Chicago
March 30, 1873
Dear John,
Well I suppose you have given all hopes of hearing from
me. I don’t know that it is any use for
me to make excuses but I will tell you just what I have been doing all this
winter, and it has been the coldest and the most disagreeable weather that I
ever experienced since I have been here!
And also business has been very dull and moving very scarce although it
is somewhat better now.
I have been taking charge of L. B. Walker & Co.
machinery depot and machine shop and now I am about through with them for the
reason that they have sold the most of their manufacturing to a party by the
name of Treble Lean & Co. and they want me to take charge of the same. They are going to manufacture steam engines
and wood working machinery.
I told you in my former letters of my patent on some of the
plainers and since then I have just taken out another patent for a resawing machine
and am now making the drawings and patterns for the same and going to make some
of them right off, and last week I got up a new attachments for scroll saws
which is a grand success. I have one of
them working in the shop. I have had the
best mechanics in the city to see it and yesterday I went and filed a caveat for
it and paid $125 for that. I thought
that I might want to make a little change in it since I put it on last Thursday. I have orders for seven of them and so you
see I am full of patents just now and that is not all. They are the most valuable improvements in
woodworking machinery in the market and of course I am going to make something
out of them as soon as I get through with Walker & Co.
I have two opportunities to go to work on a salary but I
made up my mind yesterday to advertise for a partner to take the old stand of
L. B. Walker & Co. and manufacture wood working machinery and if I succeed
in get the right party I shall soon be in business for myself again and I think
it will be a business that will pay good profit. The old firm made a good deal of money from
it the last three years.
I am going to Lacrosse next week to start one of my patent
machines sold to a Mr. Paul and if it is a success I shall sell some more up
there.
My folks have been sick all winter pretty near. Our baby at
one time we thought we should not ___ him but is getting a little better now
and with care will soon feel like himself again, and Frances has not been very
strong this winter although she has done all the work pretty near. We had bad luck with all the girls. They all was not worth their board and consequently
we have been without most of the them and Hattie has had to stay at home a good
deal this winter and hasn’t taken music lessons since early last fall but is
going to commence again soon. Richard’s
folks are going to move the first of May to a house they have bought on monthly
payment and Price’s folks are coming here next month so they say, although I
haven’t seen Price for about two weeks.
I don’t know what his father can do for he hasn’t a trade that he can
work at here. If he has money I think
that perhaps he had better come to you and buy a farm. He will make a good farmer, but come to think,
you know him.
I was going to send you some cut of my improvements but
haven’t got them patented as yet, but will soon.
We all unite in love to you all hoping that this will find
you all in good health as this leaves us all better than we have been at any
time since last fall.
From yours truly,
Edwin
PS - Winnie says that she is going to write soon and
Hattie says she wrote to Annie three weeks ago.
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