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

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary Robbins Post to Isaac Post, n.d.

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

214

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

                                                Westbury
           Dearly loved Brother Sister &c I have had
you in my mind very much and was feeling as
though I wanted to hold communion with you but
there seemed so many obstacles to any other kind than
the voiceless spiritual intermingling of heart with
heart that I was enjoying the feeling which was
encircling you in a loving embrace when I espie^d^
Catharine writing and found it to be to Jacob I resol
-ved[sic] to employ the few moments which remain to
me before tea in a sisterly greeting As is usual
we are occupied with the cares of life more than
is altogether conducive to happiness and comfort
but for all manage to enjoy a good portion of
real enjoyment our men are at South which is
not very desirable suppose you remember faintly some
of the characteristics pertaining thereto both in the
men’s and womens [sic]department but sufficient to the
day is the evil thereof[1] it is said and so I think som^e^
times Our Mary is sick again and scarcely able to work
at all her throat and mouth are very sore we fear some
thing of the same kind that was in her breast and
what course to advise is more than we know she is at
present doctoring with the Homeopathy Dr but think
she will want to do something more soon Mother
is with us and has ^a^ very lame back she has been quite

(Page 2)

suffering latterly with something like (we think) Erresipelas[2] [sic]
her feet and legs are very much swollen now and are
very uncomfortable she has been talking of coming
here all summer but the right time did not come
their [sic] woman did not suit and we thought it would
be best to discharge her before looking up another in
the interim she might spend the time with us she
did not feel quite like coming as your father was more
poorly but finally thought if she could go over and see
him awhile she would found [sic] him looking quite
more comfortable than she xpected [sic] seemed very glad
to see her but his foot they thought was no better his
eye was sore too Mary R was there but probably you
have heard since we have first day was the last we
heard from him Joseph get home and Oliver Titus gave
him so urgent an invitation to accompany him to Roslyn
to hear Gideon Frost and others speak for Freemont[3] [sic] &c &c
^this evening^
that very unexpectedly he has gone Gideon takes great
interest in the cause as well as many others who
formerly were bound by other party ties They are talking
of having J C Underwood to address a meeting every
fresh outrage enkindles a gleam of light which
in time (if they continue) will show the true
course and the only safe remedy to be a
dissolution of this blood cemented Union which ^event^
is now by every many looked at with such fear as being
(Page 3)

the greatest of evils that could possibly happen I
often wonder how it is possibly that any one possessed of
human hearts which have all been touched by love
or sympathy for the slave could wish to perpetuate
the union even for an hour but so it is how often I
find myself quoting “Oh would some power the gifte gee
us to see ourselves as others see us"[4]&c I think I have not
written since we made a visit at Purchace [sic] the
object or the greatest inducement was to be with G and
C Truman and in it we realised our high anticipation
of it refreshing (amidst so much that always makes
one sad) to dwell for a short season ^tho it be^ with such a
loving and pure spirit as Georges and I feel for
a time quite stimulated to try to become some
what assimilated to all the beautiful attributes
which I admire and love in him We attended
several of his meetings and it required great
self denial to part from them before they left for
Waterloo he was greatly favored to utter radical
truths in many unwilling ears it was evident
there was great prejudice against him scarcely
less than would be felt toward L Mott at the Q M
Eleanor Haviland Isaac and Mary S Lippencot and the redoubt^able^
Richard Cromwell were all present the first day G spoke
first followed immediately by Richard and Mary in a point^d^ [sic]
manner R said no other foundation could be laid by all
(Page 4)

the eloquence and sophistry of man &c &c The next day things
assumed the appearance of concerted action very much
frst [sic] Eleasor[5] then R and Mary in a long sermon and a still
longer prayer both of which had then peculiar bearing
which it needed no prophet to interpret or make clear
after this they manifested their will to break the meeting
but G rose and as he did so Richard spoke. George George
what he wanted G did not enquire stood perhaps 20 m
and it was to me the only preaching we had that day
G forgot to inquire of R after the meeting what he was do[ing?]
which he regretted it seemed to me all must see the diffe
rence between the two but then sectarian partyism is
blind and more are so blind as they who shut out all
reason and humanity- we attended other meeting’s
greatly to our strength and edification made quite
a number of visits among relatives and some friends
called to see J L M who was quite feeble but seemed glad
to see us and said the nearer he came toward the
close of time the more universal he felt his love
to be all sectarian barriers were broken down
&c last tho not least was our visit to S Archer we
had such a welcom [sic] as made us feel quite at home
altho as Uriah Heap said we felt quite “humble"
with such a mind as Stephens they are very
full of boarders and of the upper 10 if we might
judge from appearance through all we had
a delightful visit brightning [sic] up the links
of love and friendship joined and cemented long
ago adding thereto some new and bright which
I trust will never tarnish on earth but we
have learnt by bitter experience much of dissap
-pointment in regard to friendship but I will stop
Sixth day 29 morning I intended to have said a little
more but there seems to be no time Father was
here last night said Uncle J was pretty much
the same the rest as usual mothers
back remains very lame and our girl
is away and we have to do the needful
write soon do not wait so very long
                                with love to all
                                                Mary

[1] From Matthew 6:34.

[2] Erysipelas ???

[3] John C. Fremont ran for president on an anti-slavery platform in 1856.

[4] from Robert Burns “To A Louse”

[5] perhaps Eleazar Wheelock.

Footnotes

[1] From the Bible, Matthew 6:34.

[2] Erysipelas ???

[3] John C. Fremont ran for president on an anti-slavery platform in 1856.

[4] From Robert Burns “To A Louse”

[5] Perhaps Eleazar Wheelock.

Tags

Enslaved people; Family; Medicine; Quakers

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/2515.

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