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letters from 1804
11th July, 1804
Dearest Sister,
We have, since the past Friday, been engaged in sorting out some boxes of old correspondence of my Grandmother S------'s, which ought to have commended me to my own duties of letter-writing; but you will forgive my neglect, knowing me as you do, and that I have oft been far more dilatory in my sororal duties!
Of course, the most-anticipated event of this visit has been our Aunt L----'s ball yestereve, but I believe I shall save that account for last (not that anything of very great consequence occurred --)
Friday we called at our Uncle David S------'s house, and had the opportunity to visit with young Mr. Philip S------, and Miss Nikki, and Mrs. R------ and little Miss R------. (And I am obliged to leave their news for later as Aunt and Uncle L---- have arrived, with Cousin Norton who continues as fat and ill-tempered as ever, and the tidings that she expects the rest of our relations to arrive shortly, though I don’t believe our Uncle Paul, in town for the morning on business, is aware of the invitations.)
-- Well, they are all gone away again. Aunt and Uncle L----, Aunt and Uncle B---, Uncle John, Uncle Richard, Uncle Michael, and Cousin Julie – I suppose we shall not see them again 'til Christmas.
As to the tidings from our Uncle David's, young Mr. Phillip is said to be much improved with his studies. Cousin Nikki graced us with her presence only for a few minutes, before going out again with an intimate friend of hers. She reminds me greatly of Miss Lydia Bennet of Miss Austen's novel in her mind and habits. Miss Julie's young man has, at last, procured a divorce from his most ill-suited wife and we have hopes for an entirely respectable settlement in that quarter, at last. As for Mrs. R------ -- we were among the first to hear the news that she is expecting again, and hopes to present little Erica with a brother or sister by the spring. We dined that evening again with Aunt and Uncle B---, and a school friend of Uncle Paul's, a Mr. L------ and his wife, with whom I had not previously been acquainted.
Saturday morning, having heard intelligence that there was to be a fair in the village, Mother and I walked it, and marveled happily at the rusticities of the country people. Meeting Aunt and Uncle B--- there, we soon came up on our O-------- cousins –- while I know that many of our relations would consider it most improper of them to take part in such festivities, I still find them a most merry and pleasant acquaintance, and took the opportunity to purchase some embroidery silks and a most marvelous contraption for the making of decorative cording and braid.
And being in the neighborhood, we took it up on ourselves to call upon our Uncle Michael S------ at the old manor house. I was later given to understand by Uncle Richard that we were shown great favor even to be permitted into the house, much less allowed the library! I think our Uncle Michael S------ would make a most -->
Suitable hero fo a gothic novel, do you not, secluded as he is in that ancient crumbling house with only his books and his studies for consolation, and that spooky dog for company.
The rest of the day was to be spent in preparation for the long-awaited ball, but, having perhaps exerted ourselves too much in the morning, and quite undone by the oppressive heat, our entire household succumbed to the lure of sleep, and awakened with alarms only to hurry to the ball fashionably late: we were neither the earliest nor by any means the latest. As to the ball itself, nothing scandalous or particularly noteworthy occurred to my knowledge; I would follow custom and regale you with a detailed account of the young ladies' dresses and who danced every dance, but I imagine you would be quite as bored by it as I. At any
rate, it is difficult to et excited by romantic prospects at a dance where all of the young men are one's cousins, whom one has known since infancy, or else the established conquests of one's lady cousins! I was only occasionally without a partner, however, and had a most pleasant evening; it was a credit in every way to our Aunt L----'s hospitality. Quite forgetting my station and the proprieties due a young lady, I flattered a second cousin of ours into engaging in a round of billiards with me; he tried, most assiduously and in commendably gentlemanly manner, to let me win, but unfortunately my skill was not equal to the compliment. Later, as the dancing began to quiet, I attempted to raise interest in getting up a rubber of whist; but finding the others even less excited by the prospect than I, passed the remainder of the evening instead in animated conversation with our Cousin O--------, partly, I believe, out of regard for our father. Oh –- and I also had the opportunity to converse with our cousin Katrina's intended, Mr. M----, and found him an altogether upstanding and amiable young man, if perhaps too ruled by his mother. I also had the honor of gaining the acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs. R---, whom I had often heard spoken of as intimate friends of our aunts and uncles, but had not before had the pleasure to know, I found them amiable, animated and polite, and am most glad to have made the connection at last.
Well! This has become a prodigiously long letter! Do not expect such assiduity of me regularly! Today we have been largely engaged in preparation for the journey, as we leave after our early breakfast tomorrow. We are not to visit Mr. and Mrs. M----, having had a letter from Aunt C----- that she continues ill with this child, but Mother intends to take the journey slow regardless, and see as much of the country as possibly – certainly a fifty miles' journey can be more comfortably accomplished in several days than one!
Mother has come in now with a lot of family portraits she found stacked carelessly in a closet, they being duplicates of better quality likenesses already hanging in the gallery, and has determined it to be our duty to sort and dispose of them, our Uncle lacking a lady of his own to do such things -– I do not think we shall show much progress in one night, work as we shall. But Adieu! I am called away. Love & etc,
Sara C-----
Dearest Sister,
We have, since the past Friday, been engaged in sorting out some boxes of old correspondence of my Grandmother S------'s, which ought to have commended me to my own duties of letter-writing; but you will forgive my neglect, knowing me as you do, and that I have oft been far more dilatory in my sororal duties!
