I take the present oportunity [opportunity] of informing you that we are all well. I have seen Joshua to day he and family are well, brother Franklin & wife were here last wee [week] & were well, their litle [little] boy grows finely & is a very fine child, I was at brother John s some five or six weeks since they were also well, tho [though] there has been considerable sickness in Tipton this year, Nancy es sister, Mrs Small dyed [died] a day or two before I was there

I was much astonished some time ago to learn that Joseph had started on a trading expedition on the missippi [Mississippi] River but to what point he is steering I am not able to learn, only that he has gone down stream I had made an arrangement to go into the mercantil buisiness [mercantile business], partly for his benefit or rather I have agreed with Col [Colonel] Keyes to go into the buisiness at his suggestions, that if I would take Edwin Estes in he would assist us in geting [getting] every thing we wanted & on such terms as I could meet the payments

after being advised of my means he thought them sufficient to begin with; after maturely considering the subject I conclooded [concluded] I would try it & wish Estes to come out and agreed with him that he Joseph & myself should go into the buisiness, but before Estes left this I learned Joseph had gone below, I have got John to wright [write] to such place as he may think most likely to interrest [interest] him requesting him to return, but whither [whether] he will return or not is quite uncertain, he has much shaken my confidence lately by his willd & wandering calculations I should not have [added: made] any such arrangements but for a wish to gratify him in his wishes to be in that kind of buisiness, still my opinion of Joseph is that he would not be competent to manage a [unclear: concern ] alone, his great desire to sell would allway [always] lead him into losses & difficultys [difficulties], but [unclear: combinding [combining] ] Estes who is said to be steady, & having been twelve years in buisiness & very cautious would I think mak [make] a safe concern my means are about not very good tho Col Keys thought them sufficient, I have about seven thousand dollars due me within this & the next year all good debts, out

of which I shall have to appropriate about fifteen hundred to the payment of my present contracts leaving a balance of 6500 but the Col says if I can rais [raise] 3000 it will be [unclear: sufficient ] to keep up the stock

you perhaps may haver heard of my purchase of a tavern establishment in Jackson , but maynot [may not] be correctly informed I have bought the half of the establishment, the brick hous [house] & lot for the sum of $2000 my portion is to keep the hous & pay half of the expense I the other half & divide profits equaly [equally] the payments are to be paid one fourth when we get possession, the balance in installments for three years, after the 1st payment we ex[gap] to make the balance off of the hous; the present incumbent has paid $500 a year rent, and made over 5000 clear of all expense in less than three years, so that if we manage it well it must be good stock, I have been offered the cash in hand for it — my stage contract is better than I expected it as to money received from pasingers [passengers] ; it has heretofore been agreatdeel [a great deal] of trouble but we have recently divided the line, it is now very litle trouble, I have the part from Jackson to Bolivar our new hous is nearly completed & we have moved into it

Our little ones are all healthy and growing finely except Jane Elizabeth had the ague & fever 8 or 10 day this fall we have had no sickness among them, the twins are most ready to crawl — my respects to mother & all friends

James Brown

Col Joseph Brown Maury County Tennessee

[added: James Brown letter 1830] [added: A Mintin of BJ Thomas]