Elizabeth Spencer and Julia Hoffman to Ann Hoffman Nicholas

Letter

Historic Hudson Valley

Name/Title

Elizabeth Spencer and Julia Hoffman to Ann Hoffman Nicholas

Entry/Object ID

HF 3024 C

Description

Box 31

Subject

emancipation of enslaved women [Elizabeth Spencer's daughters?]; scarlet fever

Subject Person/Organization

Elizabeth Spencer, Julia Hoffman (1810-1861), Ann Hoffman Nicholas (1790-1840), Emma Nicholas Malony (1816-1866)

Subject Place

* Untyped Subject Place

New York

Context

March 11th 1837 (?)

Collection

Hoffman Manuscript Collection

Transcription

CATALOG NUMBER HF 3024 C OBJECT NAME Letter DATE March 11th 1837 (?) AUTHOR Elizabeth Spencer and Julia H RECIPIENT Mrs. Nicholas MEDIUM Paper, ink DESCRIPTION Dictated letter, written by Elizabeth Spencer PEOPLE Emma, Ogden, Miss Julia, Charles, Chief {Wickham?}, Miller, Katy, Mr Hoffman, Mrs Jones, Maria, John, Duers, Olive, Gifford PLACES Fishkill, Philadelphia EVENTS KEY WORDS Scarlet Fever *Original spelling retained throughout work; content appears exactly as written. [PAGE 1] New York March 11th 1837 My dear Mrs. Nicholas/ I have received your kind and affectionate letter / with much gratitude, I was very sorry to hear by Miss Emma’s letter of / all the difficulties which you met with in the way, but he who has always / been your guard and protector has carried you safe to your worldly / habitation, and now my dear Mrs. Nicholas don’t forget to [honour] glory, / and praise his name for the many [sins], and temptations which he / has led you through for we are not able to go through and suffer one / half that our dear deliverer suffered for us; and take that as a light / burden which the Lord has placed on you; now my dear Mrs. Nicholas / I know that you will say I am fond of preaching, I think I hear the / sweet words coming from your lips. I am happy to hear that you / found your dear family all well, and also your little grandson Ogden / that you used to speak so much about who was so [unrecovered], to / God all things are possible, but to man nothing. I am happy to inform / you that Miss Julia is well I have seen her to day, her spirits are better / than they were, and although I have lost such a dear friend in you I have / found a friend in Miss Julia. I am sorry to say that I did not think it / would please the Almighty to look after I parted from [inserted: you] to call your / dear Father hence, but I trust it is for the better and that he is now an / Angel in Heaven with his blessed Redeemer free from all care and sorrows. / I saw Mr Charles yesterday and am happy to tell that he is and looks / very well, I must needs tell you that I think he is a very nice young / gentleman, he was very [attentive] to Mr Hoffman during his [sickness] and in / [END OF PAGE 1] [PAGE 2] his last hours. My dear Mrs. Nicholas I wish to tell you now something about the / good work which the Lord placed first in your heart to begin, concerning / the freedom of my children, that with the help of [Julia] Miss Miller has / succeeded wonderfully, she has made every [unrecovered] that she could to/ [unrecovered] the poor slaves. Our pastor Mr Williams has promised to give a / certain take towards restoring my children, and I hope he who first began / the work will carry it oh, for he leaves not his works half finished as / men do, I have only to pray that the Lord will give him faith, and only to believe that he will do all things that are right; of he sees fit to / restore my children to me I shall be thankful, and if not I am thankful / also, for his will must be done and whatever he pleases I am willing / to submit to. And now my Mrs Nicholas I thank you and Miss Miller for all the trouble you have taken, may God bless you for it and / may you receive your reward from his hands who is ever able to pay it. / I have three or four letters to [unrecovered] [since] you have been / gone and have not had any answers, Miss Miller also wrote, I expect to / hear back and will let you know as soon as I hear from there, I will / never take back my world that I told you about my