Letter to Henry Williams, 19 July 1867

This letter was originally folded in two and begins on the reverse side.

Russell, July 19, 1869

My dear Henry,
You may well say I was not prepared to [receive?] so soon after my [leaving?] [your?] [dear?] Father the sad & mournful [intelligence] that his happy spirit had joined the [bench?] of the [redeemed?] [?]

[Your?] [wins?], dear man! I mustn’t mourn, for the change to him was [?] [at?] [?] and for which he has been [undoubtedly?] longing, but for ourselves what in [life?], what as [?] will his removal cause, never [when to be reprised?]. I cannot say I was altogether unprepared to hear the sad [intelligence?], for I had a good [deal?] of [fortuning?] when I [left?] yesterday [morning?] - not that there was anything alarming in his malady, beyond a simple [want?] of strength, which at his time of life it was almost [impossible?] to [rally?]. His parting with me yesterday was to me particularly sad. His words to me were “Goodbye, Doctor, I hope this will be the last time I shall see you, for I am tired of this world and all its vanities. I have no desire to continue here any longer”. The dear man’s heart was full, for he could not refrain from bursting into a flood of tears, to him so very unusual. [I can’t?] not but feel our parting very much & it dwells much upon my mind.

Your dear mother, how much [we?] sympathize with her in losing the “[staff?]” of her life, & how thankful [we?] are [to hear?] she is so abundantly supported from on high.

I must not add any more thus our kind & [true?] regards to her & [all?], George is [making?] [missions?] to go & [?] her.

My dear Henry
Yours very sincerely
Samuel Hayward Ford