Letter 11
Back in ol' Virginia
From Mrs. Sarah L. Look to Miss Ellen Lincoln, Petersham.
Shelter, April 2nd, 1848.
Dear Sister,
I have just returned from Little River meeting - and now for the promised letter, which Mother writes you are daily expecting. But you need not have expected it, for Lucius’ letter was not received until last Sabbath, and you must of a surety know that I’ve no idea of writing home oftener than some of you write to me. So now, when any of you want to hear from me just put a line in the P.O. to that effect and a letter shall be forthcoming directly, if nothing “happens to occur to prevent”. There are more of you to write and there is more to write about, that would interest me, than I can possibly think of that would be interesting to you.
Tell Mother and Janette that I did not write to them particularly in Lucius’ letter. Their turn will come pretty soon, and if the Dr. and Olivia will send their card with their names inscribed in their own handwriting I will return them a letter of thanks immediately.
I had just written the last word when Loomis came in and wanted I should go to the stable and see the calves - there are twelve of them, nice fat little fellows. He had left the boys in the yard a few moments before and wanted them to give the cows some hay, but they were no where to be found. He called three or four times at the top of his lungs - but no answer. Where they could be was the wonder. Just then we turned around and not more than three yards from us lay them both, sound asleep, one on an old machine that stood in the yard, the other on a piece of plank on the ground. Reckon if we didn’t laugh!
Monday: Our family consists of nine, seven Darkies and our two selves. For two or three weeks past we have had eleven, Cousin Mary Loomis from Fairfax, who has been visiting us, and Josiah who has been boarding with us and going to school. I have had a “heap” of work to do for a week past. Jane, our black woman, was away most of the time and has been a day or two at a time for two or three weeks to see and take care of her husband who was sick. But all that her affection and kindness, the anxiety and solicitude of his master and the counsel of three physicians could do could not save him. He died Sat. night and was buried yesterday. Poor Jane! She looks sad today. She is as good and faithful a servant as one could wish to have. When she is here I have little or no care at all about the house. Loomis calls her the mistress of the house. We are not yet quite settled down. Loomis could not find a waggon going from our neighborhood to Alexandria that would not return with a load of plaster or something else. At last we got Mr. Ayres, who was going down, to see if he could not find one that would bring our furniture to his place. Fortunately he was successful, and with what he brought himself and leaving one bedstead and the sofa in Alexandria, it has all arrived at his house, though not without some bruising and rubbing, which was inevitable in the rough Va. waggons over rough Va. roads. Loomis went up last week and brought down part of the things, and will get the rest this. I made my carpet last week, and though there are forty yards in it needs nearly six more to cover our “big parlor”. I wish the Virginians knew how to build houses! The parlor and sitting-room are both nearly as large again as a decent room ought to be. That is the only fault I have to find with it. No, I had forgotten one thing, the chimneys are built on the outside of the house and I don’t like that, but it is a pleasant place and (growing more and more so every day. Since last Thursday the grass has grown green astonishingly fast - the peach trees are budded to bloom. Loomis has turned part of his cattle into the fields to take care of themselves. I wish you were here, I know you would enjoy it, though the wind does blow mighty hard.
I am going up to Mr. Ayres Wednesday to stay two or three days. Have not seen Mr. Loring yet - and I don’t care much whether I ever do again or not - he is so taken up with his school and the Aldie girls he can’t find time to ride seven miles to see an old friend, but he sent me word he would come down in April. I believe he has engaged for another term at Aldie.
Tell Angeline Gates I saw Sam Schwarts at Little River meeting and he had on his gold bowed specs. Give my love to her and all the other good friends. So, R.W.J. is partial to my friend? Well, I hope they will light a match between them, with Ellen’s connivance. Tell Rufus he needn’t be afraid to be seen calling on A. for she’s a good girl. [As it happened, Rufus Johnson married Caroline Foster, and Angeline Gates married Charles Page.] Tell Mary Stone I have seen two Maries that looked some like her - one very much so. Has E.G. heard from George? The rascal! I haven’t got over being angry at him yet.
