Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER HF 3024 E
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE postmark, Dec 22 1837? Or later
AUTHOR Rebecca Gratz
RECIPIENT Anne, Mrs. Nicholas c/o Rev. S.S. Whitman (envelope)
MEDIUM Paper, ink
DESCRIPTION
PEOPLE Anne, Mrs Cadwalader, Mr Able, Julia, Charles, Mrs Verplanek,
William Verplanck, Uncle Deleaney, Jo, Jacob, Miriam, Becky,
Mr. John Nathan, Mr. Moses, George, Jim, John, Ogden, Biddle,
Mr. B, Mr. Whitman, Mrs Nuntt, Mrs Chapman, Hamilton, Mrs. T
Bidell, Mrs Jameson, Mrs Butler, Matilda, Emma, Mrs Rush,
Alexander Watts,
PLACES York, Fishkill, Philadelphia, Cooperstown, Chicago Illinois
EVENTS Becky’s Engagement
KEY WORDS
*Original spelling retained throughout work; content appears exactly as written.
[PAGE 1]
Philadelphia Oct
To Mrs. Nicholas/
My Dear Anne/
Mrs. Cadwalader was kind enough to bring me/ your letter for perusal, and I cannot forbear to avail myself, of your implied invitation to write by the return of Mr. Able, for/ I believe none of your friends feel a deeper interest in your des/ tiny, or have more sincerely sympathized in your trials the death of your dear Father, brought you to my mind & heart and I could/ not but be thankful that you were spared the last sad scene/ of parting which poor Julia & Charles were alone of all his children/ permitted to witness. I went in August to Fishkill and passed/ a week at Mrs. Verplancks were Julia has been spending many/ months, and there we found Charles both were well and i hope the/ latter is doing in a worldly sense, as much as will keep them/ comfortable, I have been expecting them in Phila for some weeks/ but have heard that they will not be here before Decr- William/ Verplanck is to be married this autumn, & Julia has promised/ to be a bridesmaid. he will turn Farmer, as his uncle Delaney/ has already done, and improve on his paternal estate- This/ is a rational plan of happiness, and surely if wisely pursued/ can no where promise a fairer prospect than on those beautiful/ highlands- in the midst of cultivation. a good society and/ all the business of life. we pursued one journey (Jo, Jacob/ & myself) to Utica, the Trenton Falls & then crossed over to Coopers/ town spending the whole month in your native state. on returning/ in York we found we found Miriam, her husband & Becky, who were/ there long enough to make a change in Beckys views of life/ she is engaged to Mr. John Nathan, a young Lawyer of good/ talent, and amiable character. His mother was a relation/ of Mr. Moses’ so their could be no family objection, and the/ individual we are all happy to believe is deserving of/ his success. Miriam has returned to her southern home, she is/ very happily married and except the separation from her/ family has nothing to regret and that perhaps is more/ severe on us, than on her duties expect those/
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[PAGE 2]
which made the associates of her youth essential/ to her- your brother George arrived in town last evening not/ looking as well as I could wish. he has been [indisposed] and/ his exposed way of living is not altogether favorable to his/ constitution in one variable climate- it is fortunate for/ both your young brothers that their taste for natural beauty/ is a source of happiness & profit for them George is a great/ an enthusiastic in his admiration of fine living as Charles/ and he has seen enough during the summer to/ furnish a dozen. For every mountain pass has its/ legend, and a title descriptive of some indian [skirmish]/ or duel of daring that would tell well in story-/
Two months have passed My Dear Anne, since I began this/ letter, and I have no apology for sending it in preference to/ writing another- except to show you, that I thought of you then-/ and now with the same wish for an intercourse, which I have/ vainly expected would commence with you- Mr Able passed/ through without my seeing him, but your Brother Ogden, told/ me he met [unrecovered] Washington and wrote by him- you have/ no doubt in feeling [should] your brothers triumph, and look/ forward to a brilliant, public career for him, you cannot/ divert yourself of the enthusiasm his success would create/ were you in the world. even in interment of your distant/ home, and you will train his little namesake to aspire to/ become an orator too, either in the forum or the pulpit, as/ best suits his character & the views of his parents- eloquence/ of some kind or other belongs to your family and it is the/ surest road to success in our country- I often think my dear/ Anne of your last summer’s visit- of the long lapse in our inter/course, and the many reminiscences of the checkered interval/ we [called] up- and I look forward to our meeting again, with an/ animated hope that we shall confirm friendship here- and meet/ again in regions of unchanging love-/
