Transcription
Grove Hill, June 3rd 1836
My Dear Brother
I received your [^ letter] of the 6th of May / about a fortnight since, and should have answered it / before had I thought you would of received it / any the sooner, but as you said you were to leave / Pensacola in a few days and be absent some time / I though It would not be of any use to write / immediately. I was pleased to hear you had so / little trouble in capturing the Invincable [Invincible?] although / you wished they had shown a little more resistance / Eliza received a letter from you a few days since. ___ / Oaks spent a few days here about three weeks since he / said he had written to you four times and head sent / you a number of papers but had not received any / answers. Papa received a letter from him a short / time since he was then on board the U.S. Schooner / Experiment on the sound. __ The country looks / very pleasant now, and we have allready had / quite a number of friends to visit is, we are at /
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Present though quite alone, that is Catharine, myself, / and the boys. Uncle Nathaniel and all his family / spent a few days here about a fortnight since, (you know / Aunt Eliza will never travle without all her children) / They were on there return from Washington, Virginia +c. / Miss Stewart has also been spending a week with / us she left on Wednesday. And we have had a / flying visit also from Aunt Van Rensselaer It was quite unexpected as she did not think of comming / herself untill the day she left home but such visits, / I think are generally the pleasantest. She came up / on Saturday evening, we were expecting some gentlemen / from New York, but who should we see instead / of them but Aunt, Mr Van Renssalaer, and Ann, quite / an agreeable surprise I assure you, Mr V. R. return / from Europe about a month since, they stayed / until Wednesday afternoon, Mama Papa and Eliza / went down with them Papa is going on to the / West and Eliza remains in Albany until his return / Mama went no further than New York I expect / her home this evening. Aunt desired to be particular / remembered with her love to you when I wrote. __ / She could not make but a short visit as she / had to return home to make some araingements / for [Pierre’s?] wedding which takes place on the 14th /
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I believe I mentioned the lady he was to be married / in some former letter, Miss Beck. Aunt is very much / pleased with her and says she is a very fine girl / I believe they intend residing at Croton as the General / has given Pierre that place and he is now repairing / it, he is not makeing much alteration in it as he / intends building a hew House on the hill somewhere / and this is to be only a temporary residence un till that / is finished . __ William Walsh was married a / week or two since, it is quite gay in Albany this summer / with all the weddings. __ I believe there is no news / in the village, indeed I have not had any opp-[page torn] / -nity of hearing any for it is nothing but rain! R-[page torn] / rain! For the last two weeks we have not had / more than two or three clear days, and if we had / not had plenty of company in the house we / should have thought it very dreary. You said / the rainy season had commenced with you I / think it has with us also for it is still raining / and the wind north East (rather a sad prospect) / There was a company of Military came up last / evening and have encamped in the village for / the purpose of Target firing, a hopefull time / they have got for it, They were to have a military / Ball this evening at the encampment but I think / it will amount to a failure unlefs they adjourn to the Hotell
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The Enquirers for the Croton waterworks are now engaged / in the village _ Henry Dodge is with them this summer. __ / I hear Burnett has resigned his commission in the army / I have not seen him since his return from Florida but / Papa said he told him so; he did not think he had /
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Been used well, a number of others had also resigned. / Have you received any letter from Mr Lewis he / told me he had written to you some time / ago they live now about a mile from the Village / [??- unknown name, illegible] is very well, he has got quite better of / the Rheumatism which he was very much afflicted / with during the cold weather and now injoys himself /
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Very much as he is quite a pet. __ Catharine and the boys / join me in love to you. I think I have made the most of / this sheet of paper Good bye
Your affectionate sister
Joanna
[END]
[POSTMARK]
Sing Sing Jun 4
Mid’m P . Cortlandt Van Wyck
U.S. Ship Warren
Pensacola
Florida
[POSTMARK]
25
J L Van Wyck
To Ph C Van Wyck
1836Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