Tuesday: Don’t you think I will get this letter done sometime? But I want you should guess what I have been doing today! There, I knew you couldn’t. Well the, I have been gardening. Now you must know that it is the principal employment of the Va. ladies in the spring of the year to sow their gardens. That is they stand and direct while the Darkies do it. So Miss Sarah had to be consulted where she’d have the beets, and cabbage, and parsnips, and onions sowed (you know she is very fond of such trash). So, wishing to be as much like the Va. Ladies as possible, I donned my bonnet, shawl and gloves and have stood in the garden the greater part of the day telling Jane and Lewis how to do when I don’t know any more about gardening than the “man in the moon.”
Tell Mother my box arrived safely. I put all the feathers into two beds. There were several pounds of good feathers at the top of the sack and the remainder was a mixture of nearly a fourth part hens feathers. Wasn’t it provoking? Jane said, “That of all the cheatinest things she ever seed, she never seed any quite as bad as that. When Miss Sarah paid for good feathers, too!”
The reason we came by the Hartford and New Haven route was, it was uncertain about our finding a boat at Norwich for it did not go every day to N.Y. How do you get along sewing Florence, and Janette too? Are you making your fortunes? Write very soon and tell all the news. Are you coming to the Shelter next fall? I do wish Lucius would get married, so Mother could come. Tell the Dr. and Olivia they must come next fourth of March at all events, to attend the Inauguration at Washington. I want to see you all very much. Tell Olivia to write.
Have you had any sleighing lately? There was a man from N.Y. at Father’s week before last, he said there was good sleighing there when he left.
It is late and I will not write more. My love to all, dear Mother, brother and sisters. Loomis wishes to be remembered. His health is not very good. He finds so much to do as to keep him busy most of the time, and I sometimes fear exerts himself beyond his strength.
Write soon. From your aff. sis., Sarah.
Wednes. Morn.:
P.S. It is a warm, cloudy morning. I am going up to Mrs. Ayres as soon as Jane gets the work done, so as to go with me, as Loomis can not leave. I shall take this along and put it into the Aldie P.O.
Sarah
Letter 14
bring leaf and elect zachary taylor
Shelter, Saturday, Nov. 18, 1848
My Dear Mother,
It is snowing like fun this morning, which reminds me so much of home I thought I must sit down and write you a letter straightaway. And moreover I have been making you a cap, which I want you should have this cold weather. It is for every day, but don’t wear it quiteout until I come home, for I want to see how it lookd made up. If I could send it equally as well, I should “done finish” it (as the darkies say) before sending it to you. But fearing that “Uncle Sam”, to whose care I am under the necessity of consigning it, will not handle it as carefully as you and I would I shall send it as it is. I want you should trim it with broad, white, figured satin ribbon and wear it Thanksgiving day. I shall be there, if you don’t see me you may depend upon it, I shall be there all day long, and shall see you all just as plain, only that little Luan I can’t even imagine how she looks. I have dreamed two or three times of being up in town or at church and thinking Well, I will go and see the baby today, and once I got as far as the meeting-house steps with Olivia, but before I got into the house I woke up, and I haven’t seen it yet. Isn’t it too provoking?
Your kind letter of the 5th instant was received last Sabbath and I need not tell you how glad we were to hear from you all again, but was sorry to hear you were suffering with your teeth and hope you are relieved before this time.
