Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER HF 3011A
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE April 21st 1804 and April 22nd 1804 {postmarked: 27th}
AUTHOR A. A. Hoffman, (Alice Anne Hoffman), (Mrs. Anne H Nicholas)
RECIPIENT Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman (New York)
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE Mrs. Ogden
PLACES MONTREAL
EVENTS
KEYWORDS education, french, female education, boarding school, letter home,
children’s education, homesick,
[PAGE 1]
Montreal April 21st 1804/
With what pleasure my Dear father did I receive your/ affectionate letter, it reassured me of the affection, and friendship, which I know/ glows in your heart for me, & you again promised me for my improvement, & advised/ me in the soothing accents of paternal tenderness, every day more and more, to/ cultivate my mind. Four months, four tedious months have yet to elapse,/ before I shall have the felicity (I may say) to embrace, you, to see you, to talk/ to you personally, and to call you by the tender names of father, and of/ friend. Hours, days, and nights pass away in tedious expectation, of this long/ wished for time, I never lose even for a minute the anticipation of this/ event I look forward to it (in some measure) as I do to Heaven. I most sincere-/ly hope again to see my father face to face, and I firmly know that I shall/ see my God face to face; The one will doom me to unhappiness or pleasure, and the other to Heaven or Hell. The last proceeds from the first, for if I/ do not please my parent, by my good conduct here, by gaining the French/ language, and above all by continuing my filial affection towards/
[END OF PAGE 1]
[PAGE 2]
him, he will look upon his Child, not as a source of pleasure, but as a/ source of wretchedness, and from whom he can expect no affection, when/ she has not shown it by her actions, as well her words. How the contrary/ I do please my friend here by my behavior, and do gain the French/ language, and do continue my filial affection with more fervency/ than ever, how will I delight to meet my father, he will receive me/ with smiles, and welcome me with pleasure to his arms, her will show/ me to my relations with pride, and when in his old age my pleasure/ will be to chase away the “wrinkled brow of care” that will at times sit/ on his face, tears of joy will roll down his visage, and he will bless/ the “God of mercies” for having given him such a child. If I follow/ the first, my heavenly father, will also receive me with awful/ frowns, and will doom me to everlasting tortures amongst the/ damned, but [inserted: if] I follow the last, and adore my Creator with fervor and/ gratitude, our blessed Saviour will receive me as one of his Children/ and I shall ever after sing “Hallelujah” with the angels in Heaven/
Adieu! My dear father, I could (as you say) go on/ forever, but it is time for church and I must conclude, may the/ merciful God, protect and restore you once more to the arms of/ your affectionate Child
A.A. Hoffman
[END OF PAGE 2]
[PAGE 3]
1 May 22nd April
I have just received your affectionate letter of the 27th March and could not/ forbear adding another page, to this to answer it. How do I thank you my/ dear father for your attention in writing to me so often, your letters afford/ me the greatest consultation, & enliven the many time of my [inserted: dreary] exile form/ so beloved a home. I look forward to the month of September with/ the greatest anxiety, when I shall again embrace, you, again tell you/ how I love you, and again and again assure you that to please you/ is my greatest pleasure in this world. This goes by Mrs. Ogden:/ Ah me! I could say why cannot I go also, but (if you will allow/ me to quote your quotation) [inserted: when] the Gods command mortals must/ [page torn] you will see Mrs. Ogden, & I have no doubt but he [seal] / and idly whether your “Ann” merits your kindness or not, whether she/ still considers your pleasure, and seeks for your affection. You/ will when he tells you of my faults (which I fear are many) write/ me a detail of them and I will you shall see them all corrected/ by September I write this with a full heart, and my paper/ bedewed with tears, when I see them packing up, and preparing/ for a journey, to the home that I so much love, I cannot but wish/ that I was going with them. O my father, I will not disguise to you my/ feelings. On this occasion, indeed, I cannot in spite of reasoning, I must say/
[END OF PAGE 3]
[PAGE 4]
[Top of Page]
I wish I was going with Be not alarmed however I will not [inserted: go] farther / then wishing, I must endure a sacrifice of 4 months to the [crossed out] acquiring / of the french language. “What must be must” and I must stay. /
This letter will not be very amusing to you, I am very dull and my /
[Center of Page]
Alice Ann Hoffman/
Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman/
No. 37 Wall Street/
New York/
[Bottom of page]
Eyes are so bedimmed with tears, that I can scarcely see to write. /
Adieu! My dear father I can write no more / but that God may bless you is the earnest prayer of your/
Child A.A. Hoffman
[END OF LETTER]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
