LETTER FROM JOHN KINZER
TO
SAMUEL LINN
BEAVER DAM
JUNE 19, 1845

Dear Brother & Sister 
    I am very happ to state to you that we are still in the land of the living. While many of our aquantince here and else where have d_____ the Curtain of Mortality.  We received yours of the 20 May in due time giving us the information of the situations and health of the family.  Anney and I myself we are about as well as people in advanced age generally. 
    We are entered in our Seventy first year but 7 days different in our age.  My weight is 207 lb Anney 184 lb but stiffen up in our lims verrey much but we can eat & sleep as well and as good as ever.  Thanks be to God for his mercies to us all.  I can give you but little account of the friends in Lancaster county. 
Brother John Slaymaker and family are well the old man tends the farm himself there is none of the boys that inclines to farm.  George had tended to the farm a few years ago.  Best he lament at all _____ his wife has bean quite deranged At times not fit to attend to her family.  Sometimes quite outrageous _______ to take her life.  He has had her in Lancaster in the hospital and lastle he has had her in the hospital in philadelpia.  I believe she some time better improved as she has bean since she was first taken if it _____
    Samuel the youngest son stands in a store in Williamstown.  B____ tends to no bussines and a very smart young man young Elizha free has purchased old James Kenneys farm on the Strassburg Road and moved to it last spring.  His mother and his sister peggey keeps house for him.I believe he has rented the old homeplace too some family of the neighbourhood. 
    There is no mistake about the death of Beszery Slaymaker his family is nearby.  All growen up one of her daughters is married shortly after the death of her Mother.  We have had a good deal of affliction in our family.  Our soninlaw John Stoner that is married to our daughter Elizabeth has had a stroke of the palzey.  About four months in which he lost the use of his speech and right arm and legg not able to speak nor walk but his mind is improveing some what.  He had no ____ of himself the first three weeks after he was afflicted but now he can make them sensible of what he wants.  They take him out in the carriage every Sunday round his farm and through the highland____.
    His health is improving very fast.  Now we are in hopes that he will get to walk again and perhaps his speech will come again.  His family are nearly all growen to manhood.  He has three sons and four daughters.  Two of the sons are young men and fine sturdy boys the oldest daughter is married doing well the next two girls I think will soon leave there parents. 
    Our friends here are in health.  ____ health is never verey good but he is as well as some and family.  Jasper don’t seme to inclined to get married again.  We wood like to see hime getting some suitable woman.  Our daughter Maryann has bean keeping house for Jasper and it seams to ____ her very much.  She wood like to be with her married daughter sometime and cannot leave her bussines. 
    On last Saturday we receivd a letter from the Senduskey giving us some news of the wellfair of our friends.  Then our daughter Catherine ____ is just recovering out of some  spell of Bilious fever the rest of the family ware well.  The same letter _____ of Alexander is living with his son William Slaymaker.  There is all his sons living in that section of country they _____ family live sons of Alexander Slaymaker.  All married and have _____.  I believe they are all getting along prittey well   (rest of letter is unreadable except closing)

Best  wishes to you all here and hereafter every member of the family.
John Kinzer
Hillsboro
Highland Co
Ohio

Date of the letter was June 19, 1845.

This letter was transcribed by Larry Kinzer on Feb. 9, 2007 in Bradenton, FL.  The copy of the original letter was acquired through the Lancaster County Historical Society.  The letter is part of the Samuel Slaymaker II, White Chimneys Collection, MG-268 Series 2, Box 7.