children, I wish / Olive were in your hands now for I know she would be well taken / care of. “He that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirits because he maketh intercession for the Saints, according to the will of God.” / Also I ask Mrs Nicholas, Miss Emma and Mr Whitman to please to / remember me at the Throne of Grace for the Lord hears and will answer / the prayers of such, pray that the Lord will strengthen any faith that / may trust and believe that my dear Redeemer will do able that is right / and just for me./ Remember me kindly to Miss Emma and to all the family. I often think about the bottles of hot water and wish I was there to [work] / the [unrecovered] the night cap too, and in the courier there making [up] your/ [END OF PAGE 2] [PAGE 3] [unrecovered], how comfortable I would make your room for you I would stop / up every little hole I could find, you must try and put up with / it this winter, I hope summer everything will be put in / order, and that next winter I will be bringing in the big logs for / you to make you warm./ Spenser begs to be remembered kindly and thanks you for your good / wishes he hopes the Lord will make him repent and turn him to himself. / We are both engaged to go to Mr Murray Hoffmans Spenser feels very / badly to change and is glad that we can go together in the same family, Miss Mary will be there when he first go for two or three weeks / for Mr Murray will not be married until towards the end of April / we are very glad that he will get used to the way of the house / with Miss Mary first. I am very happy to tell you that Katy was very affectionate to Mr. / Hoffman during all his illness she could not do more than she did/ she has [tear in page] very bad health even since his death she seems [wax seal over writing] / feel it so much, I am happy to tell you that she has left [wax seal over writing] / her bad habits she does not ever put her foot out of the door, while / she is so I know she will never [inserted: want] friends, her ways have altered so much / that I have got quite found of her and she of me which last I never / expected, she is going to Fishkill with Miss Julia to spend the summer / Miss Vaplanek has written for them both to come. / I put all things in the hands of him who is able to do all things / and now my dear Mrs Nicholas God Help you and may the / blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rest where you and / all your family/ I remain your affectionate servant/ Elizabeth Spencer Please write to me soon. [END OF PAGE 3] [PAGE 4] [Aside written by Julia H] we must do able what we can, not what we wish, I shall be very happy no / doubt at Fishkill though I did want very much to for a month or two / in Philadelphia first. Our [?] Gifford, sent to me your direction he is / going to move West and wants to go where you are, he will be a good opportunity / for me to send out the thins to you which I will pack and direct before / I leave lower I have not seen Mrs Jones at all though Maria’s child we heard / John had sold his house for $5500. ad that the Children have Scarlet Fever / I must stop for the want of room, I am still staying at [Duers] Lodge to the girls Does Emma know [M. Stebeus] is engaged to Mr. Gallatin. / Ever your attached Julia H [Address; written on letter] Mrs. Nicholas / Care of Rev. L. Whitman / Chicago / Illinois [Postmark] New York, MAR 12 [aside from Julia H on envelope] I have written this letter my dear Sister exactly in the Elizabeth’s words / the preferred having me to write it for she said she could tell we / me more easily what she had to say that she could Miss Miller. / As she told you Katy and I are going to Fishkill the beginning / of April to spend the summer, I was obliged to give up my visit to Miss / Gratz for I could not leave Katy in town without me she is in weakened / health and spirits and has become blind in one of her eyes by a cataract / Miss Gratz will be disappointed for she expected me to pass some time with her / in the fall I shall probably go to George and stay with her on my way, / [END OF LETTER]

