Stewartsville (Township, NC) April 21, 1882

My dear friend
I received your very kind letter of March 17th in a short time after it was written I was truly glad to hear from my dear good friends & hear they are well, I have been thinking of writing to you for some time & speaking of it too but put it off sometimes I feel so little like writing. I have the greatest reason to be thankful that I can write one of my age, & my health has been pretty good except my back. I have a weakness most of my time in my back, God has been so good and merciful to me in spearing my life so long & giving health & the use of limb, so I can walk about & eyesight to see, can go to Church & hear preaching while so many others are deprived of that blessing. I spend the most of my time at home I feel so much better satisfied here at my old home, I board with the family they live in part of my house they are very kind to me do everything they can for me I have no care or trouble about anything I visit my friends & relations when I feel like it, I rented my land to Mr. Ellis when I went to Alabama for four years this is the last year he has paid me up every year, they are hard working honest quiet people attend to there own business I do not know how I will do if I should live an other year. I have good kind friends that are all ways good & kind to me, Julia Ann is staying at Laurence Everetts at Laurinburg They live in the Stewards Hall where sister Margaret was so sick once, they have made a beautiful house of it the handsomest in Town they have eight children, Dr. Dickson is a near neighbour poor Dr. I felt so sorry for him he is well & pretty cherful you know he was always so.
I was down at Charles' when I received the letter from you, Bell said she had written you a long letter a week or so before & I thought I would wait a few weeks before I would write it would do you more good to hear after a while, I expect she wrote all the news about themselves & what they were doing, I came from there yesterday they are all there together Flora Jane Charles' wife is with her mother Old Mrs. Smith She got a fall almost three year since & she has been on the bed the most of the time it takes two to lift her up and put her dow(n) she is helpless & heavy. Flora is all the daughter she has, she has to stay with her all the time almost. Duncan looks well & is busy on his farm planting I hope they will all do well it is only two miles & a half from here, I wish Robert & John & Will were all here now, they are so scattered, I do wish you & Duncan were back here all your relations wish you were here you are so far away from you relations, It would be such a pleasure to have you here. Write some time when you can so we will hear from you. Peter M. Eachin & children are all well, all of Dr. Pattersons children are married & doing well. Fairley was the last one, he married a Miss. Emily Elliott near Fayettevill he lives at Laurilhill (Laurel Hill), Miss. Sally McLauchlin stayed with them till they were all married & is now with them she says she will spend some time with one and then another, Miss. Sally is now independant she is worth some eight thousand dollars, her brother died & he had no family & none of her family living but herself he had land & money she had laid up a goodeal herself, she owns a nice house & lot at Laurinburg rents it out every year, your cousin John McIntyre's health is not good, he is going all the time & attends to his business, he sent you the Enterprise the girls are all well & so smart also you(r) cousin Daniels all well, but Frank is still living not well, So many of our old friends have died, not many of the left, it is pretty healthy I thought I would write so much news but I have no news, give my love to Duncan and a large share for your dear self, May God bless you & be with you is my prayer, your devoted friend

H.D. Malloy.