Julia is with me, she accompanied William Verplanck & his/ bride a week ago, and we shall have her for the winter/ she is in very good health, and you know is always [welcome] &/
[END OF PAGE 2]
[PAGE 3]
[agreeable] to me- I saw your friend Mrs [N.] Biddle a few days/ ago, her interesting widowed sister has been spending much of the summer/ at her house. John Craigs death was a sad event, so unexpected to his/ living & beautiful wife and he has left but one child to inherit/ and perhaps be spoiled by his fortune- Mr B- (“The Monster”) made/ many enquiries about you, and said the most desirable conversations/ to be made in your neighborhood- would be to covert you back to your/ [friends] society- do not let Mr. Whitman know you have such a [unrecovered]/ [unrecovered] here- he continues as great in his office & as playful in/ his drawing room as ever- you know poor Mrs [Nuntt] is a writer, and/ in seclusion but not deserted by her friends. Mrs B was with her in all/ her affliction. Mrs. [Gillappy] amd Anna are well- the latter is/ going to spend the winter in Washington I hear, but as her mother has/ [business] with her old friend Mrs [Nicklin], she can very well spare/ Anna, [Caroline] continues to give music lessons, and supports her chil/dren very reputably. her husband still absent Gent Cadwalader/ has buried his mother, if her death can be considered a loss- after/ so many years of separation and yet I dare say he felt it so- tho/ had her life been prolonged they might never have met again/ Mrs Chapman has more of her childrens society than usual. Emily/ & George are with her. she looks very well, and is as much [page torn]/ in taking care of her little sick grandson as you described to [page torn]/ been to your own little Ogden at Hamilton- we have your friends Mrs/ T Bidell in the [unrecovered words] again, so that I see a great deal more/ of her now, than ordinary- our city lives & occupations frequently keep us/ [unrecovered] to those we useless- unless chance throws us together for some/ object like this, and gives occasion for the exercise of our best/ feelings- Mrs B has so much good sense & judgment that we are/ fortunate in engaging her service- I suppose you have heard/ that her husbands fortune has suffered in the great [economic]/ shock. but hers being large & unimpaired- it makes no/ actual change in their condition. and I really believe in their/ country, it is better [unrecovered] should make than imperil their fortunes/ Mrs Jameson is in our neighborhood but I have not yet seen/ her, she is with her friend Mrs Butler- I do not know how she will/ be [unrecovered] here. English writers have reported us so [unrecovered]/ that we become afraid of trusting them, lest they repay our/ hospitality by [unrecovered]- my girls desire their affectionate/
[END OF PAGE 3]
[PAGE 4]
remembrance to you & Emma. I beg you will make an interest/ too in Matildas regards. I love both your children, from the representation/ of their friend Julia. and I must my dear Anna, you will care to see/ them in as happy a condition as your own heart can wish- Mrs/ Cadwalader had a notion that Mr Able might be a favored friend/ of Emmas- is it so? I must not omit to tell you that both [He] / & Mrs Rush make [unrecovered] enquires about you- if you do not/ intend all your [Phila] shall be kept in ignorance of your [love]/ [unrecovered] & [feelings] may enable me to tell them that you have not/ given you a little to it. and you may ever believe my dear/
[END OF PAGE 4]
[PAGE 5]
[Address; written on letter]
Rev. S. S. Whitman/
Postmaster/
Belvedere/
via Chicago Illinois/
[Postmark]
PHILAD [unrecovered], DEC 22
[Anne] in the attachment of your affectionate [Bly]/ What an age it is since I had a letter from you dear Sister, I was/ happy to hear of you through Alexander Watts he says you look/ well and are in good health and spirits your home is I hope com/ fortable and your affairs prosperous, how often do I wish I could/ look in upon you to the girls give my best love I will write to Emma/ before this week closes I hope she enjoyed her Chicago visit- ever your attached/ Julia H-
[END OF LETTER]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
