Name/Title
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to Katrina (Kate) IrvingEntry/Object ID
HHV 003.58Description
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to Katrina (Kate) IrvingSubject
Death of Tenant Irving (son of Edgar), scarlet fever, telegraph, escort by brother in law, body brought up by train, buried next to William Irving in family plot, “Frank” “party visit” to Sunnyside, “may parties” for little ladies, Uncle Wash. in California, “Leslie” Irving and new wife take a house in NYC, Aunt Charlotte and husband sick, Ebenezer rheumatismSubject Person/Organization
Ebenezer Irving (1776-1868), Katrina Van Tassel Irving Williams (1845-1915), Tenant Irving (1843-1858), Edgar Irving (1808-1873), Amanda Tenant Irving (1814-1885), Mary Tenant Irving Huntington (1849-1932), Samuel Mactier, Rev. William Creighton, Washington Irving (1783-1859), Leslie Irving (1862-1863), William Grinnel, Charlotte Van Wart Irving Grinnell (1824-1911)Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Sunnyside, Irvington, NY, Westchester County, Baltimore, MD, Sleepy Hollow, NY, Washington, DC, California, New Brighton, New YorkCollection
Irving Manuscript CollectionTranscription
Transcription
Sunny Side, Irvington Westch’r C’y N.Y.
Thursday evening May 20, 1858
My dear Kate
Your letter of 16th instant has been / for some days waiting a reply and I now have to / make one conveying sad news; your uncle Edgar / has lost his darling boy “Tennie”; he died last Monday / afternoon; he had suffered from an attack of Scarlet / fever, but it was nnot a severe one and it was / supposed had entirely recovered; he was so well that / his mother started with her little Mary [^ last week] to pay a long / deferred visit to her relatives in Baltimore: she / could not have been there more than a day or two / when Tennie was taken suddenly quite ill, probably / from cold; his illness increased so rapidly and became / so alarming, that your Uncle Edgar sent word by telegraph / on Sunday to your Aunt: she immediately prepared to return / home and started with Mary the same evening, under the / escort of one of her brothers in law, Mr Mactier, travelling all / night, and reached home about four o’clock on Monday / morning Tennie lived until six o’clock of that afternoon / so that your poor Aunt had the sad comfort of attending / on the last hours of her fine boy. Arrangements were / made for placing the remains in the family plot in
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The Cemetary near “Sleepy Hollow” The remains came / up, with some of the relatives, by the noon train yesterday / and and were met by friends here at the Tarrytown Station. / they were taken first to our little church on in the / village where our good Doctor Creighton began on [an] beautiful / funeral service: friends and all then proceeded to the cemetery / and the Doctor finished the service at the side of the grave / and Tennie’s remains now lie near those of your good / father. The loss is indeed a sad one to the parents for / he was a promising little fellow and just arriving at an / interesting age: I believe his age did not vary much from / yours, Kate, it may have been a few months more.
You claim that I was a letter in your debt, / but I am inclined to doubt that, for I think that I had / written last, but it may be that two from you came to / hand before that last one was dispatched, however, you / must not be too close in your calculations, but be rather / indulgent though I may be in debt. I am much pleased / to hear [^ read] your account of Frank: my love to him and say that / I shall be right glad to see him. I often think of him and / his party visit to Sunnysude: the recollection of it is not as / pleasant as I could wish, for he was then so much under / the weather “having travelled rapidly all the way from Washington / and not being strong, had suffered considerably from the /
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Journey. Your account of your “May party” amuses / me and I am glad that you had a pleasant time / the little ladies must have looked quite enchanting / all [hung] with pink and white lace all spangled with / “silver stars” The last mail from California / brought us pleasant accounts from your Uncle Washington; / he continues in fine health and says that the Spring / is opening charmingly upon him and his little place, and / trees and flowers and birds surround him.
Your cousin Leslie and his bride have fixed / themselves in the city (N.Y.) they at first intended / to take a house in New Brighton which would have / gratified the relatives, but as his business is large and / increasing it was deemed better and prudent to have / his residence near it.
Your Aunt Charlotte and her husband have / been much out of health for some time but they are im= / =proving slowly and we hope will soon recover entirely.
We are all pretty well at Sunny Side, but your Aunt / Mary’s health continues quite dleicate, so that she is / occasionally confined for a day or so to her room, but I / trust that she will improve as the warm weather / of Summer comes on. Your Uncle Washington’s health /
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Is much as it has been for some time past, / he is still trouble with “catarrah” but it does not / confine him to the house; for myself, I am blest / with good sleep and fair appetite, but rheumatism / gains the mastery and is gradually enfeebling me
Thine my dear Kate
Affectionately
Ebn’r Irving
Miss Katrina Irving
Care of Mrs William Irving
No. 28 four + half street
Washington DCTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
W 188
