Name/Title
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to William IrvingEntry/Object ID
HHV 003.137Description
Letter from Ebenezer Irving to William IrvingSubject
Hoping President can help with appointment?, “mare’s nest” recently discovered (four lots of land in NYC of potential value), Sanders completed the gas contract of the Jaffrays at end of December, “Chattanooga rail road”, Pierre M. I “relieved of duties” as pension agent will take tour of the South with Helen, Mr. Livingston having trouble adjusting to the new role, Katrina at Sunnyside with EbenezerSubject Person/Organization
Ebenezer Irving (1776-1868), William Irving (1811-1854), Katrina Van Tassel Irving Williams (1845-1915), President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), Franklin Pierce, Henry Kip, Huldah Gregory, Sanders Irving (1813-1884), Julia Sanders, Pierre Munro Irving (1802-1876), Helen Dodge Irving (1802-1885), James Richard Dodge (1795-1880), John Jaffray, Sarah Mann Irving (1824-1913)Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Sunnyside, Washington, DC, New York, Alabama, Cuba, Nashville, TNTranscription
Transcription
Sunny Side Monday evening
March 20 . 1854
My dear Willie
Your letters of 13th, 14th + 17th instant / were duly received the last came to hand this / morning - on receiving the first I purposed going to / the City with little Kate on thursday as you cal= / =culated in reaching Mrs [Morton’s?] on Wednesday / evening, but on second thoughts concluded it / last to defar until I should hear that you had / arrived. I am really sorry, for his own sake as / well as yours that the occupant of “the White / house” . has not al little of the spirit of “Old / Hickory.” but from what has passed between you / and him I feel pretty confident that he will do / something for you, unless he is absolutely a cipher.
I doubt whether you can promise yourself / anything from the “mare’s nest” recently discovered / by a Mr Benedict, a lawyer - he modestly / proposed to attempt recovering the four lots upon / the condition that if successful he may retain / three of them - your sisters have assented however. / supposing that there is very small chance of recovery / and that after all they are located in a part / of the City that renders them of small value - / Should the lawyer succeed, the value of the lot / must be divided and subdivided, so that your [pro-portion?] of the avails will be a very [homepathic?] /
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one - I understand that Mr Benedoct has the / reputation of being a very shrewd lawyer. /
As he has taken a good deal of pains in the / matter there may be a possibility of recovery - / I had concluded there could be scarcely a chance / for so long a period had elapsed, more than fifty / years that undisturbed possession must of course / quit all claim. It has however occurred to me / that being of little value Mr Henry Kip paid no / attention to them and neglected to pay the taxes / and the lots [^ have] consequently sold for the taxes _ the sales / of lands under such circumstances, [as?] made publicly, / and knocked down to him who will pay the taxes / and take the land or lot for the shortest time - Those lots may have been thus sold and the time / hav [having] now expired. The lots revert to the estate / of the original owner _ It appears that Mrs / Huldah Gregory, Mr Benedoct’s mother, is in possession / of two of the lots, and his object is to enable her to / retain them. I presume that Mr. B’s application / to you was accompanied by a statement of the case / similar to the copy handed to your sisters here, / which by the way was by no means full.
I do not recollect whether I have mentioned / in my late letter that your brother Sanders had / completed the Gas contract of the [Jeffray’s?] in [Covington]; / this was effected successfully about Christmas
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The have another contract for Montgomery in / Alabama and he expected to have left Covington / for that place a month ago but Mr John Jeffrey had / a similar on had at [Matanzas?], in Cuba / which detained him there rather longer than he / calculated; he has arranged to meet Sanders in / Montgomery shortly and a letter from his Julia to your / sisters, informs us that they would leave Covington / by steam boat for Louisville on Wednesday evening / last, take a [fine] Steam boat there the next day for / Nashville, where they would remain until Monday, / (today) then proceed by the “Chattanooga rail road” / for Montgomery expecting to reach that place on / Wednesday. Should you have occasion to write / to him, direct to “Gas works . Montgomery Ala.”
Your cousin William, [Bear? I’s] son has been on / a tour this winter south and West for [accounts] / of [Jaffray +sons?] Imports and Jobbers, and I hear / that he is now about leaving for Louisville, / having received my very advantageous offers from a / house in that City. He says he cannot lay up and / money in New York owing to his having so many / friends in the City.
Your cousin Pierre M. I. being / relieved from his duties as “Pension Agent” has con= / cluded to take a jaunt to the South by way of [??]- / [?-tion] _ He and his Helen left the City (N.Y.) on Saturday / on a visit to her Brother James Dodge in North [Ga?] =
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And expect to be gone a month _ I understand / that Mr Livingston finds much trouble in getting accus= / =tomed to the duties and management of the agency - / He had to apply to Pierre repeatedly for advice and / instruction _ he told Pierre that he did not apply / for the agency; his application was for some mission -
The Pensioners still apply to Pierre and he of course / sends them to the new agent; and some return to Pierre / complaining that they find it difficult to get along / with the new [hand].
Little Kate is in fine health and continues / a favorite with all _ Your cousin Helen paid a visit / to Sunny Side before she left for the Southern jaunt, and / remarked that Kate was growing quite fat Your / Uncle Wash’n has been frequently in the City this winter / having many invitations to dinner parties, [“swareys”] / +c at which it is now the fashion to serve up / French bon bons in fanciful variety, and he almost / always puts a few in his pocket for Kate
Should have leave Washington you will arrange / with some friend to attend to the land warrant / business should the bill granting additional land / to officers + soldiers pass, but I flatter myself that / Frank P. will manage to keep you there
With true love to Sarah I am
Thine my dear Willie
Eben’r Irving
W’m Irving
At Mrs. Peyton’s
4 ½ St Penn’a Av
Washington DCTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
W 191General Notes
Note Type
DepartmentNote
Library
