Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER S 1004
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE January 24, [1808?]
AUTHOR Mary Anna Sawyer Schuyler
RECIPIENT Sybil Farham Sawyer (addressed to: Micajah Sawyer Esq’r MD)
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE Hannah [Farnham Sawyer?, sister], Louisa [Austin Lee?],
Katharine Farnham Hay (“Aunt Hay”, sister of Sybil Farnham Sawyer), Thomas [Sawyer?, brother to Sybil], Mr. & Mrs. [David?] Tillotson, William Sawyer Schuyler (“the babe”), Mr. Sands, nurse, Stephen ??, Robert ??, Catharine [Schuyler?, step-daughter], William [Sawyer?], Mrs. Armstrong, “Mr. Schuyler” [Philip Jeremiah Schuyler?],
PLACES Paris
KEYWORDS Hannah’s confinement, “pull back”, “the Eastward”, baby nurse,
her “extravagant” demands, $5/week for nurse, Embargo of 1807 (“Embargo Business”),
[PENCIL NOTATIONS - later, note: some INCORRECT]
Time of Embargo / Rhinebeck
William Sawyer in / Europe -
From Mr Philip J Schuyler 1808 / to his mother Mrs Sawyer / at Newbury port Mass
[ORIGINAL]
January 24th
I received your letter my dear Mama / a few days since & am as ever very . happy to hear / of yours & my dear fathers good health _ I was / glad to learn that you had been to see Hannah / I had a few lines from her soon after her con - / finement but have not heard since _ she must / be well now without some pull back _ our last / communication with the Eastward was a letter to / Louisa from Aunt Hay. Thomas quite forgets me / or his writing in fact he has never written me / since I left you though he has had one or two / to answer _ Mr + Mrs Tillotson dine here a little / since she desired her regards when I wrote & / Mr. Sands told me to tell Papa he had got a / fine little Grand son for him _ The babe grows fine / -ly & has not had an hours sickness since / his birth _ My Nurse has left me she was / very clever & good natured but by no means / equal to her demands which were too extravagant / to retain her of [^ when] we could do without $5 a week _ /
[END OF PAGE 1]
At present I can’t find any one to supply fer / place but we are upon the look out _ the little / bed room which you recollect Stephen & Robert / slept in I have fixed up nicely for a sorcery so / that a clever woman might live very pleasantly / with old Mr. Robertson for a companion & she / will at meals & the children at night _ A good / girl of 18 or 20 would suit me as well as one / older as I prefer washing & dressing the little / fellow myself _ do you of any such person your / way? If they were not much accustomed to tending / a babe but were good natured & faithful I / should not care as they might soon learn ___ ___ /
Catherine & Louisa are of the greatest assistance assistance / I should not get on at all without them _ they are / always ready & cheerful to meet all my wishes _ / I regret that we are cut off from all communi - / cation with Will’m I think it probable we have / heard from him since you through a letter from / Mrs. Armstrong the sister of Mrs. Tillotson. She / Chancellor +c. She mentioned in writing to some of / her friends here _ that she saw William in Paris. / & he was in good health _ This Embargo / business has occasioned a great deal of distress / in New York to the poor & labourers who are /
[END OF PAGE 2]
Cut off from all means of earning as subsistence / & those who considered themselves & were considered / are by others as rich men have become bank - / rupts _ so much for our wise administration. / I hope to hear from you soon Mr. Schuyler / desires his best respects _ believe me my dear / Parents most affectionately yours
MAS__
[END OF PAGE 3]
[POSTMARK]
—--17
[ADDRESS]
M _ Sawyer Esq’r M D.
Newbury-port
[LABEL]
Mrs. Schuylers lettersTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
