In January, 2001a letter from Thomas Wild of Butternuts, Otsego, NY to his mother and family in Chesterfield, Hampshire, MA was up for auction on E-bay.
 

The letter was purchased by Elizabeth Shampang,  a descendant of Thomas Wild and a distant cousin of mine.
Elizabeth is actively researching her Wild Roots and is looking for cousins.  She has kindly given me permission to post the letter as it was described on e-bay:

E-bay auctions 1/1/2001 - 1808 Butternuts NY - WILD FAMILY LETTER

Item #1205203454:  This 1808 stampless letter has a manuscript postmark of Butternts 10 Jany and is addressed to Juda Wild, Chesterfield, Massachusetts, 'to be left at the post ofis, Northampton.'

From what little research I've done, the writer of this letter appears to be a former Revolutionary War soldier, Thomas Wild. The writing on the letter takes about three pages, on one sheet of folded paper. If I'm correct, Butternuts is in Otsego county, New York.  It reads:

"Dear beloved Mother brothers and sisters and friends we send our hearty Respects to
you all to let you no that we are all well and doing well in all our misfortin and heard back
and broken leedgs we have att this time a nuff to Eat and to drinck and to weare we
injoye our Selves to gather better than ever we did before we live like lams to gather and
thos we are but poor yet we can feed the Ravens not far from our door with my frail in my
hand and my bottle full of bear and So Cheerley as tho I was worth thousend a year I am
free from hipo  and paines and bad felings att the present and I bless gods Name for all
these things. Our girls are a spining like fann. We have four wheels two of a sort we have
about Seventy wait of flax that we raisd of our one. We have a nuff to doe with in dores
and out and got a heart to improve it. I think it were hard that I don't hear from none of
you I have sent two letters before this

[NEXT PAGE] I have bout [bought] Mr. Merick Saw mill. I gave one Hundred dollars for
it. I pay it all in Sawing in three years and the boys put a new dam in from top to bottom and
fixt it all over new and tis now a Running we made fifty thousands of Shingles the years
past. The boys got Sic of pull the Saw we thout we wood have one go by water I think it is
much easier we Ceep a horse a Cow and two good hogs and one dozen of hens and one cat.
Brother Curtis I want you to Send me a letter how you git along and whare your children is
we have all sorts of preaching clost to our  Our girls sent a letter a few day before this
and thay still remember thare lov to Salley Curtis and all the rest of thare friends. William
Wild I want to see you vere much up heare. Butternutts January 1 th, thomas Wild 1808.

[OTHER PAGE] I wish you wood some of you send me a letter we can pay for all the
Letters that you will send Let them come as ofen as they will. I wish all A Happy New
years. Brother Coye fameley is all well but auffull poor thay now live in Coopers town
and she is to be pitted by every passon that noses her."

Posted 8/3/2001