Name/Title
Gray Letters 1859 12 18Entry/Object ID
2025.12.1.2Description
This is a letter from Samuel C Gray to his wife Lucy Wetmore Gray when she was visiting on the East Coast. He mentions that he received her last letter on the day of their 12th anniversary. He celebrated by buying a bottle of Green Valley California wine (real juice of the grapes) and drinking a toast with Harriet and Mr. Jones to Lucy's health. Harriet is Lucy's sister and is married to Mr. Jones who also lives in Benicia.)
The one thing that made him sad was to hear of Lucy's mothers illness. This he says isn't as bad as Typhoid which took his little sister. (Samuel had two sisters die young, Joanna - 1820 and Mary - 1819. The death certificate for Joanna says she died of Dropayin Head so the one he is talking about is probably Mary.)
He talks of a child being born to Emily Fergnsen (Fergusson?) who seems to be related to Capt. and Mrs. Walsh. (In the 1870 census for Capt. Walsh's household, there is a 10-year-old boy named A W Freguson living with them. This is Arthur Walsh Fergusson 1859 - 1908 who is Capt. and Eleanor Walsh's grandson by their daughter Emily Amelia Walsh Fergusson. see obituary below.)
Samuel also says that the Episcopal Church is almost finished but does not have a minister. He has written to his brother Edward to tell him of the possible opening. He gives more news of his sisters Mary and Maria. He talks of what advise he has given Maria (Affa Maria) in her current position. (I think that her husband has been arrested for fraud and is in the Chatham County jail. That is where he appears in the 1860 census.)
