Transcription
New York Feby 4, 1847
My dear Sister
Your letter of Sunday, the 31st Jan'y / was only rec’d yesterday morning, ‘though it reached / here yesterday probably after I had been at the / Post Office. I am glad that you have made up / your mind to come on, and Keep us Company / for a while in the outset of our housekeeping. / Indeed I do not see why you should have hesitated, / not having either a house of “Piccaninies” to look / after. As you want the number of our house / I will give it you somewhat in details, that / in case you arrive without my Knowing it, you / can come direct from the boat, and thus not / have to stop at a half way house on the road. / I beg you to Know that this visit is to Sarah / + myself, and ‘tho: I may consent to your running / away from me a few short hours at a time, yet / “Chelsea Cottage” No 29 is to be your home.
In the first place then we (that is Sarah, Kitty / and myself with Mary) reside in one of a row of / 36 Houses styled “Chelsea Cottages”. Second, that / said Cottages are in 24th Street between the for / 9th + 10th Avenues. Thirdly, that our house is / designated by the No. 29, and fourthly, (as there / are no numbers yet placed upon them) our house / is about the 9th or 10th one in the row from /
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The 9th Avenue __ the second one with a “Verandah” / to the front door, and also is the second one in the / row that is occupied or finished. Do you think / you can find it with this description?
Since my last letter we have put things in much / more of a ship shape order, and though our house / [nears?] the appearance of [“tyro’s”] in housekeeping / yet we flatter ourselves that we are tolerably / comfortable, and really begin to enjoy the comforts / of an independent home.
I fear we shall have to part with Mary, who / has been so long with us. When she had Kitty / alone to look after she did tolerably well, but / since greater responsibilities are put upon her, / she manages but sadly. She has no judgment / and we cannot trust her to cook the most simple / dish. Of course this requires that Sarah be in the / Kitchen for more than is agreeably to either of us. /
I am sorry to feel obliged to part with her, as / she is fond of Kitty and most [perfectly?] trustworthy. / yet it is evident that so long as she remains with / us, just so long must Sarah have a tedious and / irksome time of it. I am sure we can get a / good woman, one that will do all of our / work, for the same wages which I now pay to / Mary.
Sarah talks of writing to Sue, and sending / on a New Years present to her, which has been /
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Waiting for the Spirit to move her to a writing mood. / When this will take place, past experience tells you / when. Give my thanks to Sue for her pretty Book / Mark.
So soon as the Spring opens and the weather gets / a little settled we shall look for your good mother / and I hope we may be able to make her contented / to stay with us, and make our house her home.
We have a room all ready for you, so come / on just as soon as you can. I think we are / likely to have good weather for the coming week / having had so much storm for the past eight or / ten days. If not too much trouble trop me a / line saying when we may expect you.
They were all well in Chambers Street yesterday / with Kind remembrances to all
I am your aff brother
WilliamTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
