Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.

Title

Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.

Creator

Post, Mary Robbins

Contributor

Post, Isaac, 1798-1872

Date

1854-12-29

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary Robbins Post to Isaac Post, n.d. Mary gives general observations about life in winter and writes of recent funerals, where she hears Rachel Hicks harshly criticize spiritualism.

Is Part Of

Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Rights

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Identifier

201

Location

Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Transcription

(Page 1)

[Text in top margin, written upside down]
I expect Elias Seaman & Phebe are about ready to make known
intentions we had a visit from the Underhills a day or two ago which
was really pleasant Love to all our friends and write soon to your
                                                        affectionate Mary
[Text below preceding, beginning left of "affectionate Mary"]
and glad your Sarah has improved in health
       and how is Amy is she better too I wish she would write to us and tell all ^about herself^
[Text in left margin, written downward]
I had
[Continues normal below date line of letter]
forgot to say I am nearly as well as usual and our family ^also^
[Continues in top margin just beneath text beginning "I expect Elias"]
except one of our pet cats got burnt sadly shut up in the stove oven when
                                                      the fire was made this morning

[Text normal]
    Dear Brother Sister & household       Westbury 12 mo^th 29
                                    The reply to my letter was duly received
and as I may be sometime before I ^find matter to^ fill a sheet will comm
-ence and whenever I have an idea put it here for you
must know we are very differently circumstanced from your
-selves while you have so much you can scarcely cull from
the profusion of interesting matter we have so little that
it requires care we do not magnify that little into great
importance I have often noticed this difference between
city and country in city a great cause produces a small
effect while in country a small cause produces a great
effect furnishing a topic for conversation at all the friends
in the neighborhood with wonders and guesses of the why
and wherefore of this strange and wonderful phenomenon
The past week has been filled up as very many have been that
have passed away forever in the routine of life in social
intercourse in mingling with others performing the last
office’s of friendship to the departed and in some small
efforts to mitigate the evils of poverty to those less favored
than ourselves It is very hard to be poor especially in the
winter when food clothing and fuel and comfortable shelter
are all so indispensable yet how many there are who
have none of these and ^comparatively^ still struggle on through suffer^ing^
almost intolerable I do not hear of much more destitution
than usual in our neighborhood but there has always been more
or less frequently caused by alcoholic beverages when this is
the case there is a double incentive to labor to do away both
[Continues upward into right margin]
evils

(Page 2)

Joseph L Townsend has gone home was buried last 4^th day went
down very rapidly probably suffered less physically than he would
if it had been more gradual the funeral large Richard Cromwell
& JD Wright gave utterance to much that I would rather not
hear both doctrinally and of a more personal nature I think
it is seldom wise to eulogize the dead and yet how univer
_sal the custom J D W commenced very prettily and spoke for some
little time quite well and I thought he had improved but I
think one go of it would have been sufficent [sic] and much better
than the whole The next day we attended the funeral of John
Hendricksons daughter about 17 yr. old and the second one they
have buried in a few week’s and the babe looks as if it could
not live but a short time Rachel spoke there and like the
others did not please altogether   In speaking of Jesus the atonem^ent^
and so forth she said I have no controversy with any in regard to their
belief on these and kindred subjects but let them beware how
they take any man for a guide either living or dead and
the belief that departed spirits could communicate with
man and that it was through these God communed with
man was the greatest delusion the grand adversary
had ever inflicted on a rational mind and it was
astonishing how many were carried away with it &c &c
and she admonished if there were any present so deluded
as to beleive [sic] this fallacy to pause and examine themselves
ere too late and her heartfelt desire was that they might
immediately with the children of men. That the soul is
in a fixed state &c &c I have wondered if she knew Cousin
Elias believed in progression I was reading one of his sermons

(Page 3)

lately he spoke of this and in clear and decided a mann^er^
as could be that it was without doubt a state of progression
             Thy wish that we could become acquainted with
J [A?] W was responded to and I can rejoice that you have
so many facilities of improvement trying as it is to be
left so far behind but then I remember the one talent
will recive [sic] in proportion if improved the same as the [five?]
   Thy remarks on his simple manner of living were very
true and if it were practicable I was going to say would
be very nice and how much time labor and expense might
be saved and appropriated more wisely causing peace and
happiness where ignorance & vice reign supreme I have
a hope this more rational mode will become univer^sal^
but somehow the cross is very hard and heavy to bear
31 This is a bright beautifully clear morning but cold with
just snow enough to make it look cold and wintry would
that you were here to spend to day and tomorrow with us
the last day of the year how many remenicences [sic] of the past
how many plans and cherished hopes have been blighted
which rise up before the mind in the review of the past
teaching to leave the future and that present is all we
have we are looking for some of my brothers and familys [sic] to
day or tomorrow and have made some preparation for a feast
of the good things and I would be glad if all our loved one’s
could share with us and minister to our spiritual & intelectual [sic]
wants I see there are some familys who have informed
there [sic] friends they shall not spread a table of luxuries for call^ers^
on New Years day but instead offer a plate for contributions
that some of the poor may have a meal to gladen [sic] their hea^rts^

(Page 4)

I think I should not have hesitated telling J R Giddings
the position of things he must know very well the differences
there are among antislavery people and would much rather
they should know the real state of things than be associated
with such a “shab them off” as they did and was it because they
visited you they noticed them so little This is often the case
with narrow sectarian minds we have known this kind of prosc
-ription in years past and still the same spirit is alive and among
some of the most sanctified appearing people, to judge them by their
long visage we might think them far superior to any device of this
kind of injure the reputation of a brother but so it is poor little
devoted Stimuson feels very keenly this treatment he visited us
and told us some of his troubles I told him he need not think any
new things had happened unto him it was what many had known
of before and it had become of small consequence to be judged by
man John Parrish of N Jersey (son of Dr Parrish) a minister came to
NY and his principle [sic] concern was to visit Stimuson ^while his wife visited a sister in Staten Island^ who had been
at his house and corresponded with him well he found friends though
in NY it was not worth while to come up to see him but he was deter
-mined to come then James Haviland offered to accompany him
and took him to Rachel’s as I did not know how to get there on
finding the Branch was the place to stop James insisted on taking
his carpet bag and he would meet him in the afternoon at the depot
but the thought he had better go right back as Stimuson was going
about so much chance if he was at home He was at home and though
John was very sorry he had concented [sic] to go in the afternoon I said
I was in the position of the young prophet who met the old one
and was turned aside by him    Charles Post is complaining this
winter they have been at Westbury more than a week are looking
for them here today Jane Willets of Skaneatelas is on a visit here
have not seen her yet       We have been reading Judge Edmonds
book and find a great amount of beautiful composition and
much that I think is reasonable at least I am glad your
meeting in so much accord with your highest ideas of progress
it is sad to look on the sects generally falling back on the ideas
of the past instead of raising the standard higher and higher but I must stop
                                   and get Joseph to add a portion I do not like monopoly

Tags

Abolitionism; Family; Quakers; Temperance Movement

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Post, Mary Robbins, “Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 23, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/2502.

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