Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER HF 3043 M
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE February 25, 1837
AUTHOR Eliza Storrs (New York)
RECIPIENT Emma Nicholas (Belvidere)
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE Phil Rhinelander, Julia Hoffman, Josiah Ogden Hoffman, Mrs. Rhinelander, Mary Rhinelander, Charles Fenno Hoffman, Mary Stevens, mr [?Grain] art teacher, eldest Miss [?Mac Nevee], Mr Gallatin, (john) Treat Irving, Cornelia Livingston, Mr McCrakan, Uncle of Cornelia Livingston, Mary Anne Wetmore, Throop Martin, Cornelia Williams (Utica), John Williams, (not) Judge Williams, Mrs. Paulding, Julian VerPlank
PLACES Chicago, Belvidere, Hell Gate,
EVENTS journey to Belvidere, death of Josiah Ogden Hoffman, death of Mrs. Rhinelander (“the old day”), Mrs. Stevens, Eliz’a “ague of the face”, Julia to Philadelphia?, C Livingston engaged to MrCrakan, Mary Rhinlander engaged to Mr Gallatin, Mary Anne Wetmore married to Whitesboro Baptist minister, Throop Martin engaged to Cornelia Williams of Utica,
53d
Addressed to Miss Emma Nicholas
Care of Rev. S. S. Whitman
Chicago
Illinois
New York Feb 25th 1837
Another long time has elapsed my dear / Emma since I have written to you, or heard from you except through / your letters to Julia. Phil Rhinelander came last Monday and gave / your letter to Julia describing your journey and your new house. My / heart ached at the end of your wanderings with so few of what we / call comforts was discouraging. As “home is where the heart is” and as / any place looks pleasant when it is illumined [sic] by the smiles of those / we love, even your rude habitation may be the abode of happiness. / I must confide Emma that seems to me the only pleasant thing that you / are with some of your nearest friends, every other circumstance looks / to us rather gloomy. You will find Belvidere more agreable [sic] in summer & / by another winter can be more comfortable, for you will know what you / want and can make preparation for the severity of the climate. /
As you feared, you did indeed part with some of / your friends never to meet them again in this world. Letters from / your family must have informed you of your Grandfather’s death. I can / offer you my sympathy dearest Emma which is all the consolation / friends can bestow. Since I wrote Mrs. Rhinelander (the old lady) / has died. She died about two weeks since. She was sick several weeks / but her family did not apprehend any immediate danger, as she had / no particular complaint. Mrs Stevens told me she was perfectly / resigned and willing to die. I have not heard the circumstances of / her death, you know there is no such thing as learning much from / the girls, and I did not like to ask questions. Mrs R was buried at / Hell Gate. It was my intention to call on Mary R this week but I have /
PAGE 2
Been confined to my room with the ague in my face. I have not seen Julia / since you left, I heard she was going to Philadelphia. Neither have I / seen Charles. I can therefore tell you nothing about them, but you must / hear all by their letters. I will write you all the news about the cousinhood in whom I know you feel interested & whom I often see / as usual.
Phil R made me a long call on Monday & I never knew him / as agreable, he laid aside his quizzing & seemed to mean what he said. / We talked about you, he said he should write to you. Mary of course / does not visit now. M Stevens is well, we take drawing lessons three / days in the week, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 10 o’clock of Mr [?Grain] / in Lispenard St. The eldest Miss [?Mac Nevee] also takes lessons. Mr G is / a good teacher and begins with principles. He is such a teacher as you / would like, of that you were here to go with us. [?Treat] Irving used to / learn of him. Mr Gallatin is devoted to Mary, and that is all I / know. I can hardly think it will be a match he is so old. Don’t mention / it in your letters to Phil, Mary or anyone. Everyone teases M about / Mr G. I always meet him there, Cornelia Livingston is engaged, and / sure I am you would never guess. Mr McCrakan of whom you must / have often heard Charles speak. Mr. McCrakoff as you called him. / This match has been got up since New Years. Mr McC saw C two / years since at her Uncles up the river, but has only been a formal / acquaintance until since New Years. He visited her after that & / they were engaged before the month was out. He is very rich, very ugly / and about 35. C has the credit of marrying him for money. I can hardly / think she would marry for that alone. They are to be married in April & go / to Europe in August or September to be absent several years. So much / for them, I thought you would like to hear about it, is it not an odd / match. Now I will tell about another which I know will interest / you which is quite a contrast to the above. Mary Anne Wetmore is / married to the Baptist minister in Whitesboro, I don’t know his / name. The congregation are delighted. What a good wife she will / make. I love her, she is so good. I heard yesterday that our /
PAGE 3
Friend and favorite Throop Martin is engaged to Cornelia Williams of Utica. / She is a daughter of John Williams, no relation to Judge WIlliams’ family. / She is a pleasant girl and it is a good match on both sides. I am half / sorry he is to be married for “I like Mr Martin” (do you remember that) / I used to like to talk to him, but as he is to marry some [^one] I know I am glad. / I believe these are all the engagements I know about that will interest you.
About three weeks since I was at a delightful / party at Mrs. Pauldings. They inquired about you. I had a talk with / Mr Verplanck (our friend Julian not Sam) be asked about you. I also / had the pleasure of meeting Saunders Irving. He has been out of town / almost all winter. I don’t think Theodore is engaged to Miss Warren / Phil Paulding has bought a farm at Tarry Town, rather too near / Sleepy Hollow for him I should think. He is however improving / spent an evening here not long since and really talked all the / time. He is to build a house on his farm in the spring. We have / not had a cousinhood party in a long time, and as the families are / now all in mourning we shall not have any more this winter. I / saw your friend [Dayt?] at a party ay Mrs Lawrence’s about a month ago.
I expect Sarah Sill down next month to / make me a visit. I am anticipating much, very much pleasure / from a visit from her, she is one of my earliest dear friends. I / think I shall return with her to Whitesborough in May. Helen / Cartenius is coming down this afternoon to pass a fortnight with / us.
We often hear from Henry & our Elisabeth. I love her more and / more every day she is truly a sweet girl and is a treasure. / I have just heard that Gov Throop and Mr Martin have / taken a house in some place up town and Mr M is to be / married in the spring or in September, he says in the spring. He / saw Miss Williams in Albany last wither & was very much pleased / with her, they have been engaged a fortnight. /
Our good Ann has behaved so badly that we have /
PAGE 4 BOTTOM
Been obliged to send her away. Elisabeth Bacon of Hamilton is / married to a Baptist minister. Eliza Masters is well, and / also Mrs Masters etc. My head aches now and I cannot write / much more.
PAGE 4 TOP
Mamma sends her love to your Mother, Matilda, Mr W and / yourself. Give mine to them also. I hardly know what I have / written seems to me this letter is a compound of every thing / You must think that I have had the ague in my face for a / week. Do write to me dearest Emma and believe me ever
Your sincerely attached
Eliza Storrs
I wrote you a letter some / Time since which you have / Probably receivedTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
