It would be impossible for me to tell you how disappointed, grieved, vexed, & everything, I was, when Mr Peabody returned from Andover a Friday Eve, & told me Mrs Adams was to return the next day home—If I had been the least apt to shed tears, I am sure they would fallen in plenty—For to have conversed with her, would have been next to having seen you my dear Sister,—I had many questions to...
By last Friday mail, I received your very excellent Letter, wherein you observe, it was thought a journey might be of service to your health, I have not time now to make any remarks, only upon this part of your Letter, & warmly would second the motion, & would wish you to set off immediately, without stoping to adjust every preliminary —For if you do, you will see, I fear so many Lions, in the...
My dearly beloved, & only Sister, for the “threefold silken Cord is broken ” To what an unusual Striking, affecting Providence have you been called to witness,—such as my Eyes never beheld—Very pleasant, & lovely through a long series of years, & in Death we may say, they were not divided—Together freed, their Gentle Spirits flew, to Scenes of immortal Bliss, we humbly trust—Thought can pursue...
It is a sad misfortune to dear Connections when their Friends do not love to write—Some I know have not time, & some have not ability, & some foolishly averse—I have not heard from Mr Fosters family, since Abby’s return from Boston.—I wish I knew how my Son likes his new Boarding place—&c—I hope he has not been confined by Rhumatism this winter—& am very sorry Mrs Smith inherits the infirmity...
Your very interesting Letter of last week in which you mention the departure of your dear Caroline, with so much affectionate regret, is a pleasing evidence of her intrinsick worth.—I hope she has comfortably reached her Home, & is seated by her worthy Partner in their own Mansion, kindly welcomed to the arms of a fond Mother, where she may safely repose without fear of molestation, or dread...
To day I re ceived your Letter with its contents all safe, & thank you for your care & for your obliging me with the perusal of your Son’s excellent Letter—I consider every word as Truth —a just representation of the state of our affairs, of which we have little, I believe in our public papers—I have not time to say now what I wish—I shall inclose his letter, for dear you may want it, & the...
Though the Season has returned when the genial warmth of the Sun, invigorated our chilled Blood, yet we find the Cold still presides, & makes me exclaim in the language of a late Poet, Ah! Why, unfeeling Winter? Why still flags thy torpid wing? Fly, melancholy Season, fly And yield the year to Spring. With us the travelling has been very poor, high banks of Snow, & much bear ground—Till this...
Last Tuesday the Horn blew to announce the Departure of the Mail an Hour sooner than the usual Time, which obliged me to break of abrubtly, even without any Signature—Though I suppose you would know from whom it came, by the badness of the writing, & local Circumstances—I find since my last Fall sickness that my hands tremble more than they used— Not received a Letter from you, nor my Cousin,...
Mr Lion and his intended I suppose so , as the modern phrase is, called here last Wednesday—I was very glad to see any one from your house, that could give me any information of my Dear Sisters health & welfare—I told Mary, she I fancied, was going to add one more pair to the Nuptial Circle of your Dometicks—She with down cast smiling simpers, blushed the Affirmative— She talked as if she...
I feel very grateful to my dear Sister, that though surrounded by agreeable, & dear Friends, she did not forget an absent Sister ; but could kindly retire a few moments to enquire after her health, & the welfare of her family, & acquaint her with the state of her own, in which she knew an affectionate relative must ever feel interested— The enfeebling disorder I mentioned to my Sister, left me...
To see Abby Adams’ marriage announced in the public Paper, was at this time, to us a very unexpected Event, as I never heard the least intimation of such an establishment when at Quincy—We were weary of conjectures , till I received your kind letter of last Friday.—But concluded such an early, & sudden marriage must be from a well grounded assurance of the Gentlemans being possessed of a large...
42From Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody to Abigail Smith Adams, March 1812 (Adams Papers)
I have been for several Days waiting, & hoping I should find leisure to write to my Dear Sister, but as each hour brings it indispensible Duties, I hope you will accept of a moment devoted to you, & wish you to excuse the many Imperfections you will necessarily observe, of everything done in a hurry—Last Wednesday Cousin Thomas arrived, walked from Haverhill, & got here about four PM—we were...
With pleasure I congratulate My Dear Brothers & Sister, upon the agreeable prospect they have of seeing an amiable & beloved Grand-duaghter, eligibly settled in a worthy family, & with a Partner who I hope will have sagacity & goodness sufficent to duly estimate her real Excellence. It was said of Miss Caroline, by a Lady, who I presume you will allow to have some skill in determining female...
The excellent Sermon you sent, me was indeed “a cordial to my Heart—” I thank Mr Whitney for the justice he has done to departed excellence, & for his sympathetick remembrace of me, & the absent Relatives—It was my ardent wish to have been present at the mournful Obsequies, but it was not to be—Mr Peabody’s Indisposition, & a number of contingencies prevented—I have been laying plans in my own...
I hope my Dear Sister, will excuse all my bad writing, & every inaccuracy which weekly presents itself to her view—My letters I know must appear in a very shabby ordinary Habit, for I have so little time to afford them even the Ornament of a real dress , that I am almost ashamed to send them.—And if I did not think, that as soon as they reached my beloved Sister, she would throw over them the...
