Thomas French Letter to Thomas Rotch Regarding Zoar Community

              [page 1]

[corresponds to page 1 of Thomas French Letter to Thomas Rotch Regarding Zoar Community]

                  Near Wheeling   Virginia 12th Mo 31st  1817

Dear Friends

Thomas & Charity Rotch

                       Your kind attention & sympathy to us

when at your habitation(and vicinity thereof)will never be

forgotten by us; & believing that we are still remembered by
    
you [carrot mark] & that you would be willing to hear from us [above carrot mark]  I feel it a duty incumbent on me to give you a detail
				
of our getting a long from place [carrot mark] to place [above carrot mark]- the day we left- G Brantinghams

We got to Dwires's a little after night, when the old woman found
  
we [carrot mark] were [above carrot mark] frds she seemed pleased & requested that Elizabeth would preach for

them that night- she excused by saying - that not withstanding she

felt love & good will to all mankind- yet if the Lord did not put

forth, vain were the efforts of man, and so put her by- we wished

to retire soon- next morning set out early, & traveled hard

to get -12 miles found very poor accommodations indeed-we

did not pretend to go to bed but started early & next night

got to our kind frds - Wm Farguhar's at cross creek, we felt
			      
fatigued E & M, not having [carrot mark] had [above carrot mark] any sleep(scarcely) for two nights.

on fifth day we attended Cross Creek Meeting. I though it a

favoured time & amply made up for all we had undergone;

sixth day went to Smithfield to B.W.Ladds where we were very

comfortably entertained; 7th day went to Jont

Taylors & first day was at Mt Pleasant Meeting, E was silent

2nd day attended Smithfield Mo Meeting where dear E was

much favoured & in the mtng for business came into the

mens end of the house, spoke some time very acceptably & sat

down- after a few minutes rose again & in a very feeling man

=ner opened to them the situation of the Germans at Zoar-

told of their sufferings in their own Country & that she believed a blessing would
	  			   
result from [carrot mark] our [above carrot mark]  attention & assistance to the [carrot mark] in their [above carrot mark]straightened and tried condition,

which very sensibly claimed their attention & they intend to render them