Name/Title
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to Katrina (Kate) IrvingEntry/Object ID
HHV 003.62Description
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to Katrina (Kate) IrvingSubject
Some of Sarah’s letters lost in the post, Grinnell family returned for a visit and now gone, might sail for Europe, Irving at Columbia College, Theodore had been ill now better, location of his home in flat area was to blame, family moved to hilly region nearer his church for time being, Washie in California, Edgar Irving helped son “Washie” get situation on sloop of War “Jamestown” as Captains clerk, headed to Panama, Kennedy and Edgar spent 3 years together in Mediterranean in “young days”, “Aspinwall” on the Isthmus, Leslie Irving engagement to [Amy?] Pearcy?, pockets “full of rocks”, Ebenezer's birthdaySubject Person/Organization
Ebenezer Irving (1776-1868), Katrina Van Tassel Irving Williams (1845-1915), Sarah Mann Irving (1824-1913), Julia Grinnell, Fannie Grinnell, Irving Grinnell (1839-1921), Edgar Irving (1808-1873), Washington Irving (1835-1910)Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Sunnyside, Irvington, NY, California, Colon, Panama, New BrightonContinent
EuropeCollection
Irving Manuscript CollectionTranscription
Transcription
Sunny Side Thursday evening Jan’y 28. 1858.
My dear Kate
I believe that I am two letters in your debt, / at least I think that there are two not yet acknowledged. / I have them not at hand to refer to their dates, and I / must make a very lame apology for my [??-ring?] neglect / to reply, but I presume that you will excuse the apology / if I only give you in its place some accounts from Sunny Side. / I must first however remark that the letter which in the first above / alluded to, you say that your mother had written to me the / week before, has not come to hand. She probably employed the / same post by which she said that she wrote to me some seven or / eight months ago with considerable detail of her family matters. The / last letter has no doubt gone the way of the first and I expect / that I shall receive both together one of these days should they / happen to meet _ Your cousins the Grinells returned / to their City establishment only a very short time before Christmas / we were all pleased to have them so long in our vicinity, / and miss them much + shall probably have cause to complain / of a long absence for I have heard a rumour that they contemplate / sailing to Europe in June next, to be absent a twelve month’ the / whole family I am told are to go _ Mr and Mrs Grinnell, Julia, Fannie, / and Irving. As Irving is a student in Columbia college, I presume that / he will graduate before they sail.
I may have mentioned in a former letter that your / Uncle Theodore I. had been very ill, he recovered slowly, but is now
[END OF PAGE 1]
Quite well again though very thin _ he attributes his illness to / the location of his dwelling; the land around it is low and flat, / and troubled with “chills and fever” he succeeded in obtaining a good / home in the adjoining hilly region, and nearer his church, and I / learn that the family are pleasantly and comfortably situated, his engage= / =ment for the house however is only unil May next, and it is as yet / uncertain whether he will be able to extend it.
I have a letter to day from your California Uncle Washington / written on New Year’s Eve, in which he speaks with delight of / the letters he had received from home; he was in fine health / and getting along very fairly, and sends his remembrances / to all relatives. I do not recollect whether I have / told you that your Uncle Edgar’s son Washington had turned / his attention to the sea _ no good opening offering here, your / Uncle Edgar made in [inte-?-t] among his old mess mates to obtain / for him a situation as Captains clerk on board one of our Ships / of War, and succeeded with Captain Kennedy of the Sloop of war / “Jamestown”. Captain K. and your Uncle were messmates in their / young days on board the Sloop of war Warren on a cruise of / some three years in the Mediterranean Washie is quite pleased / with his [berth], and sailed with “Jamestown” the day before Christmas / in fine spirits for “Aspinwall” on the Isthmus.
There is likely to be some addition to your Uncle / Pierre’s family _ I am told that his son Lesliee has taken a fancy / to a Miss Pearcy and that the couple are under engagement:
[END OF PAGE 2]
The wedding day is not yet fixed but I presume it will / not be very distant _ I do not know how “full of rocks” the / lady’s pockets may be, but understand that the mother / is a widow with two daughters, living at New Brighton in / comfortable style.
Your message to Robert and the inmates of his cottage / are in fine health and all getting on well. Mr + Mrs Linden / added a fine boy to the flock some five or six months since / of which I am inclined to think that you had not heard, so / that Robert now has three boys and one girl and all very promising.
Yesterday was my birth day and I was gra= / =tified by the kindnesses and attentions of the family, your / Uncle Pierre unexpectedly came up to see me and / the next train of cars brought your uncle Theodore I. / [^ your uncles] Edgar and Sanders could not leave the City, but / sent me kind and affectionate letters all this helps / to cheer me as time draws towards its close with me. / but the “bell rings” and I must stop, I have sufficient / time however to add that I am affectionately
Thine dear Kate
Eben’r Irving
Miss Katrina Irving
Care of Mr. William Irving
28. 4 ½ Street
Washington DC.Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
W 228
