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227. Elizabeth Crawford to William H. Herndon.

September the 7 1866

dear Sir

your letter dated July the 2 came to hand A few days Since in which you requested me to give you A history of mr lincoln while he worked for my husband how he acted and So fourth I will tell you as much about him as I can recolect when mr lincoln came to our house he would Stop at the door raise his hat make A bow and Speak politely and when invited Step in and Set down if not in A hurry to go to work if So he would pass compliments in A plain but polite and friendly way and go to his work he was no hand to pitch in at work like killing Snakes but he would take hold of his work as camely and pleasant as his maner was other ways it Seamed that his motto was to do his well and to please the man he was at work for as to the books he read and Studed I am not able tell you all of nor the half of them it has bin so long Since that I have forgot he read the life of washington and when ever he would get hold of A new book he he would examine it and if he thought it A good work and would be an advantage to him to read it he would do So but if not he would close it up and Smile and Say I dont think this would pay to read it or words to that amount and get something else and So on it seamed that he was after Something that would be an advantage to him in after years he als Seemed to Study his oald fathers intrust and family as well as his one when he would come in from his work to his meals or any other time if he would get to reading or talking and he thought it time to go to work he would Say well this will never get the child A coat Some times my husband would trip him as he would walk out and then thay would have A Scuffle in the yard before thay would go to work and it was a tite Scuffle Some times lincoln would throw mr crawford and Some times crawford would get the best of him thay war allways Joking or playing Some prank on each other when thay war out together Lincoln was A plain [soclibel?] and kind young man and under A good carrecter So far as I ever new as to what all kinds of work he use to do I can not tell

he use to work in the Shop with his father and he us to make rails make fence clear ground work in the fields cut pork and any other kind of work done on A farm

when I rote to you before in giveing you the names of the wild fruits I think I forgot to name the Parcimon which is plentiful in places well I dont know that I can give you any more information at this time excuse bad riting and mistakes as my eyes is So Sore and blind that I cant See the lines on the paper half my time

mr herndon I wish to inform you that my husband Josiah crawford was A union man and A lincoln friend he departed this life on the 12 day of may 1865

he was A man that allways kept his buisiness in A good position tell the last two or three years before his death after that time that he thought that every man was honest and left considerable of his money in peoples hands unsetled and I believe that I am or will be wronged out of Some hundreds of dollars which will

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leave me in verry limeted circumstance and it vexes and pesters me tell I cant think of as much as I would to rite to you concerning the lincoln family, and thar is other grate loses that I have had which keeps me confused tell my mind is allmost alltogether unprepard to sit down to rite at all I dont rite this as A complaint but as an excuse for my neglect in ancerring your letters Sooner I wish to get Some advice from you concerning my buisiness if it is convenient hearafter I am so blind that I cant rite any more at this time

yours with respect
elizabeth crawford

Library of Congress: Herndon-Weik Collection. Manuscript Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 2637 — 38; Huntington Library: LN2408, 1:207 — 9