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...
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...
I am rejoiced to hear that you, & my niece got home safe. Such little excursions are really advantageous to our Health—We require some relief from the same round of cares, & objects. Though I have often found myself fatigued at the time, yet the Friendship & cordiality of my Friends, has proved the balm of Life, & very beneficial to my health & spirits— To your kind enquiries after my Abbys...
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...
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...
A Day since I saw Mrs Harrod & she informed me that you had thoughts of making us a visit, & to take your Daughter Adams, Abigail, Elizabeth, & Thomas, in the Carriage with you—Will not the President do us the favour of a visit—Mr Peabody & I, both wish we had anything in this Town to render it more agreeable—When I lived in Haverhill, we could have company to amuse him more congenial to his...
I this Day by the Mail received your kind letter, & am happy to hear you got Home, with your little Ones well, though I did not expect, or welcome you home in Idea till Monday afternoon—It was so very warm & dusty, that I thought neither you, nor your Horses would like to travel—I told Lydia, that you thought you felt better for your late excursion—“Do write, & ask her to come again” Said She,...
By yesterday mail I received your kind letter. It is indeed a great while since we have heard from each other, I have thought I would write every day, but have not had a moments leisure & I hoped we should be in better health for I did not wish to send you a doleful ditty of our troubles—for every family seems to have as much as they know how to bear—But for this month past we have been very...
Through the protecting hand of a gracious Providence, I am rising from a bed of Sickness, where I have been confined for more than three weeks—Indeed, I did not keep about but a few days after my last letter to you—Lydia was evidently much better her Tongue cleared, & her fever had a proper turn & had got to eating Beef, & drinking wine, but still her Cough hung round, & kept her too weak to...
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...
When you were here, I lent a great Coat, a small one—to Mrs Harrod, to keep of the rain, which she says, she put the next morning into the Carriage—I suppose your Man, forgot to bring it into the house—I thought it was at Mr Harrods, & did not send for it, till the week before I was sick—It has a piece set in behind on the shoulder—If it should be found, please to let it be taken care of—you...
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...
My Dear Sisters, interesting Letters conveyed by the Mail, were gratefully received by their obliged & sympathizing Sister—As I had not written to you for many weeks, I considered your letters as adding Obligations upon me, not to be remiss for the future,—But you knew it was not from want of affection, & though you might not suspect the Truth, yet your Candor, always puts the best...
I thank you My Dear, & revered Brother & Sister, for your repeated attentions to me, & mine. The Cold, & the Snow yet remaining upon the Earth, renders it I fear, very painful & unpleasant Weather for my Son. I hoped to receive a Letter from him before this time, Silence in any one else I should construe as inability, or an increase of Disease. Few Children I believe are half attentive enough...
I have but just received your very Sisterly Letter, by Mrs Adams, handed me this morning. I immediately sat down & wrote to my Son, urged him to adjust his affairs with his Landlady, pay if possible, & thank her for any extra—kindness he has received—& quit her House as soon as convenient—I certainly know he may obtain respectable Boarding, at good Houses, for a less price—A little unconcern,...
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...
I hope my Dear Sister’s Fibres are not so relaxed by the late intense heat of the weather, as not to be able to hold a Pen, & by her communications inform, comfort, & eddify her anxious Sister, & Friends—I was agreeably supprized by receiving two very kind letters from our good Brother Cranch, since my return to Atkinson—They gave me a very gratifying account of our dear Sister’s gradual...
Your Letter my Dear Sister, received a week since, flattered me with the pleasing Prospect of our beloved Sisters recovery— though slowly, & feeble, I trusted she might yet be of great service to her family, by her Presence, & Instruction; but your Intelligence by to Days Mail; has damped my fond Expectations—deeply shaded, & almost erased the pleasures of Hope—The sudden & voilent attack made...
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,...
I received your kind Letters yesterday by mail, & though I ought soon to have expected such an Event, yet I find it has shocked my nerves more than I should have thought—For he had so lately written to me, & his strength of mind appeared so brilliant, & so composed respecting my Sister, that I could not but please myself with the hope that his, life & usefulness might been continued, but it...
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...
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...
At the arrival of the last Mail, I thought I could hear my dear Sister say, “Is there no Letters from Atkinson? I fear some of her Family are sick.”— It has been really so—I have had one of my silent Colds —& my dear Abby, was confined a week after her return from Boston—But we are now both of us much better—I believe, I have what may be called the Rheumatism, or the Creek at the pit of my...
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...
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...
By your Letter I was glad to find it was only the agitation occasioned by extraordinary, & unexpected events which prevented your usual kindness of writing, & not your own; or family’s Sickness—We were brought almost to the depths of dispair respecting Peace, & the sudden assurance of it, was like the blaze of meridian day, without the twilight— My fears now are that, like Jeshuran we shall...
28From 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...
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...
30From Elizabeth Smith Shaw Peabody to Abigail Smith Adams, 5 May 1812 (Adams Papers)
The Calender informs me it is the month of May, my Dear Sister—I should not suppose it, by the warmth of the weather, the budding of the trees, nor the Verdure of the grass—for Lo, the ground is covered with Snow, two, or three Inches thick, & I am almost froven—It is an extraordinary Storm for the Season of the Year—It is not without most fearful apprehensions that I perceive this whole globe...