Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER HF 3030 K
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE May 21 1839
AUTHOR Anicartha Miller
RECIPIENT Mrs. Anne Hoffman Nicholas
MEDIUM Paper, ink
DESCRIPTION Letter to announce the arrival of Rebecca and Olive and their
respective children.
PEOPLE Olive, Rebecca, Chlorine, Elizabeth Spencer, Mrs R, Martin
Hoffman, Miss Smith, Mr Foulke, Margaret, Franklin, Eliza, Dr
Macdonals, George, Miss Winser, Edward, Sydney, George,
Joanne [?] Miller, Decan Rand, Catherine Gilbert, Margaret
Hathaway, Eliza Byron, Atwood, Emma
PLACES Curacao, Westport in Connecticut, New Orleans, Vicksburgh,
Hartford (Con.), England, East Hampton. (L. Island), Liverpool
EVENTS Return/reunited with Rebecca and Olive
KEY WORDS Slavery, purchase, reunited, return, children
*Original spelling retained throughout work, content appears exactly as written.
[PAGE 1]
New York, May 21st, 1839/
It is long, very long, my dear friend since we have had any/ communication with each other, and but the events of the last few days have/ incited me to carry into effect a determination of writing to you, which/ has been of long standing. Elizabeth Spencer’s children arrived day be-/fore yesterday, and I felt as if I could not withhold from you intelli-/gence which would give you so much pleasure. The affair has been so long/ protracted, and so many difficulties seemed to arise, that I had sometimes/ feared that they would never reach this country they arrived however,/ with each of them a child of between one and two years. Olive’s oldest child died about one year ago. They are of a pleasing appearance, although/ far inferior to Chlorine in animation and intelligence, being decidedly/ African in physiognomy, and of course wearing the stamp/ [page torn] Olive’s countenance corresponds to the testimony of Mrs Rob[page torn]/ represented her to be possessed of a much better temper than [page torn]/ Rebecca is slightly marked by small pox. She is married, according/ to the customs which I suppose prevail almost universally wherever/ slavery exists; that is to say, the marriage ceremony has never been/ performed, but she has been recognized as a wife by the father of her/ child, who has supported her, and indeed Olive too in a great measure,/ since they have been liberated. He is a free man, and a sailor, and/ intends to ship on board one of the vessels trading between this port/ and Curacao, and will take measures to have them legally/ married. Olive has never laid claim to marriage in any sense./ If any thing were needed to confirm one in an unqualified abhorrence/ of the whole system of slavery, it would be the sight of these young/ females and their children, and I have no question that morally/ and intellectually, they are far above the great mass of slaves in/ our southern states. Elizabeth is, I believe truly thankful and I think/ I am so myself. The undertaking has cost some anxiety and perplexity/ but the result is a sufficient compensation for all. It has always been/
[END OF PAGE 1]
[PAGE 2]
my intention to take one of them into our own family, and to undertake/ the task of instructing her. Olive seems to be best suited to my purposes,/ and Rebecca will remain with her mother who needs her services. Elizabeth/ was exceedingly disappointed that they did not come in a ship which/ arrived a fortnight ago, but everything has been arranged by a wiser hand that our own, for if they had come then, she would have/ had no house to receive them. They are now comfortably settled in/ the lower part of a house in Elm Street. Spencer, as yet has no place/ but I believe thinks of going to Martin Hoffman’s. Elizabeth will/ take in washing and ironing and Rebecca can of course be very use-/ful to her. I have no doubt of their ability to earn their livelihood, and/ I hope in addition to the blessings of freedom, they be may become/ participants in the highest benefits of a land of religious light and/ liberty. I have paid $496 for their manumission, and $50 more are/ to be paid for their passage. I shall always esteem it a cause for/ thankfulness, my dear friend, that you permitted me to complete your/ unfinished undertaking and I know that you will rejoice with/ me in the result. It has been one cause for my silence until now,/ that I could not write any thing definite on the subject. The year’s [inserted: residence] required by the laws of the island after manumission, elapsed last/ autumn, and they were advised not to come at that period as they/ would immediately encounter the rigors of our winter. Two ships have/ arrived this spring in both of which, I expected them, and they were/ on both occasions prepared to come, and the captains at the last mo-/ment refused to bring them. I despaired of their transportation without/ making an arrangement here, and had in fact made such an agreement/ with the captain of a ship who sailed about a week ago. They/ have been befriended by Miss Smith, a niece of Mr Foulke, to whom/ I wrote on the subject, and who interceded with the captain and/ paid [inserted: advanced] the money for their passage. That sum is still to be collected./ Since our change of residence (we live now a No. 29 Clinton Place)/ Chlorine has not come very regularly to her lessons, and I think/ has retrograded a little. She will however soon make up the defi-/ciency by a little application, as her aptitude is very remarkable./
