1831.07.19 – Elizabeth Huntington to Edward Huntington, Jul. 19th, 1831

19th cen: Huntington family correspondence

Letter

1831.07.19-Elizabeth-Huntington-to-Edward-Huntington-Jul.-19th-1831Download

Dublin Core

Title

1831.07.19 – Elizabeth Huntington to Edward Huntington, Jul. 19th, 1831

Creator

Elizabeth Whiting Phelps Huntington

Source

Porter-Phelps-Huntington Family Papers (Box 12 Folder 3)
University of Massachusetts Special Collections and University Archives

Date

1831-07-19

Rights

Public Domain

Type

Correspondence

Transcription

Oswego1 July 19th 1831-Tuesday ‘forenoon

Dear Edward,

yours and Mary’s2 of the 11th3 inst. we

received last evening, , for which I thank you and
her, but would especially notice the goodness of
god, in permitting us to hear from our dear
friends4 of [their] safety and comfort-we may &
[might] to say “truly goodness and mercy have
followed us all our days.” “what shall we [torn] …
to the Lord for all his benefits.”5 your father6 moved on westward last Thursday, I informed you in a letter which I sent to [Theophilus]7 -[this] last week-consequently he will not be able to direct you respecting [business]8 till we meet at Auburn9 which by the [hour?] of providence will be next week Thursday. You will perhaps be surprised
to learn, that [I have] been in the British dominion[s]
but strange as it may seem it is really a fact.
Friday evening, Mr. Alvan [Branson10] and his wife called
Here, and in [speaking] of their intention to visit
[Kingston]11 the next day, with a party of their
acquaintances, proposed to Mr. and Mrs. Fisher12 [and] myself to join them. Mr. Fisher kindly offered
to stay and take charge of the family13-and
Mr. [Branson] very politely enjoyed to render all
the attention in his power to Mrs. Fisher and my-
self- in short their united [arguments] added to the
[possibility] that it might be beneficialto my health14 induced me to under take the expedition-accordingly

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at nine o’clock, we went on board the grand steam-boat

Great Britain, with a very heavy gale from the north-
-west which had been blowing all night and had produced a great swell in the lake15-we had sailed ten minutes before we began to grow dizzy, and in a
short time the [carpet] of the cabin was covered with
females [laid] [prostrate]-hastening to relieve their [stomachs] of the breakfast they had just taken. Elizabeth16 and I lay [near] together, and very lovingly sympathized with each other. This scene continued till we entered the river [St.] Lawrence17, when the motion being less violent the sickness began to abate-we arrived at Kingston about four or five o’clock, rather [debilitated] – next day we felt rather [weak] till noon -but after that felt no bad effect from the sickness. At ten in the morning we attended worship at the Roman Catholic Church18-at eleven at the [Scotch] Presbyterian when we were much [gratified] and I hope [instructed] – after dinner 8-9 we I19 attend–ed again at the Scotch church-after which we visited a Sunday school belonging to the American Sunday school union – and principally taught by the [speaker] of [parliament]. On our way back to our [lodgings] we went into the Episcopal church [where] [doors] [were] not yet [closed] – and found it a very handsome building – neatly [furnished], and having also a clock and organ. The rest of the day and evening Elizabeth and I spent in our room – having carried books with us for the occasion-. yesterday morning was rainy and windy, and with the [brave] [spirit] of …… my stomach in [commotion] with the [bare] [anticipa–tion] of our trip home – but as is often the case our [fears] were ground[less] – we had a very pleasant and comfortable time; left Kingston just after twelve, and had turn back