Your kind Letters of Feb. 15th & March 31st lie before me, in which I find are several things unanswered, though I assure you, not unnoticed —Those Covers I have lately sent, you perceive were written in great haste—Though yours to me, however short, are gratifying— Your very flattering, & fanciful Allusion, my Dear Sister, to the two sweet Choristers, was an evidence (I will not say, of want...
I scarcely know when was the last time that I wrote to my Dear Sister, but this I can fully assure you that I have been every Day thinking of you, & yours, & wishing to communicate some of my thoughts to her, who is ever affectionately interested for her Friends; but so many things have intervened, to prevent my writing, that one day after another, has almost imperceptably passed away, “like a...
To tell you that I am exceedingly grieved , to hear that you have been very sick, would be to inform you, of what I am sure you already know. For, when three Sisters love each other, with such sincere affection, the One, does not experience Sorrow, Pain, or affliction of any kind, but the Others Heart wishes to relieve, & vibrates in tender Unison. Like a well organized musical Instrument, one...
your good grandchildren are just gone to repose in the arms of sweet Sleep, soothed by the consciousness of having endeavoured I trust to perform their duty to one of the best of Parents—I was so pleased with their coming to see us, that I could not bear to deprive myself of one moment of their company till they had retired to their bed—And now I embrace one moment, to assure you, of my...
You will now have no occasion to wish for more Snow, if at Quincy you are favoured with as much as we are in Atkinson—I find it adds much to the coldness of the Atmosphere, though it has made it better travelling—I hope I feel grateful to Heaven for preserving us as yet, in so much better health than we had in our family last winter— The spotted fever, I see by the papers, has again commenced...
I know that my Dear Sister, will rejoice to hear that the kind Healer of the sick, has again restored my Health, so far as to enable me to take charge of my domestic affairs, & I hope, render some essential service to the youthful family, which is ever alloted to my care— My attentive faithful Lydia, is fulfilling your Predictions, & has recovered beyond probability, has becomes as...
It has been a cold backward Spring, & Abby could not get abroad as I wished, she has a great deal of pain in her side yet, but I think her feverish habit abates, if her appetite was but good I should be greatly encouraged, & hope she would soon be as well as ever—I am rejoiced to hear Mrs Foster has a Daughter, & comfortable, from what you wrote, I was greatly concerned about her. Mrs Norton &...
The human Pores have been so long obstructed by the late severe Season, & peircing winds of March, that it has occasiond many to be “sick in April”—The want of usual Perspiration, is I believe the Cause of the spotted Fever—The arrows of the “destroying Angel have not as yet, been permited to reach us, though his Shafts have pierced many Families, in the Towns adjacent, as I suppose, the News...
If all the tenderest sympathy of a most affectionate Sister, could soothe your afflicted Breast, sure mine would impart some healing Balm. But though it may have some power to ameliorate, yet, unless aided by divine Consolations, it can have but little efficacy—Thanks be to Heaven, the resources derived from Christianity are open to you, my venerable Brother, & Sister,—& dear bereaved young...
I have often felt thankful that we cannot trace our Geneology to the family of Kill-Joys , but are closely allied to those, who considered every dispensation as the allotment of an alwise Parent, who has permit ted us in this Vale of Tears, to gather every comfort, every incidental circumstance, which may grow into a Blessing, & gratefully enjoy the present moment— While I regret Mr T. Adams’,...
I have been hoping every day since since I got home, that I should have more leisure tomorrow , for writing—But every day brings something to mind, company, & Care—& I am determined not to wait another moment, but immediately let you know that we set out for home, the Friday after I left Quincy, & arrived at Atkinson monday Eve—The Vacation was ended, & I knew I was much wanted in my family—Mr...
The very sudden change of the weather last Sabbath, when I was in a high state of persperation; caused so great opression & hoarseness upon my Lungs, as made me feel quite sick, & detained me in Town a day longer than I intended—As I had not sent to Mr Peabody, I thought best to send to Mr Parker, & go on Bag, & baggage, to our own Door in Atkinson by Wednesday Stage, which was much more...
The Time since I have written to you, I acknowledge is too long for One, whose Heart is deeply interested for all her dear Relatives, whose Memory loves to dwell, & delights to linger , where walk the smiling Virtues, in their most dignified, attractive, & lovely Form.—For several weeks past, I have been examining myself, to know from what Cause I kept Silence.—Though many Pleas were brought...
Has not this long term of rainy weather made you sick? it has almost every body arround us—& I sensibly feel it effects—Poor Norton had a very billious turn, which confined him to his bed a week, & to the House a fortnight—But means have been mercifully blessed for his recovery, though he looks very feeble, & thin of flesh, & more like his Mother than ever—Abby, was taken in the same manner a...
Last week I went to Newburyport to accompany Capt Peabody, when I returned a Letter from my Sister Cranch was handed me, which announced the joyful tidings of the birth of your Grandchild—Most sincerely I congratulate you, & the Parents, who by this circumstance I suppose, are made completely happy—I long to clasp my dear Thomas & Nancys little Bantling to my bosom, I hope it will live, and be...