Name/Title
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to Katrina IrvingEntry/Object ID
HHV 003.579Description
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to Katrina IrvingSubject
Clarification of relative’s name, “life in the Convent”, cold weather, party to “usher” young Julia Grinnell into society, Uncle Washington attended, Aunt Mary’s health is delicate, Theodore might move parishes from Bay Ridge to Richmond (Staten Island), Eb will contact Sarah Irving on “Matters of business”, call her “mother” not “ma”Subject Person/Organization
Ebenezer Irving (1776-1868), Katrina Van Tassel Irving Williams (1845-1915), Julia Granger Irving (1822-1897), Geraldine White, Julia Grinnell, Pierre Leslie Irving (1828-1891), Elizabeth Irving, Washington Irving (1783-1859), Mary Elizabeth Irving (1820-1868), Sarah Irving (1817-1900), Theodore Irving (1809-1880)Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Sunnyside, Staten Island, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY, Port Richmond, NY, Washington, DCCollection
Irving Manuscript CollectionTranscription
Transcription
Sunny Side, Irvington, Westch’r Co’y N.Y. Jan’y . 1857.
My dear Kate
I Send you thanks for your letter of the 13th ins’t / The nest time I see your Aunt “Julia Sanders” I will / tell her that the name of the sister who claims / to have been formerly acquainted with her, is “Geraldine / White”. Your Aunt will of course recollect her and / it will gratify her to find that she lives in the / remembrance of the Sister.
You say nothing as to what sort of a time you had / in “four + a half Street” during the holidays, and how / it compared with life in the Convent, and whether / you were well pleased to get back to it [^ the latter]; I presume / however that such in the case, and that you are well / disposed to avail yourself of the opportunity it offers / for improvement.
The storms and severely cold weather / that we have had of late, have confined me / to the house and have given me but little chance / for Exercise: the ground is covered with ice and snow / and [^ these] have obliged me to discontinue my daily walks
[END OF PAGE 1]
For there is no little risque of meeting with / falls, and falls at my time of life are apt to be / attended by injuries that are not speedily / repaired. Times have been somewhat / lively among relatives in New York: your cousin / Julia Grinnell had a large and brilliant party / at the corner of fifth avenue and 14th Street / about a fortnight since; it was given to usher / young Julia into the fashionable world, or / what is styled a “coming out”: I am told that / it was really a fine affair; cousins Tillie and / Leslie from Staten Island were there, as also nearly / all the relatives in the City __ Uncle Washington / was the only one from Sunnyside _ your Aunt Mary’s / health is too delicate to allow of her joining in / such festivities, Aunt Catharie had a swelled / cheek caused by tooth ache, and it was too / inconvenient for Aunt Sarah to go alone _ I / am not aware whether there was any one /
[END OF PAGE 2]
There from your Uncle Theodore’s at “Bay Ridge”
It is probably that your Uncle Theodore / will change his quarters from “bat Ridge” : the / parish at Richmond, Staten Island, has invited / him to become their Rector; it is one of the oldest / parishes in the State, or indeed in the Union: I / have not heard as yet whether he has decided to / accept the call, but think that he will.
I would end my letter in the usually manner / by adding love to your mother and all that, but / as I purpose to drop her a line on matters of business / I will send it direct; by the way, when you are / writing of her do not call her “ma”, or “”Mama”, but / give her her true designation, “Mother”
Thine dear Kate
Affectionately
Eben’r Irving
[END OF PAGE 3]
[ADDRESS]
Miss Katrina Irving
No 28. 4 ½ Street
Washington
D.C.Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
W 3238Condition
Notes
Remarks: Chip at upper right fold on first page of writing; larger chip on upper right fold area on third page of writing; small chip at lower right fold on third page of writing; vertical series of tiny holes along right fold on third page of writing; staining.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Katrina Van Tassel Irving Williams (1845-1915)Notes
RecipientGeneral Notes
Note Type
StorageNoteNote
Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Union Church, Storage, Shelf 31CNote Type
DepartmentNote
Library
