily letters of Hall family members to family in Virginia and Missouri discussing family news, farming, their enslaved labor, their legal and political careers, the Mexican-American War, the California Gold Rush, and the John Brown raid on Harpers Ferry. Correspondents include Willard P. Hall and wife Anne E. Richardson Hall, mother Statira Hall, and siblings William A. Hall, George H. Hall, Mary Hall, and Anna Hall.