I suppose Charles and Janette are out of school now for a short time. I am much obliged to Charles for writing to me and hope he will write often. I want he should make a great deal of improvement in orthogrophy and penmanship this winter. And, Charlie, there will be no better way than by writing letters to me, and I will correct the mistakes. I am fully sensible of my own deficiency in writing correctly, but I want you and Janette to write without making a single mistake. How I do wish I was at home this very minute, but I shall certainly expect to see Lucius and Ellen this winter, whether that lawsuit terminates favorably or not. I hope it will favorably - if it don’t come down anyhow for you must go to see Gen. Taylor inaugurated. - Lucius, aren’t you glad Gen Taylor was elected President? Whom did the Dr. vote for? - It will not be so pleasant being here in the winter as at any other season of the year, on account of the badness of the roads and the difficulty of getting about, but I suppose you can best leave your business then. If there is not a tolerable certainty of your coming I want you should find it out is season for Ellen to come with Mr. Hudson, (unless she has decided not to come and I hope she has not) the first of Dec. as I believe that is the time Congress opens. Ellen, if you do come with Mr. H. take the Aldie stage at Washington and come directly to Mr. Ayres, as we can get you from there easier than from the stage stable near Hay Market. I want you should bring me some leaf. Loring asks so much for his I don’t want to buy it of him. Bring 25 No. four and a half or five and 25 No. 4. I will pay you for it when you come. I suppose you will want to bring some for yourself, so you had better put it in a box and send it as I directed before, and don’t forget the sidesaddle nor other things that I mentioned. And Lucius if you do not use the Carmina Sacra I wish you would send me that, for I do want a singing book. Send me some of the old ones in the house anyhow. Bring your school books by all means and we will study them all we can, and if Olivia will send me her Abbotts Abercrombie on the Mind I will bring it back or send it the first time anyone is going to Petersham.
Mother asks what time I think of going to P. next year. I may not go at all, if I do it will be sometime between the summer and winter. I want you should write to me, Ellen, as soon as this is received and tell me the possible or even probable chance of your coming. You must write to Mr. Hudson very soon if you have not already done so. - do come at any rate if the folks are all well and can possibly spare you. If there was a possibility of your being half as fortunate as Lizzie Childs has been you will not regret coming. She has earned more than $70. since she has been here in braiding and teaching others how to braid - but she was born under a luckier star than you and I were. Her health has been very poor for sometime - is a good deal better now. Mother asks how I am. I have nothing to say but well. I don’t think I have the headache quite as often as formerly, but when I do it aches a great deal harder. I don’t think I ever suffered so much with it as I did a week ago tonight. I was afraid I should be crazy. I am rather more fleshy than I was last winter. My dresses all look tight and I have had to let out the stitches in two or three. I have worn my wedding dress once - reckon it will not wear out very fast. Since I have been writing the snow that was 3 or 4 inches deep this morning has entirely disappeared. Have you had any sleigh riding yet? I wish I was there - it is a pleasanter place to live in the winter than Va. Oh, such horrid roads! There are no singing schools or lectures here to take up ones time or “drive the gloom of care away” even. Really what a comfort it is to stay at home all the time - there is no chance for getting homesick when you stay at home all the time. I do down to Father’s occasionally and to Mr. Ayres semi-occasionally, and the rest of the time I stay at home. If I don’t get to be half civilized, or actually barbarous before I go back to Mass. I shall be glad. I have written this letter to you all, but shall address it to Mother because the cap is hers.
Mr. and Mrs. Avery left for Louisville last Monday and hope to be there tonight. I shall miss Susan very much. I have enjoyed myself in her society a great deal this summer. Julia’s health is entirely restored. She likes her situation at Belmont very much. I am going to Leesburg next week or week after to stay several days and shall go and see her while I am there.
Ask Cousin Lizzie why she don’t write to me. I am sorry she is going to Bangor. I am afraid I shan’t see her again for years if ever and next to Mother, brothers and sisters, there is no one I want to see more. Give my love to her and her mother. I have been reading this letter to Jane. She says it is “ a very pretty letter indeed”. She says tell my sister, “to come on here, so this old nigger can see her”. I am glad to hear Olivia’s health is good again. Olivia, do write to me all about that little baby. What is the color of her eyes, and how is she dressed? I wish I could see her in my mind’s eye even, but I can’t - I have tried hard enough too. Kiss the dear little thing a hundred times for Aunt Sarah. Don’t make such a pet of her as to spoil her, for I don’t like spoiled children. Loomis sends love to you all. Ellen, be sure and write so I can get it in a fortnight from the time you get this.
TO: 1849
