My Beloved Children:
I take this opportunity to inform you that I am well at present, as I can expect, and am glad to hear that you are al1 well, and am well suited with that country.
I should like to see you all, but the distance is to far for me to come at present, so will send you a few lines.
I have been to Herkmen (?) County since you have gone from here, and found my friends all well.
They had a snow storm in Herkmen (?) county the last of September while I was there, it fell in the town of Starck (?) about 12 inches, in the town of Warren (?) and Columbia (?) to about 2 feet. It split a good many apple trees. I got home about the first of October.
I think Isaac will conclude to come to that country next spring, and if I am well, I shall come with him, to see you, if I live and am well enough to come.
I give my best wishes to you all and to Myers (?) and to Betsey and to Uppen (?) and to Caty and to old Mr. (?) Vincent and to his family and to all inquiring friends.
I can think about you and that is all that I can do. My thoughts then return again to me, but I will remain yours until death.
Conrad Shimmel
I take this opportunity to inform you that we are all well at present, and hoping that these lines may find you the same, and now about your houget (?) of the goods as I wrote to you further on the first of October last. I went to Sackets Harbor twice since, and inquired about the goods, and found out this: The captain of the Onnide took them from Sackets, the next time that he went up the lake, and that is the last that I can find out of them, that is what Hooker told to me, the goods are gone on up the lake with out fail, but where too, I can not find out to which port they have gone. Philleps (?) and Wait (?) did not think it safe to sent them; your father did not direct the goods as they should ought to been; They were marked M.G. It should have been Mich, stands for Michigan.
I have done all I can to find out about them and this is all.
We received your letter the 5th of November, and I am glad to hear that you are well suited with that country and are all well.
The friends and relatives about here are all, as far as I can hear. I should like to see you all; Richard, Susan, David, Levi, Rachel, Solomon, Anna, and the rest of the family, but I do not think I shall see you all in this world again.
We had a snow storm the last of October and had about a foot of snow which lasted a week or ten days, but the weather is now good at present.
Wheat is 75 cents a bushel, corn is 3 and 6 a bushel, barley is from 30 to 40 cents a bushel.
Daniel Fisk and Abram Bowman is a going to be married soon. Charles Overhault(?) has run away and has left his wife and two children, and took his wife's sister with him, and went up the lake Ontario. We think he has gone in the Western country. He has gone without paying his debts; he is owing Walter Fox about $100.00 and a good many men more or less.
I made a small mistake on the otherwise about the health. Rachel Roof is sick and has been for some time about the deal (?) that has been since you have left; I suppose you have heard of them from John Gould's letter.
Give respects to Caty and Uppen (?) and tell Cathy that little Nancy is well, and has been since she has gone; she calls Caty about every day.
Give my respects to Myers and Betsey and the whole family and to old Mr. Vincent family, and to Mr. Coudney (?), and to all inquiring friends.
William Flanders is very feeble yet, he is confined to his bed, he has not done any labor since he has been to home, and is not likely to do any very soon.
I should like to come to see you and that country if I could, but I can't, The times are to hard. I shall try to come, if I live and the times get so that I can get money enough to come.
Charles Sprarer's (?) is dead, Isa Falling's wife is dead, William Young's (?) child is dead.
The reason I did not write sooner is that I wanted to find out about your goods, if I could; I went to Sackets Harbor twice, but the Captain of the Onnida was not there any time, so I did not see him; but Hooker told me this what I have wrote in this letter about the goods, he said that they were not sold, that Captain Charles Chile's took them on the boat and went up the lake.
This is all at present, but remain yours
Benyamin Shimmel
A special thank you to direct descendant, Lynette Stilley who so gratiously donated this information to the St Joseph Co., MI USGenWeb site