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Show John Tanner and His 396 Family John J. Tanner ware among the compeny. Bro. Horris S. Eldredg had came in from Indiana with a fine team and wagon and as he was sick and could not take care of the team and my wife had to take care of him I had his team and wagon to gether in the famelies that was burnt out and meny of the poor that ware not burnt out had to be moved into the city for safty and I had a stedy job all the time good wishes I never knew it. and if I ever got enything The mob stole Eldredges horses from me twise and I got them back. Onse I crawld by their gards and got them. But they don good survis and meny ware blest by them. but thank and After they had got sum prisners and was surching for more my name called in question and the mob was hot on my track and I thought I would leave for lllinois. I travled that nite and in the morning I was choping sum wood to git sum breakfast I cut my foot with the ax very bad and I did not no whether I could walk or no and those that ware with me (Joseph Holbrook and Ethan Barr) thought that they would have to leave me, but when I got redy I dair not pull off my boote for I was knew I could not git it on agane. But I started the blood run out of my boote considerable. I walked up a hill on to a road that was leading the way we wanted to go. I saw a team coming driving fast. I thought I must ride. I told the boys if we could not do eny better I would take the horses by the bits while they got in and they could hold while I got in. When the man came up I spoke to him and he seamed scairt and drew up the rains and I asked him if he dident want sum passengers. He looked very wild and we did not wate for the answar but got in. We talked very good to him and praised his horses and he took us 40 miles that day and then he left the rode and we walked a short distance and stopd for the nite, and the landlord was very kind and sed he had sum very nice yellow girls we could have for the nite. We declined the offer. We walked the next day and then I took stage and erosed the Misipa River at Quincy and went to renting farms for those that should come after. I had to leave my wife nearly all the time that I mite help others. She was good with a needle, very quick and ingenous. The sacrafis of property was very hevy. Government lands that the bretherin had sold their catle for half price to rase money to by they now had to sel for the same prise we give the government, after houses had ben built, pens made, ground broke, cribs and grainery built and fild with grain, and wheet on the ground, and potatoes put up in holes all this was sold for $1.25 cents per acre, and take cattle to move away with and pay twise as heigh for the cattle as we had got for ours we sold to rase the money to buy the land of the government. I rented severel farms and got sum jobs of brakeing perary and stak ing saw mills, but money was searse and wages very 10. We ware able to make a living. I split rails for 50 cents a day and worked berfoot for We staid in Adams County 2 years. a while when I could not do better. My daughter Hellen Alcy was born in 1839. Then went to Lee Co., Ioway - |