Transcriber

Kathryn Alexander

Language

English

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Mrs. Wilton S. Burton

Notes

Former owner

General Notes

Note Type

Department

Note

Library

Note Type

Transcription

Note

*Original spelling retained throughout work; content appears exactly as written. [PAGE 1] New York March 11th 1837My dear Mrs. Nicholas/ I have received your kind and affectionate letter / with much gratitude, I was very sorry to hear by Miss Emma’s letter of / all the difficulties which you met with in the way, but he who has always / been your guard and protector has carried you safe to your worldly / habitation, and now my dear Mrs. Nicholas don’t forget to [honour] glory, / and praise his name for the many [sins], and temptations which he / has led you through for we are not able to go through and suffer one / half that our dear deliverer suffered for us; and take that as a light / burden which the Lord has placed on you; now my dear Mrs. Nicholas / I know that you will say I am fond of preaching, I think I hear the / sweet words coming from your lips. I am happy to hear that you / found your dear family all well, and also your little grandson Ogden / that you used to speak so much about who was so [unrecovered], to / God all things are possible, but to man nothing. I am happy to inform / you that Miss Julia is well I have seen her to day, her spirits are better / than they were, and although I have lost such a dear friend in you I have / found a friend in Miss Julia. I am sorry to say that I did not think it / would please the Almighty to look after I parted from [inserted: you] to call your / dear Father hence, but I trust it is for the better and that he is now an / Angel in Heaven with his blessed Redeemer free from all care and sorrows. / I saw Mr Charles yesterday and am happy to tell that he is and looks / very well, I must needs tell you that I think he is a very nice young / gentleman, he was very [attentive] to Mr Hoffman during his [sickness] and in / [END OF PAGE 1] [PAGE 2] his last hours. My dear Mrs. Nicholas I wish to tell you now something about the / good work which the Lord placed first in your heart to begin, concerning / the freedom of my children, that with the help of [Julia] Miss Miller has / succeeded wonderfully, she has made every [unrecovered] that she could to/ [unrecovered] the poor slaves. Our pastor Mr Williams has promised to give a / certain take towards restoring my children, and I hope he who first began / the work will carry it oh, for he leaves not his works half finished as / men do, I have only to pray that the Lord will give him faith, and only to believe that he will do all things that are right; of he sees fit to / restore my children to me I shall be thankful, and if not I am thankful / also, for his will must be done and whatever he pleases I am willing / to submit to. And now my Mrs Nicholas I thank you and Miss Miller for all the trouble you have taken, may God bless you for it and / may you receive your reward from his hands who is ever able to pay it. / I have three or four letters to [unrecovered] [since] you have been / gone and have not had any answers, Miss Miller also wrote, I expect to / hear back and will let you know as soon as I hear from there, I will / never take back my world that I told you about my children, I wish / Olive were in your hands now for I know she would be well taken / care of. “He that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirits because he maketh intercession for the Saints, according to the will of God.” / Also I ask Mrs Nicholas, Miss Emma and Mr Whitman to please to / remember me at the Throne of Grace for the Lord hears and will answer / the prayers of such, pray that the Lord will strengthen any faith that / may trust and believe that my dear Redeemer will do able that is right / and just for me./ Remember me kindly to Miss Emma and to all the family. I often think about the bottles of hot water and wish I was there to [work] / the [unrecovered] the night cap too, and in the courier there making [up] your/ [END OF PAGE 2] [PAGE 3] [unrecovered], how comfortable I would make your room for you I would stop / up every little hole I could find, you must try and put up with / it this winter, I hope summer everything will be put in / order, and that next winter I will be bringing in the big logs for / you to make you warm./ Spenser begs to be remembered kindly and thanks you for your good / wishes he hopes the Lord will make him repent and turn him to himself. / We are both engaged to go to Mr Murray Hoffmans Spenser feels very / badly to change and is glad that we can go together in the same family, Miss Mary will be there when he first go for two or three weeks / for Mr Murray will not be married until towards the end of April / we are very glad that he will get used to the way of the house / with Miss Mary first. I am very happy to tell you that Katy was very affectionate to Mr. / Hoffman during all his illness she could not do more than she did/ she has [tear in page] very bad health even since his death she seems [wax seal over writing] / feel it so much, I am happy to tell you that she has left [wax seal over writing] / her bad habits she does not ever put her foot out of the door, while / she is so I know she will never [inserted: want] friends, her ways have altered so much / that I have got quite found of her and she of me which last I never / expected, she is going to Fishkill with Miss Julia to spend the summer / Miss Vaplanek has written for them both to come. / I put all things in the hands of him who is able to do all things / and now my dear Mrs Nicholas God Help you and may the / blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rest where you and / all your family/ I remain your affectionate servant/Elizabeth Spencer Please write to me soon. [END OF PAGE 3] [PAGE 4] [Aside written by Julia H] we must do able what we can, not what we wish, I shall be very happy no / doubt at Fishkill though I did want very much to for a month or two / in Philadelphia first. Our [?] Gifford, sent to me your direction he is / going to move West and wants to go where you are, he will be a good opportunity / for me to send out the thins to you which I will pack and direct before / I leave lower I have not seen Mrs Jones at all though Maria’s child we heard / John had sold his house for $5500. ad that the Children have Scarlet Fever / I must stop for the want of room, I am still staying at [Duers] Lodge to the girls Does Emma know [M. Stebeus] is engaged to Mr. Gallatin. / Ever your attached Julia H [Address; written on letter]Mrs. Nicholas /Care of Rev. L. Whitman /Chicago /Illinois [Postmark]New York, MAR 12 [aside from Julia H on envelope] I have written this letter my dear Sister exactly in the Elizabeth’s words / the preferred having me to write it for she said she could tell we / me more easily what she had to say that she could Miss Miller. / As she told you Katy and I are going to Fishkill the beginning / of April to spend the summer, I was obliged to give up my visit to Miss / Gratz for I could not leave Katy in town without me she is in weakened / health and spirits and has become blind in one of her eyes by a cataract / Miss Gratz will be disappointed for she expected me to pass some time with her / in the fall I shall probably go to George and stay with her on my way, / [END OF LETTER]