Dear Martha, My Dear Daughter,

I have heard from you at last I had given out ever hearing from you again. I am so glad to hear from you, but sorry to hear of so much sad misfortune amongst our relatives. The death of my two sisters, and my little grandchild, but it is better off than we are, and the misfortune of Brother Joe.

We are all well at this time, hoping that this may reach you safe, and find you enjoying the same blessing of a kind heavenly father. It has been some over four years since I heard from you, I seen some trouble since I heard from you. We lived one year in Smith County, since we got your last letter. We answered it, bought a team to go to California, but got no more correspondence. Stayed there and made an other crop, and then moved west and lived in Erath County, two years, then went on to Commanche, where we now live. But the old pioneer of the Shebang wants to go farther west, he han't got to see many Indian yet. I am well satisfied where I am if I could see my children once a month.

But, I shall not see much more trouble, I am failing very fast and the fatege that I have to undergo will soon wind up my days. I have no help now, nor haven't had since the death of Drewella. She took the burden off of my hands while she lived. She departed this life March 9th, 1871.

She said she was ready to go, she had no fears in death. She was onley loath to leave us, she expressed a desire to go first, for death was no sting to her. She was good and kind to everybody, and much beloved by all her acquaintences. We will miss her very much.

She was my housekeeper, and the children would go to her as they would to me, and she was allways ready to wait on them. I never had to sew nor wash in her time, but now I have all to do away in the Western Wilderness, amongst strangers.

I don't know that I have a friend or relative in three hundred miles of me, only my children in Erath County, and they love gay company better than mine.

William and Malissa lives at Stephenville, none of them making anything for old age, while I am here dragging out my life a taking care of the balance of the family. And often a crowd of men around us, the old set of children has all left us, but Peter Willis is at home this year, working a piece of land for himself. Peter has been sick all his life, onley weighs 80 lbs. He is of age but still lives with us for good reasons.

William was out to see us last week, he is fixing to go to Canas, and when he comes back he is coming home to help us fix up a little he says, however I fear he never will return again.

John is twelve years old, and is a good boy, he is a great deal of help to his father about the farm. He can plow and drive the team, and get along very well.

Joanna is very small, and never will be able to do heavy work.

Margaret is stouter made, but she is my baby, she attends to the ducks and chickens all the time.

I am fifty years old past and I will send your age for fear you have forgotten it. You was born September the 5th in the year of our lord, 1844.

I have not heard from your Uncles Abraham, David and John in over twelve months. They was all well then. Father Abe and John lives near Austin, David and Sharp lives in Fayet County, Walton post office.

Mother is no more. Davids two oldest sons is gone to the spirit land.

I have had no news from Arkansas lately, only a little note from Jane Flowers giveing me information only the death of Jacob Huffman and his wife.

We live a way out on the frontier, where we don't get much news.

But the Western Pacific Rail Road is progressing rapidly and as near as we can come at it, it will run in twenty four miles of us north the route is located now.

This will be one of the finest countrys in the world. This is a very good country for farming, or raising stock of all kinds. There is any kind of a place that a man wants, there is high prarie, open bottoms, timber bottoms, level post oak Ridges, rocky points and bluffs, an easy country to get about in. There is a great deal of Rail Road Land in this coutry, and Calium?(claimed?) Land, and some vacant land, there is very little patented land near where we live. We settled on a piece of vacant land, and have filed a pre-emption, been on it one year, will have to live on two years longer, then we get a paton for it. So we have got one third paid for and forty acres of it in cultivation. We have plenty of water, and timber. Rock for any kind of building. We have three steam grist and saw mills in our reach, the nearest eight miles, the farthermost fifteen. We live fifteen miles from Commanche, that is our county seat. Doublin is fifteen miles east of us, Commanche is south of where we live.

Well now my dear child, I must soon close my letter, I want to hear from you as soon as you get this. Oh that I could once more embrace you and my little grandchildren in my arms, before I go to whence there is no return. You must kiss them little darlings, and remember me.

May the Lord Bless you and yours, and save you in his kingdom is the prayer of your old feeble mother. Farewell, Elisabeth Fade

The amusing part about this letter is that it was written in 1873, and poor mother was giving her last farwells but at the bottom of the letter their is a note, probably written by my Grandmother, Florence Gibbins, as follows:

In 1904, when Martha Deweese Gibbins was sixty years old, she and her husband, Isaac Walter Gibbins, traveled by train from Cloverdale, California to Texas, to visit Martha's mother, STILL LIVING, who was eighty one years old. People on the train were amused at the thought of a seventy five year old man going to visit his mother-in-law.

Isaac Walter Gibbins was 15 years older than Martha Ann!

Martha's parents were George and Elizabeth Fade Deweese. p>

Most of the people referred to such as William and Malissa, Joe and others, were of the Gibbins family. Joe and William were brother of Isaac Walter Gibbins.