Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER S 1014
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE September ??, 18[22?]
AUTHOR Mary Anna Sawyer Schuyler
RECIPIENT Sybil Farnham Sawyer
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE Mammy Lydia, Uncle Gay (deceased), minister Gay, Mr. & Mrs.
Dewy, Dr. [Quitman?] (peacher), Louisa [Austin Lee?] (niece),
Catharine Schuyler Jones (step-daughter), her daughters Mary Ann Schuyler Jones and Catharine Cornelia Jones, Samuel Jones, William Sawyer Schuyler (son), George Lee Schuyler (son), Mr. Gilman, Cornelia ??, Aunt Bogart, Mr. Duer, Robert Schuyler, Stephen Schuyler, Mrs. Hamilton, her daughter Eliza Hamilton, Mrs. Tillotson
PLACES State Street, Newburyport, Springfield, Suffield, New York City,
Newburyport, Aunt Bogart’s (thirty miles away), Albany
KEYWORDS gave up “good cook” for a “poor one”, “ the roast chickens don’t
taste like Mammy Lydias”, household of 20, journey home via
Springfield, stopped at family graves in Suffield, confusion of family names Gay and Hitchcock, “fever”, staying home from school because of fever, horse “Robin”, long journey for “young travellers”, Pleurisy,
Sept’r [14]th 18[2]2
My dear Mother
I yesterday received you kind letter / & am ashamed that I have not written before, but / you can easily imagine how much I have had to / attend to since my return. I was absent seven weeks / & during that time there was considerable company / here & affairs went rather behind hand. especially / as I have been obliged to give up a ver good cook + / content myself with a poor one, so that the roast / chickens don’t taste like Mammy Lydias. The number / of my family is twenty, [??] that somebody must be / on the alert to manage + regulate the whole ___
Our journey home was pleasant, we came by the way of Springfield, + at sheffield Suffield I went / to the grave yard to see my Uncle + [hunts?] graves / but unfortunately did not remember whether their / names were Gay or Hitchcock. I however was / pretty sure it was Gay. + I made inquireies + found / the present + former minister of the place was / Gay + that decided me. But I have sent a message / to Uncle Farnham to write me all about them ____
You perhaps know that Mr. & Mrs. Dewy made us a / short visit, + Mr. Dewy preached for Dr. [Quitman?] on / Sunday afternoon. The people were pleased with him __ /
[END OF PAGE 1]
I was very happy to have Louisa recal the scenes of / her youth. She has a very fine child __
Catharines / [later - ^ Mrs Jones] health seems to be quite restored. She has a good / color, more I think than she has had for the / last four or five years, + is in every respect free / from indisposition. _ Her little daughters are both / well, + Mr Jones has been staying two or three / days here but has now gone to N. York. The / fever seems to be spreading there, + all prudent / people have deserted the lower part of the City _ /
Willm + George are not going to school ‘till the / first of October, they were very desirous to lengthen / their stay to that time + we to gratify them. / + as the fever was in N York + people constantly / going out to the surrounding Country about the / City, I thought it was better to keep them at / home, ‘till that time _ They are both well + / very happy. They own a new horse which they / call Robin after a horse Mr Gilman has at NPort _ / William has gone to carry Cornelia to Beekman / Town to make a visit to her Aunt Bogarts _ / they went to day, Cornelia is to be left + Willm / is to return on Saturday, the distance from here / is thirty miles. It is quite a journey for / such young travellers
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George is busy from morning to night. He never / has an idle moment __ We all enjoyed our visit. / to Newbury Port very much + shall never forget / it _ it seems indeed to me like a dream that we / have all been there, but a most pleasant one. _ /
My dear Mother we have sad news from our friends / at Albany. Mr Duer has been struggling with a / Pleurisy for the Past fortnight. To day we here / he is very low, + his life despaired of. I cannot / as yet realize it. He has nine children the / oldest of them 14, a year younger than William / [page torn] I do not know a man more [page torn] / fitted for all the domestic duties / of life than Mr Duer _ should the news be correct / you will undoubtedly see his death soon announced / but Heaven Grant his life may yet be spared ) / Robert is at home, Stephen I have not see he / is on a journey with Mrs. Hamilton + her daughter / Eliza ___ I saw Mrs. Tillotson yesterday she asked / a great deal about you. I don’t think you would / know her she is but a wreck of what she was _ / her mind however is not that I can perceive the / least impaired _ Pray remember me most kindly / to all our good friends at Newbury port. Every / one joins me in love to you. Adieu dear Mother MAS
[END OF PAGE 3]
[POSTAL NOTATION]
18 ½
[ADDRESS]
To / Mrs Sibyll Sawyer /
State Street
Newbury Port
[later]
Rhinebeck NY / 20 Sept 1822
[LABEL]
Mrs Schuylers letter
1822Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
