(Livingston Manor, June 12, 1721;
received by Robert in New York: June 24)



June 12, 1721.

My Dear Husband,

I hope this will find you in good health. I am glad that you have been at Uncle Arent’s and that you are still so well and have strolled so far.
During the night Ghoose1) came here and brought 2 small boxes and the bales of cotton and mirrors and your dirty linen, and the 3 letters which do not make mention of the Bever, nor [is there] any [other] letter or invoice so that I can not know what has arrived. I have not seen Kroek2) yet nor any of the others.
Ghert presented me 50 sch.3) of wheat but wanted to have 6 gu.4) I said I could not give that. Today the yacht is going to Claverack to get wheat, and [it] has 300 planks from Pieter Vosburgh and 75 planks from Bat so that it was all it has brought. [It] will bring 7 Dutch bricks to be laid in the fireplace, from Koyman.5)
Pulver has been at Bekman’s6) land and has stubbed 3 morgens there and planted an orchard. It’s as if they are bewitched to go there! He is giving them choice, and no payment [in] the Kreupelbos.
You must bring printed contracts with you; and leave that condition open.
We are now [working] at the church path, and Rosman at the tie-beams with Jones, and Hannes and Brack at the church’s base to repair the floor. They are looking forward to the nails, for we do not have any single nor double nails nor welding-irons in the House.
Herewith, be commended to the Lord.
Your Beloved Wife
Alida Livinghston.
In the Manor of Livingston.

My regards to our daughter Johanna van Hoorn and Alida Veets and your sons and [their] wife[s]. We will lustily have cherries and morelloes. It would be well for us if we would get some support to repair the church.
The cotton weighs 148 lb. gros weight including the sack.
They have repaired the path as far as the bridge and did not come back. Of the Pitch Forest7) nothing is being repaired so that no repairs are being done to the paths [there].
I will send your linen when it is done, and your leather stockings. I have sent the cane and the small box with Visyer. I hope we will get some rain. They are not able to plough – that’s how hard the ground is! We have not had rain in a long time.
Send a joiner. I cannot get that man here; he is afraid of Erner. I thought you would send one. I will send the peltries down on the first opportunity. I hope the chairs have arrived from Boston by this time.

In Robert’s handwriting:
The bale weighed 171
165
6 lb. loss.



Notes:
1) Spelled “Goose” in Robert’s letters.
2) Spelled “Kruck”
3) “sch.” = “schepels”
4) “gu.” = “gulden”
5) Spelled “Coeymans” in Robert’s letters
6) More commonly spelled: “Beekman”.