Cincinnati,
April 13 1853

My dear Miss Lascelles

I feel ashamed that so many months have elapsed without you having a letter from me. Indeed up to this I may say all my letter writing has been devoted to father and mother and Kate. It will give you pleasure to hear that I am as well and as happy as I could desire to be. I certainly have much cause for gratitude to my Heavenly father for many mercies and for the blessing of a good kind affectionate husband. I often wish for some dear valued friend of the old country to know him. Mr and Mrs Parkinson are the only friends of mine that saw him. We often hear from Portadown and Mrs Simpsons?? letters to me are most affectionate. John has prospered beyond our expectations since I came although I had nothing to increase the store and there is every prospect that he will succeed. He has a happy cheerful disposition not dispirited at trifles which is very necessary in this country. We have been in our own home now four months. W'm (William) boards with us. John's uncle lives with us, I have a German servant girl and a boy from Portadown for the store for putting in and out the merchandise. He came to us about a month ago. So you see we have six of a household, rather a large beginning in a few months. I go to market and am quite expert in counting the dollars and cents. We have numbers of colored people in this city. I like Cincinnati, to me it has been most healthy. The Ohio is a lovely river and crowded with fine steamers and I have had some lovely drives through Kentucky which lies on the opposite bank of the river.

This country is everywhere that I have seen grand and beautiful, everything strikes a stranger as being immensely large the rivers, lakes, mountains and the open fields of Indian corn, all so different from the old country. We bake all our own bread. At first I did not understand the stove but within a week I made myself mistress of all its mysteries. Our hours are early, breakfast at seven, dine at one and supper at six. The Americans all call the last meal supper. In manner the Americans are cold and icy and though all the ladies where we boarded when I came called on me, still there is only one among them evinces anything of that warmth of feeling that I believe the Irish always yearn for. There is a lady residing in a small town called Sydney in this state who frequently writes to me. She is niece to Lord Gort, Miss Mosse was her own name. She was most attentive and kind to me on the passage and so we formed a friendship for each other and now I feel towards her like a sister. I was married a week after I arrived in America and the two weeks after she and Mr Cleburne called to see us while passing through Cincinnati on their wedding trip so we would naturally feel an interest in each other.

Every material of ladies wear is very expensive here particularly silks, lace, worked muslin and you will pay 3$ for making a dress. That is 12/0s of our money. Most of the ladies make their everyday dresses and some make their boots and shoes.

Our store is just at the river's edge and our house nearly two miles from it. John keeps a horse, else he would not be able for the walk as he has a great deal of walking about his business. We are looking out for a house nearer the store but house rent is awfully high. Ours at present is reasonable for the number of rooms, 6 and a kitchen 12$ a month, a dollar is 4/2. A servant gets a dollar and a half a week here and not a very good servant either

I have just been writing home to tell them that we had a long letter from Johnnie, the first from San Francisco. His health is much improved by the change and the gentlemen who took him there and in whose employment he is, and most kind to him and has promised to befriend him. He hopes to come see us in two years, if spared, we can often hear from him, postage is only 3c to California. He says hundreds are leaving there for Australia. He has met a great many of Belfast folk. A son of Mr Tate's of Downpatrick was introduced to him a few days before - he wrote by a son of Mr Johnstones the distillers of Comber. I hope Kate and you correspond occasionally. The poor thing feels sad and lonely since I left. How I wish I had her here and my father and mother along with her. If the lord should prosper William and Johnnie I think they will try and bring them out. My father's step was very feeble when I left and my mother has had more to do for a good while than she should. Kate has been a steady good child to them. She still holds on in the Trenches and this year they raised her salary which enables her to give mamma something regularly every quarter. She was immensely improved in her music when I left. This reminds me to tell you that John bought me a nice piano at 250$ - that is £50 of our money. I shall surely hope to hear from you and say how your health is - your were suffering from rheumatism when you wrote your farewell note to me. Give my kind remembrance to Miss Irwin. I suppose you have Mr West still in Killough. I hope he is quite well. I hear Mr Campbell and all the family had left Ardglass. What is Dora about?. I shall give the address inside the envelope and you can enclose a note to Kate for me. John bids me present his compliments as he fancies he knows you hearing me talk of all the old kind friends. Accept my affectionate love my dear Miss Lascelles and believe me your attached friend,

Nannie Cinnamon