Albany Dec 16
My dear Mother
As I have
finished business for the day and
have nothing particular to do I
though[ t ] I would drop you a few
lines although it was only Sunday
when I last wrot[ e ] , I am staying
at the Store to night to keep
one of our Book Keepers company
as he had some work to finish
and did not like to stay alone.
We are at this present time just
in one of the most dirty & hard
things in the hardware business
“namely” taking account of stock
we have to weigh, count, & mark
all the goods in the store even
down to the smallest item although

it may be nothing more than
a paper of 'tacks' but there is
one advantage that we have here
over the country stores, that is
we have no such heavy ware as
Stoves &c to lay around, the only
heavy thing that we keep is iron
in which we do a large business
but we have men whoes business
it is to attend to that and all
that we have to do is to make
out the bills for it.
I find that unlike other places
where I have been, I am full as
well pleased with my boarding place
as when I first went there, my
landlady is very kind and although
I [ seldmon ] get to my meals untill
am home after the rest get through
yet I always find a warm dinner
I have been there nearly four months
now.

I went in to see Fred for a
moment this morning he is quite
well and very busy.
I am sorry to hear that Aunty
is getting homesick for I was in
hopes that she would stay through
the winter and so give you a chance
to remain at home without having
to go down at all.
If you can do so without any
inconvenience I would like to have
you send me a check or the money
for an overcoat for I real[ l ] y need
one and cannot at present afford
to buy one, the reason why is this
that when I left home my debts
there were over a hundred dollars
and ever since I have been here
I have been trying to pay them up
and I think that I have done pretty
well for I have paid them all

with the single exception of
Smiths dentist bill which I
expect is about twenty two or three
dollars, lately I have had to get
a stove coal &c and therefore it
leaves me pretty poor, I have heret[ o ] f-
ore paid $25 or $26 for my overcoats
but I think that I can make one
for twenty or twenty at the more, answer
just as well as those which cost more
I looked at one this evening for twenty
one which fits me very well and
with which I am well pleased.
Well I must close as the bookkeeper
is th[ r ] ough and ready to go and it
is also getting near the small hours
Love to Fanny " and all
Your affectionate son
Will

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Hand Shiftx

Frances Seward

Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21

Will – Dec 16
1857