This is one of the letters that was sent to me from Karen Squires. See the history page to see how she obtained the letter:
This letter will go from here Keur Bush
Wednesday 5 April April the 2 1911
My Dear John and Sarah
Emily Received your kind and welcome letter and was glad to hear from you and would have answerd but she have been so Busy for my Daughter Ada and her Husband and child came down to see us and my youngest of 12 a son came down also from JohannesBurg and we was all so glad to see them that we had to make all we could of the few days they was with us they could not spend much time to be with us as Ada Husband work on the train so they was only about two weeks with us Emily is thinking of going down to the dorp for a change then I will have to go and take care of the House as the young woman that keep school she Bord with Emily so the food must be in time as the school is a good half hours walk from Emilys house her name is Miss La grange she is gone down to Humans dorp for a few days till the school go on again I only came over to be with my son Charlie and his wife also for a few days I will have soon to go over in a few days again so I thought I letter write while I am hare for I wont have much time when I am there we My Dear I must tell you that I am satting to write this to you on my Birth day this is the 2 of April and to day I am 80 so you can see that I am old. To day is Sunday and it is raining to day I have not seen my children for a long time only the three that came down to see me my Eldest son is still up in Johannesburg and a son up in the free state but now that they don’t call it free any more it is O R C colony well my son Stephen and his wife and children is there in a small town called Brand fort he have I think 4 children and poor Henry wife and 5 children is on her mothers farm about a little time from the place where Stephen is about Half a hour the Lord know if I will Ever see them all again My Jessie is not far from the Bay I have only Charlie and Emily that I can see or go to I have not seen Susan for a long time they are in the dorp yet in the same House John know that was our House when they was all in the dorp well My dear the Lord knows How long he will spear me yet, so as long as I live I will write to you but when the letters stop you will know that I am no more how is willie Smith and his family give them all my fondest Love and all his family and to all the Rest off my dear friends is Henry well and do you still hear from him and give My Love to John Knight and family I was surprised to hear that you Have moved to a hotel how far is it frome the place I allways had to write to I hope that you will get this letter is it Far from Utah I hope you will do well at the new place I was very sorry to hear about Willie Smith loss his poor Daughter we have all our troubles and heart ache in this old wourld oh how willie and his wife must have felt to lose his dear child my I Cannot get over My dear Henry death I still get letters from his poor wife they are all well and her five children all go to school her mother is old but as long as she live the poor Children wont want My dear Henry was three years dead one (on) New years day and his Father will be 4 yers on the first of May well you will see that I am getting very old oh My dear we will never meet in this world all we can do is to write and tell our sorrows I can not tell you when Emily will write She is all ways so Busy and some times she get no time to answer her Boys that write to her so she ask me to answer it this letter will be old by the time you get this letter as it have to go so far I am a poor writer and speller so you must look over all mistakes poor Henry wife do write such mournful letters that she do miss him so much she never wanted any thing when he was living and she loved him so I hope you will let me know if you get this letter for I hardly know how to address this if it must be address like in the old way or if I must put on the Kamas Hotel
Kamas(crossed out) Utah so you must let me know you must give My Love to willie Smith and his wife and all the rest of the dear friends and you must let me know if you hear about Henry smith and how he is and his family and John Knight I never hear where John sisters or Brothers is I will try if I can find John sister Mary Likeness taken when she was a young woman but years after I saw her she did not look like the photo any more she got very stout but Annie I never saw from the time they left the dorp some of my children came to see me my Jessie is Living close to the Bay I cannot Remember sending my poor Henry photo to you I know I sent my youngest Son of all my twelve children to you his names is John Paterson but we call him Paterson I will put a small photo of his in then you can see if it is like the other one well My dear John and Sarah may the Lord bless you all is my prayer with Love from us all from
Your Loveing Aunt Jane Pauls
God bless you all
Write soon
