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Plymouth Janu 12th 1873
Dear Father,
Yours of the 8th is at hand and the contence [contents] notics [noted] I am much pleas [pleased] to hear that your helth [health] is on the improve, and I hope it will
continue to improve for you and I hav [have] had a plenty of Chiles [Chills] for one season, my helth [health] is gragley surviving from my several attacks
of Chiles [Chills]. I would be glat
[glad] if I could hav [have] made you a visit at this time but my bisness
[business] is yet in a condition
that I cannot leav [leave] but soon
as I can get through with the new Steam Boat I will make a visit to see
you and the family we are pesterd [pestered] to finish our new Boat for all the
mashienry [machinery] is not hear
[here] yet and I hav [have] bin [been] Buildin [Building] a life Boat for the last week, the boat
is all dun [done] to put in winder
[window] and hanging the doors, The
Steam pipes is to connec [connect]
and Smoke Stac [Stack] is to connec
[connect] before we are reddy
[ready] to Steam, we ar [are]
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minus of sum [some] off thir [their] material though I think they say
that it is shiped [shipped] it will
be at least two weeks before she is compleat [complete],you seem to be desirus [desirous] of my moving to Zepheys [Zephey's] place, I kno [know] it is the duty of sum [some] off [of]
we [us] boys to stay a round
[around] you to assist you, and I
would like verry [very] much if I
was their [there] but it dus
[does] cost so much to tar [tear] up and move a distant [distance], and an othe [another] obstickle [obstacle] in the way if I cum [come] to that place, I would hav [have] to go to Farming and that would caus [cause] me to go in debt for a years [year's] provision and it mite [might] keep me behind all the time, as to cum
[come] up their [there] to depend on working for people in Heartford
[Hertford] county for a living, it
would be a nusants [nuisance], I am
shure [sure] I would hav [have] to suffer, I am tired of old
heartford [Hertford] for that caus
[cause], I dont [don't] kno [know] but it will better for me to keep strikeing
[working] on in old plymouth
[Plymouth] as long as I can make out
to liv [live] and when poverty cums
[comes] to my door I will try and
slip out and go sum [some] whers
[where] elcs [else] and seek a gain in my useal [usual] way. I am making slow progress on my Fike
[Fyke] for the want of Twine
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I got a merchant to order me sum [some] Twine and it has not cum [come] yet, so its [it's] getting late for me to fit out down hear
[here], though if I can get old sain
[seine] it will do for hidg [hedge] we hav [have] a man in Plymouth fitting out one for the
Sound at the Light house, he has 1000 yards of hidg [hedge], to his it is set like a one heart ware
[weir], hidging [hedging] from each whing [wing] of the Pound forming something of a ve
["V"] (drawing) the place you was
speaking the lower end of the Ilant [Island] creak [Creek], I think will be a good place and if I fail
hear [here] I will Joind [Join] you with one up their [there],, Though if I was to get a good price to fis
[fish] with sum boddy [somebody] I mite [might] take a notion for that kind of fishing I hav
[have] not settled down on no
purpminant [permanent] thing as yet.
this leavs [leaves] us all well. I
will try to cum [come] up and see
you Soon if I can I must remain your Son
C. W. Askew