[END OF PAGE 2]
[PAGE 3]
I have devoted so much of my letter to Elisabeth’s affairs, that I have almost crowded out our own. As I do not know how/ much of our family news you have hear, I will begin by telling you/ that my sister Margaret has a fine little boy 15 months old, whom/ she calls Franklin. He is a twin child; the other a girl was still-/born. Her husband has built a beautiful country seat at Westport in/ Connecticut, where they are to spend their summers. Margaret will be/ employed this summer in increasing her family. Eliza was married/ on the 15th of last May to Dr Macdonals, and my brother George/ on the 20th of the last October to Miss Winser of Goshen. Elisa and/ her husband have continued to reside with us and I hope will/ be willing to do so for some time to come, as our family is now/ much reduced in number, and I should scarcely know [inserted: how to] do/ without Eliza. Silvanus is the only brother I have now at home/ Edwards is in New Orleans, Sydney in Vicksburgh and George in/ Hartford (Con.) Dr Macdonald has just returned from England,/ where he has been to accompany a patient. He was absent eleven weeks, and returned in the steamer Liverpool. His brother h[page torn] last summer been at East Hampton. (L. Island) residing in the family/ of whom you once saw one, [Joann] Miller, at our house. He has be-/come so much attached to the place and the family he appears/ quite indifferent about coming to the city. He has improved in health/ but is still much disabled. I wish I could say that he is a Chris/tian, but alas, on the subject I have nothing but hope. I do not/ know whether you heard that Mr Williams spent last summer in/ Europe. His strength was so utterly prostrated during the spring/ that relaxation became indispensable, and he was induced to go/ abroad. He sailed on the 1st of July and returned in the latter/ part of Oct November, having been in England, France, Switzer-/land and Holland. He was much benefited by the voyage, but/ still appears to supper occasionally from debility. He no longer/ preaches three times on the Sabbath, but his other duties are as/ unremitting as ever, and his habits of study and seclusion very/ much what they were formerly. The church is prosperous, altho’/ there have been aI think fewer additions to do it during the past year/
[END OF PAGE 3]
[PAGE 4]
than the preceding one. I must tell you in a few words all the news about/ your acquaintances in the church. In the first place, Margaret Hath-/away is married to our Deacon Rand. The match is universally admit-/ted to be as good as was possible. Eliza Byron went to her brothers at/ in Ohio, and there married a lawyer named Atwood. Mrs Byron died/ last winter in Ohio. Catherine Gilbert’s father has spent nearly the whole/ of his large fortune made an assignment of his property and moved out/ his fine house. Catherarine has had trials to endure, which have re-/quired all the support that religion could impart. Her health is not good,/
[BREAK IN PAGE]
and she is going to England with [Cappa De Pesster] and her sister next/ Saturday. I have heard that Emma was going to be married. I hope you/ will answer it immediately, I will endeavor to write/ something better. I heard that your health of late had not been/ good. I sincerely desire to hear better accounts of you. I am thankful/ that I have it in my power to say that my own health is excellent/ I think too that I can say that I have been blest in spiritual things/ I find that my sense of the magnitude of the truths of religion and my enjoy-/ment in contemplating them increases. May that be your happy experience [tear]/ is the prayer of your affectionate friend./
Anicartha Miller
[Continued in Margin]:
Excuse the blundering way in which I have wr[page torn] letter.
[On back of envelope]:
Many/ many are the wants of my/ many are the
[END OF PAGE 4]
[ADDRESS]
Many/
Many are the want of my/
Many are the/
Mrs. Anne H. Nicholas/
Belvidere/
Illinois/
[END OF LETTER]Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
