From John Jay to Maria Jay Banyer, 23[–24] April 1810
To Maria Jay Banyer
Bedford 23d[–24]. April 1810
My dear Maria
I have recd. your Letter of the 17 Inst:—1 The Cold you mention has gone off; and I am again much as I have been throughout the Winter— I rejoice that your Health has mended, and that Sally was well.
It will give you Pleasure to be informed that on the 17 Inst. Mary was delivered of a Daughter,2 & that they were both doing will. That Peter should be nominated for Congress, is an agreable Circumstance; but I apprehend that if elected, his professional affairs will suffer—3 That William should be a mere Farmer, is not desireable; especially as his Education & Talents qualify him for the Profession which he preferred—and which would enable him to make a better Provision for a Family than can be obtained from Husbandry— in other Respects, I for my own part should prefer being a Farmer— His Eyes are certainly better than they have been— I wish I could say as much for Nancy’s— [torn]4 last. I shall leave this Letter open, that [torn]5 sent to Post office, I may mention it.
That you will occasionally have Trouble, is to be expected— On this Head your Sentiments correspond with mine— Sincerely do I wish that nothing may occur to render it imprudent for you to visit us this Season— but what is fit and wise, must be determined by our Reason, not our Inclinations— We must trust Providence, not tempt or put it to the Test. I therefore dare not advise you to leave Home for the Sake of a visit to Bedford, unless it should consist with your Ideas of Discretion— In your Discretion I have more than a common Degree of Confidence. You know there is a wide Destinction between weak fluctuating Timidity, and plain decided Prudence. The one is a cardinal virtue— the other a mere Symptom of mental Debility—
There has been a longer Continuance of fine Weather in this April, that I recollect in any other— the Earth is dry, & as yet very little Verdure— a little warm Rain would bring on Vegetation rapidly— our asparagus however is putting fourth very well— I thank you for the ale you have been so good as to send for me— I wish you had mentioned the name of the Sloop on board of which it was put— I nevertheless expect our people will find her without much Difficulty— I hope to see you partake of it.
I had heard of Mrs. Westerloe’s Death.6 The number of my Contemporary Companions and acquaintances has for some Years been diminishing fast—Their Departure admonishes us to be prepared. Mrs. Titford7 died lately, and left her children in a destitute Situation.
To morrow our Election will begin— Lies are now as plenty as black Birds— This Town will certainly give a large federal majority— The unexpected Results of the New Hampshire & Massachusets Elections will, it is apprehended have an unfavorable Influence on ours, in many Places.8
Judge Miller has contracted for a Farm at Chenango, expecting to sell here and remove there— we shall lose by the Removal of that friendly Family, but their pecuniary Interest will probably be promoted by it— Tell Mr. Clarke that I have read Breesteds Hints,9 and think them worth reading. I hope his Health is restored— He has my best wishes.—
I recd. Sally’s Letter of the 9th. Inst.10 and it gave me pleasure— Had W[illia]m. not written, it should have been immediately answered.— I am my Dear Maria, your very affte. Father,
24th. Nancy and W[illia]m. returned last Ev[enin]g.— they left our Friends at Rye as well as common, & desire to be affectionately remembered to you & Sally— my Comp[limen]ts to the old Gent[lema]n.—
Mrs. Banyer
AL[S], NNC (EJ: 05985).
2. Mary Clarkson Jay (1786–1838), wife of Peter Augustus, gave birth to their first daughter, Mary Rutherfurd Jay, on 16 Apr. 1810 (d. 1835).
3. PAJ stood as a Federalist candidate in four contests for the House of Representatives. Republican candidates emerged victorious in each of these elections: in 1806 (District 4), PAJ lost to Philip Van Cortlandt by 969 to 854 votes; in 1810 (District 2), he lost to Samuel L. Mitchill by 6,226 to 5,597 votes; in 1812 (District 1), he lost to John Lefferts (1785–1829), by 3,515 to 3,446 votes; and in a special election held in 1813 (District 2), he lost to William Irving by 3,895 to 3,518 votes. See A New Nation Votes, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/1r66j198b, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/6d56zx35w, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/9306t0285, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/j3860771t.
4. Text excised, verso of signature: “She and William went to Rye on Saturday”.
5. Text excised, verso of signature: “if they return before it must be”.
6. Catharine Livingston Van Rensselaer Westerlo (1745–1810), daughter of Philip Livingston. Her first husband was Stephen van Rensselaer (1742–69), and her second was the Reverend Eilardus Westerlo (1738–90), a prominent Dutch Reformed minister. Balance (Albany), 27 Apr. 1810.
7. Alice Dunscomb Titford (1761–1810) was niece of Frederick Jay’s widow Euphemia Dunscomb Jay (1757–1817). She was the widow of Dr. Isaac Titford, and left four daughters, Francis (1793–1810), Elsie (1794–1810), Susan (1796–1877), and Ann (1798–1810). Francis died of tuberculosis on 24 Aug. 1810, at Peter Jay’s house in Rye. Elsie and Ann drowned in a mill pond in Mamaroneck in 8 Sept. 1810. Columbian (New York), 16 Apr. 1810; New-York Evening Post, 27 Aug. 1810; and Mercantile Advertiser (New York), 11 Sept. 1810; and Whitehead Duyckinck, The Duyckinck and Allied Families (New York, 1908).
8. In the New Hampshire gubernatorial election of 1810, Republican John Langdon (1741–1819), defeated Federalist Jeremiah Smith (1759–1842), by a margin of 16,602 to 15,322 votes. In the Massachusetts gubernatorial election of the same year, Republican Elbridge Gerry defeated Christopher Gore by a tally of 47,842 to 45,103 votes. In the New York race for governor, the Republican incumbent Daniel D. Tompkins defeated the Federalist challenger Jonas Platt by a margin of 44,195 to 37,171 votes. The Federalists lost three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, retaining five. See A New Nation Votes, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/c247ds17w, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/cv43nz37n, https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/3n204020s; and Philip J. Lampi, “The Federalist Party Resurgence, 1808–1816: Evidence from the New Nation Votes Database,” Journal of the Early Republic 33 (Summer 2013): 261.
9. John Bristed, Hints on the national bankruptcy of Britain, and on her resources to maintain the present contest with France (New York, 1809; Early Am. Imprints, series 2, no. 17085). Bristed (1778–1855), British-born Episcopal clergyman, legal counsellor, and prolific author, who had studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh before moving to the United States. Bristed sent a copy of his Hints to JJ in November 1809. Bristed later sent JJ copies of his The Resources of the British empire, together with a view of the probable results of the probable result of the present contest between Britain and France (New York, 1811) and The Resources of the United States of America: or, a view of the agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, financial, political, literary, moral, and religious capacity and character of the American people (New York, 1818; Early Am. Imprints, series 2, no. 43445). See Bristed to JJ, 30 Nov. 1809, ALS, NNC (EJ: 09057); 18 Dec. 1809, ALS, NNC (EJ: 09058); and 6 Apr. 1818, ALS, NNC (EJ: 13061); and JJ to Bristed, 26 Dec. 1809, Dft, NNC (EJ: 08703); 23 Apr. 1811, Dft, NNC (EJ: 08709); and 27 Apr, 1818, Dft, NNC (EJ: 08754).
10. Letter not found.