My dear brothers and sisters, I now take the pleasure of writing these few lines to you hoping they will find you in good health as it leaves us at present, thank God for it. I have wrote a letter before but did not receive any answer. I think you have forgot that you have brothers and a mother in England. She is a poor old helpless creature now and she would like to hear from you all before she leaves this world. For she never thinks of seeing any of you in this world but hopes we shall all meet in heaven. Dear brothers and sisters, I hope you will write as soon as you get this letter, if you think it worthy of an answer, for we should like to hear from you all and hear who are married in your family. And send us word how George is, and what he is and what he is doing, for we oftimes think about him as he is an unsettled one. But we hope he is with you. John and his family are all quite well. I was at Norwich the day after Christmas and John's oldest son is married[1]. Robert and his family are all quite well and he has only two at home with him. Mother fell down and got a mischief, so she has been obliged to go on crutches. This American war[2] has made everything so dear except flour, and that is 1 and 7 a stone. Mother is living with us as she was not fit to live alone, and she would very much like to hear from you, for she can't expect to be here much longer for she is in her 87th year. Dear brother, send us all the news you can. We should very much like to see you. So no more at present from your ever loving brother, William Broughton, Edgefield.

Footnotes

1: Joshua Broughton (b.1839). The family had left Spixworth and moved to Norwich. Joshua became a coach smith, with his own business in Wright's Yard, off Ber Street.
2: The American Civil War, 1860-1865