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