Transcription
J L Van Wyck
To
Ph C Van Wyck
1837
Grove HIll Nov. 7th 1837
My Dear Brother
You have occupied my thoughts very / often to day, it has been a tremendous blow and when that is the / case we are apt to think of those who may be exposed / to it, but I presume by this time you must be so far distant / to feel the affect of our winds. __ Aunt Renfsalaer and Ann / are now with us, they have been down about a week and / I am in hopes they will make us a long visit, as Aunts / house is not yet finished. But that will repent on the / Patroons health, he is now quite ill and if he should get / worse they will return immediately. I had a dismal / time of it down at Shelter Island, I took the billious fever about / ten days after I arrived, and had to remain there two months / before I was well enough to return, Eliza and Stewart came / down for me, and we went over to Easthampton for a few days /
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Uncle Davids family were all at home and we spent our time there / very pleasantly, they have given up spending the winter in the city / as they could not get a house ready furnished to suit them, or / rooms that they liked at any of the Hotels, and as Uncle David / is not very partial to a private boarding house they concluded to / remain at E.------- Aunt Mary’s health is much the same as when / you saw her. __ I have been very well since my return untill / this morning when I awoke I found my face and neck swollen / up with the Mumps, it has however not made me very sick as yet / Pierre and David have all had it but are now quite recovered. _ / Mr Oaks remained at Sing Sing for more than two months after / you left and continued as devoted as ever to Miss Archer / I do not think however it will be a match, Mr and Mrs Smith / would never give there consent, She says it must be somebody / superior to Mr O. — that Caddy may marry, in wealth at least / I suppose as from all accounts he has [none to much] of that / article. He did not leave a very good name behind him / as he was in debt to his landlord and almost every merchant / in the place when he left. __ Eliza is also writing to you / this evening, and by way of novelty has has, put her communica - / tion in form of a newspaper, you will be amused with / it no doubt. __ I must now bid you good night as /
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My face pains me, and it is also quite late. ____
Wednesday Morning. We have a new paper established in the village / + I send you with this the first numbers of it. I think it is much / better than the Herald, the politics desidedly so, but I forget / you do not think the same as I do on that subject, so pardonnez moi, / I will send you the Herald also. ___ I believe Eliza has told / you of the marriage of Susan and Dr Brandeth, I was / at Shelter Island at the time, and was never more surprised / than when I hear it, it was so precipitate, I believe they them / selves begin to think it was to much so, as from what I / hear they do not love any of the happiest to gether. I think / they are both disapointed , they were not sufficiently acquainted / [^ with] one an others characters before they married, and now to late / they find they do not harmonize, I feel sorry for Susan / for I believe she loved him, and so soon to be treated / with indiference and neglect must be very mortifying / the Dr thinks he has course for dissatisfaction also, but / how that is I do not know, perhaps there is fault on both / sides. __ Aunt has heard from the Patroon to day he is / better . but she does not think she can extend her visit / longer than the middle of next week as it is getting /
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So late in the season. She with Papa, Mama, and the rest / of the family join with me in love to you and [^ in] many good / wishes for your health and happiness. Mama will write / the next opportunity and hoping to hear from you soon
I remain most sincerely your
ever attached Sister
Joanna
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P.S. To day is the last day of the Election . the Whigs are / going ahead gloriously - there is quite a revolution in the / state of affairs, and I shall expect to see you on our side / when you return _ I will send you a paper with the / returns of the Election
[POSTAGE STAMP - black ink, oval]
LYCEUM
[IMAGE]
U-S NAVAL
Mid’m P. Cortlandt Van Wyck
U.S. Ship Lexington
Pacific Station
Care of the Naval LyceumTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