Of course, the most-anticipated event of this visit has been our Aunt L----'s ball yestereve, but I believe I shall save that account for last (not that anything of very great consequence occurred --)
Friday we called at our Uncle David S------'s house, and had the opportunity to visit with young Mr. Philip S------, and Miss Nikki, and Mrs. R------ and little Miss R------. (And I am obliged to leave their news for later as Aunt and Uncle L---- have arrived, with Cousin Norton who continues as fat and ill-tempered as ever, and the tidings that she expects the rest of our relations to arrive shortly, though I don’t believe our Uncle Paul, in town for the morning on business, is aware of the invitations.)
-- Well, they are all gone away again. Aunt and Uncle L----, Aunt and Uncle B---, Uncle John, Uncle Richard, Uncle Michael, and Cousin Julie – I suppose we shall not see them again 'til Christmas.
As to the tidings from our Uncle David's, young Mr. Phillip is said to be much improved with his studies. Cousin Nikki graced us with her presence only for a few minutes, before going out again with an intimate friend of hers. She reminds me greatly of Miss Lydia Bennet of Miss Austen's novel in her mind and habits. Miss Julie's young man has, at last, procured a divorce from his most ill-suited wife and we have hopes for an entirely respectable settlement in that quarter, at last. As for Mrs. R------ -- we were among the first to hear the news that she is expecting again, and hopes to present little Erica with a brother or sister by the spring. We dined that evening again with Aunt and Uncle B---, and a school friend of Uncle Paul's, a Mr. L------ and his wife, with whom I had not previously been acquainted.
Saturday morning, having heard intelligence that there was to be a fair in the village, Mother and I walked it, and marveled happily at the rusticities of the country people. Meeting Aunt and Uncle B--- there, we soon came up on our O-------- cousins –- while I know that many of our relations would consider it most improper of them to take part in such festivities, I still find them a most merry and pleasant acquaintance, and took the opportunity to purchase some embroidery silks and a most marvelous contraption for the making of decorative cording and braid.
And being in the neighborhood, we took it up on ourselves to call upon our Uncle Michael S------ at the old manor house. I was later given to understand by Uncle Richard that we were shown great favor even to be permitted into the house, much less allowed the library! I think our Uncle Michael S------ would make a most -->
Suitable hero fo a gothic novel, do you not, secluded as he is in that ancient crumbling house with only his books and his studies for consolation, and that spooky dog for company.
The rest of the day was to be spent in preparation for the long-awaited ball, but, having perhaps exerted ourselves too much in the morning, and quite undone by the oppressive heat, our entire household succumbed to the lure of sleep, and awakened with alarms only to hurry to the ball fashionably late: we were neither the earliest nor by any means the latest. As to the ball itself, nothing scandalous or particularly noteworthy occurred to my knowledge; I would follow custom and regale you with a detailed account of the young ladies' dresses and who danced every dance, but I imagine you would be quite as bored by it as I. At any
rate, it is difficult to et excited by romantic prospects at a dance where all of the young men are one's cousins, whom one has known since infancy, or else the established conquests of one's lady cousins! I was only occasionally without a partner, however, and had a most pleasant evening; it was a credit in every way to our Aunt L----'s hospitality. Quite forgetting my station and the proprieties due a young lady, I flattered a second cousin of ours into engaging in a round of billiards with me; he tried, most assiduously and in commendably gentlemanly manner, to let me win, but unfortunately my skill was not equal to the compliment. Later, as the dancing began to quiet, I attempted to raise interest in getting up a rubber of whist; but finding the others even less excited by the prospect than I, passed the remainder of the evening instead in animated conversation with our Cousin O--------, partly, I believe, out of regard for our father. Oh –- and I also had the opportunity to converse with our cousin Katrina's intended, Mr. M----, and found him an altogether upstanding and amiable young man, if perhaps too ruled by his mother. I also had the honor of gaining the acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs. R---, whom I had often heard spoken of as intimate friends of our aunts and uncles, but had not before had the pleasure to know, I found them amiable, animated and polite, and am most glad to have made the connection at last.
Well! This has become a prodigiously long letter! Do not expect such assiduity of me regularly! Today we have been largely engaged in preparation for the journey, as we leave after our early breakfast tomorrow. We are not to visit Mr. and Mrs. M----, having had a letter from Aunt C----- that she continues ill with this child, but Mother intends to take the journey slow regardless, and see as much of the country as possibly – certainly a fifty miles' journey can be more comfortably accomplished in several days than one!
Mother has come in now with a lot of family portraits she found stacked carelessly in a closet, they being duplicates of better quality likenesses already hanging in the gallery, and has determined it to be our duty to sort and dispose of them, our Uncle lacking a lady of his own to do such things -– I do not think we shall show much progress in one night, work as we shall. But Adieu! I am called away. Love & etc,
Sara C-----