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sewing to try and maintain my family. When you lived with me, I had strong hopes of realizing a support from valuable mineral land that we own in Missouri. This hope has proved fallacious. My friends and lawyer, have tried every way in their power to sell it — but have been unable to do so — and I have had to pay taxes upon it. We have land also in Wisconsin and Minnesota — but cannot dispose of a wad of it. My eldest daughter — up to last May — had been for two years supporting herself by teaching music and German — but the physicians say — overworked herself, and had a dreadful spell of bronchial fever, and we were compelled to leave home and come here for her health! 

But, although she has gotten a little better, we regret from the bottom of our hearts, ever having left home! We are at my fathers old home — but it so utterly desolated and forsaken — that it is only misery to stay here. My Mother died after the surrender — from fright occasioned by having the house and plantation robbed of almost every thing. I have three sisters here now. They tried last year, to get together enough to keep up the farm, but they had lost so many horses and cattle, and the freedmen worked so badly — that they have failed entirely. They are now selling off what little stock they have, to meet debts contracted last year, and they see nothing to do — but to break up and rent out the farm. One of them has obtained a school — and another is trying to find some place to work. 

Transcription Notes:
Not sure what kind of fever she's describing- looks like it starts with "br"? Bronchial, I think. Based on other words, I think the next questionable word start with "fr"?