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the satisfaction of meeting Mr. Fisher and the children on the pier a little after [noon]. [There] have we been [preserv–ed] and guarded by the ever watchful care of a kind providence-. I am rather ashamed of this backhand–ed way of writing my letter, but not sensible of the mistake till I turned to begin this page. Mrs. Fisher received a letter from Mrs. Wells20 of Rich–land21 last evening – in which she invites us very cordially to make her a visit; I hardly think however that we shall be able to do it.22 I often wonder what I was made for- and what purpose is to be answered by this journey-and fear I am not in the way of duty- and am almost sure that I have to the [clear] [use] and [exercise] of my reason – much [less] of that faith [&] hope which is the comfort and glory of the Christian. But “[hush] my [complaining] doubting heart.”23 The time draws nigh that you will … to [we] [Whiting] – I shall perhaps think of you at the time – I have tho’t [thought] [he]24 will probably be at home Thursday or Friday – may the Lord be [present] [with] you to [bless] your intercourse – and may we be [permitted] to join you in due time with grateful [obedient] [faith] – This [vacation]25 is [calculated] to awaken our keenest sensibilities may we indulge no feelings inconsistent with a firm and humble trust in the mercy of God.
My health is no [worse], [on] [one] account I think
it is better – [tell] Theophilus he26 must breath
from his bowels; the motion produced in the
stomach by this manner of breathing in very impor-
-tant in [this] [disease] – and from my own experience
I [find] a [propensity] to breath only from the [breast]
Having thus filled up the paper I subscribe [as were] your27
most affectionate mother Elizabeth

Same Page but written sidesways (3rd page):
while reading your letter[s] [last] [evening] Mr. Fisher’s [tears] flowed very freely – he will not
… [forget] this affliction, O that it might yield the
… able fruits of …28

  1. On the southeastern shores of Lake Ontario ↩︎
  2. His wife?
    Probably not, his wife’s name was Helen Maria, but Edward did have a younger sister named Mary (Mary Dwight) so perhaps they wrote letters at the same time or lived near each other and so wrote to their mother together . ↩︎
  3. Their letter that they wrote/sent on the 11th?
    Have letters in the collection sent by Mary (not by Edward) to her mother in 1831. ↩︎
  4. What friends? Edward and Mary’s safety and comfort? ↩︎
  5. Bible passages
    Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days”
    Psalm 116:12 – “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” ↩︎
  6. Dan Huntington: Elizabeth’s husband and Edward and Mary’s father ↩︎
  7. Theophilus?
    Words looked close to that, and Theophilus Parsons Huntington was another of Elizabeth’s sons, and Edward’s brother. ↩︎
  8. Business? What did Edward do?
    They only know that he was a businessman and the editor of the Cabotville Chronicle in 1841. ↩︎
  9. Where is Auburn?
    There is an Auburn, MA just south of Worchester
    and an Auburn NY just north of the finger lakes ↩︎
  10. Mr. Alvan Branson and his wife?
    Couldn’t find any record of a Branson either in the list of family members on the website or in the Genealogy of Hadley Families ↩︎
  11. Where is Kingston?
    There is a Kingston almost directly across Lake Ontario from Oswego which would fit into the letter perfectly ↩︎
  12. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher?
    Most likely Elizabeth’s oldest daughter and her husband (Elizabeth Porter Huntington Fisher and George Fisher) ↩︎
  13. Elizabeth’s family or his family? most likely his family since her youngest child would have been 22, while the Fisher’s had several young children at this time. ↩︎
  14. Was she sick? Seems to be some sort of on going thing she had; not too serious since she lived for another 16ish years after this letter was written ↩︎
  15. What lake? Lake Ontario ↩︎
  16. Elizabeth? Mrs. Fisher (letter writer Elizabeth’s oldest daughter). ↩︎
  17. St. Lawrence River; in New York State; Yes, Kingston is just up the St. Lawrence from Lake Ontario ↩︎
  18. What was her religion at this point? She goes to lots of different churches during this trip; is she trying to decide?
    She had been excommunicated in the 1820’s and was attending the local Unitarian Church, but she had lost a lot socially by being banned from Hadley Church activities. ↩︎
  19. Why only her? And why did she ever think it was everyone? ↩︎
  20. Mrs. Wells?
    Couldn’t find her in any of other documents ↩︎
  21. Where is Richland?
    There’s a Richland, NY just east of Lake Ontario ↩︎
  22. Why won’t they be able to go? ↩︎
  23. Bible passage? What passage?
    Hymn : “Peace, my complaining, doubting heart” Written by Anne Steele. ↩︎
  24. He? Dan Huntington? ↩︎
  25. What vacation? Referring to this tour that she is writing about, yes?
    Visiting their son? ↩︎
  26. Theophilus has the same sickness as Elizabeth? ↩︎
  27. Not quite sure what this whole line means. ↩︎
  28. Not sure what this p.s. is saying but maybe it was Mr. Fisher who gave the advice about the sickness she just talked about. ↩︎