Dear Mothers Last Letter

Dec 27th 1866

My Dear Eliza

I write these few lines to day which I could not have done yesterday I was suffering such dreadful agony with my legs they swell and get inflamed )Matilda came last night and put me on Leeches which gave me great relief I am going to have more on today. I am only bones covered with a skin so you must not be surprised to here I am worse or no more ) I will now tell you how we spent Christmas day Leon and John was at the Post Office Matilda came and dined with me ) Sarah and children with Caroline and Leon and John came in the Evening We both had a fine goose plumb pudding Custard peas potatoes and ___ hoping you are better and the rest all well My kind love to Grandmother Uncle Edwin Ann ___ Caroline and all the rest.

My dear Sister

Melbourne Road
Feby 25th 67

My dearest sister

It falls to my lot to have the melancholy task of informing you that our poor dear darling Mother is no more she died on the evening of the 18th of Feby at about 1/2 past seven and was buried on the following Wednesday afternoon. She was very low and faint all the day she died and it was a most terrible wet day or I should have been with her. Carrie thought she would put her children to bed an hour earlier and go over to Mother's which she did and saw that she looked very faint and said Mother you don't seem to have any wine shall I fetch you some when she said yes but not if it rains Carrie replied oh never mind the rain and off she went running there and back On her return she mixed some with water and poor Mother took two spoonfuls and Carrie thought she could take no more when she spoke her last words and said just one more and through back her head and left this word like a new born babe falling off to sleep. Poor Carrie thought she had only fainted and began to bathe her hands and face when a neighbour sitting there said it is of no use she had gone to heaven My Dear sister you must not grieve for her as she wished us all not she was perfectly resigned and willing to die and told a great number of persons she should died in the middle of February and on Christmas day told me she thought she should die about the 18th the very day she did. You must break the news as gently as possible to my dear Grandma but it is a sad and sore trial for us all. I shall write to you more particulars next time now with our united love to all members of the family beleive me

Ballarat
November 25th '77

My dear Sister

I received yours and was very greived to hear of the death of Uncle Needham and so were we all, how suddenly he died, you do not state what he died of nor did you state whether he had any money or property please let me know in your next letter whether he made a will and who he left it too. I thank you very much for the Likeness of your husband and child and your husband's Mother we all think him a fine Looking man. I gave Carry one of them and she told me to thank you for it she says she will write to you soon. We were all sorry to hear that you had not been well lately but hope you are now in better health and hope your husband is doing a good Trade in his Shop.

Matilda is now living with Leon again in Launceston Tasmania and I believe are once more happy together but I believe he has been very poorly lately suffering with Sciatica in the hip some days he can hardly walk about. As regards myself I am doing a little better now since I last wrote. I got a job to clean, sweep and dust the Central State School in Ballarat, I get £4 per month and it takes myself and wife about 5 hours per day to do it but we have to buy our own Brushes and Brooms which brings the money down to £3.10.0 per month but still with that and what I can earn besides I manage to get on a little better. I am glad your son Edwin is getting on and that he is in good health. I should like very much if you have got a likeness of yourself to send me one in your next letter and in return I will send a likeness of myself wife and Family to you as soon as I can get the money to have it done.

The weather is now very warm here and I believe we shall have a very hot summer, I intend to write a short note to Aunt Carry, but as I do not know her address I have sent it in your care please see her at once and give it her. I will send you some papers with this letter since I wrote my last letter I have sent papers every mail do you get them. If you send me one send either a Lloyds Newspaper or Else an Illustrated paper. I shall now conclude this hoping when you receive this that you have spent a merry Christmas and happy New Year with kindest love from all of us to yourself, children, husband also, to my Aunt Carry and cousin William.