Fringford, April 17th 1873

My Dear Brother, I received your most kind and welcome letter the second of April and was very pleased indeed to hear from you, also to hear you was quite well and happy. I never expected to hear from you again in this world, but live in the sure hope and trust of meeting you in a happier and better country above, where parting will be no more, though the merits and intercession of a savior Christ who we all know is gone to prepare to place for everyone who believe and put there trust in him and look to him for help and strength to enable them to reach that happy land, may you and I and all our dear and near friends be there found at his right hand, I myself but my simple faith and trust in a god who I [end of page]

[page 2] believe will in no ways cast me away _____________ ___ him truly and earnestly. Dear Brother, I was very pleased to find you still value your religion and find so much comfort from it, also that you are so happy and comfortable in your worldly affairs, also that you have a good wife, I am glad you like the country, but I myself should not care to leave England, however I am got too old now to change or move much more. Dear Brother, our mother [Mary Turner Claydon] died June 1851 and Father [Laurence Claydon] August 1852 about 14 months apart. Our Sister Elizabeth died Febr'y 1866, aged 56 years, Thomas Gibbard died in March last month 1873. I have sent your brother Thomas address but I don't know much about him, only from his son John who is married and lives here at Fringford. He writes to him and I have sent your address to him so perhaps he may write to you now, he is I think quite well himself, but as regards his spiritual things I know not much about it excepting that I have been told he is still a good believer in Christ [end of page]

[page 3] he has married his third wife now just before Christmas. His other wife had been dead a year or two and most of the children dead, also his son John who lives here married Robert Smith's widow, Sarah Gee. that was Thomas Dayly of Gouldington [Godington] is still living and his sons and daughters and are all married and comfortable. Dear Brother, now for myself. I am better than I oftentimes am now, I have not been to constant work for this last two years but of course I am got into years now and cannot expect to do much more a little work in the gardens or something, of that sort is all I do now my wife is still living, but like me much altered by four children are still living. Hannah the eldest settled near Woodstock and has got quite a family of her own now, for living. Richard my son is married and lives in the cottage west mine. He has a family of four children living, the other two all in service. A great many of the old people about here are dead that you know - Richard and Nancy Judd are living, John and Bet [Elizabeth] Worrill and Jonathan Hinks are also alive. I have enclosed a letter to you from Maria Lake.

[ - John Claydon ]