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Dear Brother & Sister Kendal Stark Co Ohio 2nd 1813
Knowing hat the present situation of our once highly favoured Country must (and as it respects our own society especially) concern you, and as this letter will be confined to your selves, and such of your friens as have your confidence, I shall the more freely express occurences as they arise without fear of an improper use being made of it. Having for a considerable time felt my mind impressed with a concern on account of the probable suffering of friends in this State in the prosecution of the present war, without seeing any other way for relief than a journey to the Seat of Government which I communicated to my CR who as ususal seemed willing to submit to an absence of several weeks for the purpose, but as our Quarterly meeting was at hand I thought I would attend that previous to any conclusion feeling a degree of confidence that if it was right some way would open for it, on getting in the neighbourhood of Salem I fell in with Our friened Wm Wood of Short Creek Quarter of whom I made some enquiries that led him to impart that a concern had arisen in their Quarter to address the Legislator but that it did not find its way to effect, but in our Quarter Friends were unanimous in the concurrence of the subject of addressing a Memorial to them & a schedule having been prepared previous & not presented it was read and with some alteration was signed by the Clerk & committed to the care of four friends to present two of whom attended to the appointment. William Heald & myself and on the tenth of first month after Our Meeting on first day I left home and at Short Creek we were united with by Our Friends Joseph Steen & W Wood and here our spirits were effected by reading the Governors speech to the Senate & House of representatives- wherein he says something like this, that however amiable conscientious scruples are in time of peace it is a subject worthy your consideration here for they ought to be tolerated in time of war, we proceeded heavily on our journey and reach the seat of Government the evening before the day that such part of a malitia Bill just revised as concerned us would be read in the Senate, soon after our arrival such members as were concerned for the welfare of our Society came to see us Viz James McMillin &
