Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.

Title

Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.

Creator

Post, Mary Robbins

Contributor

Post, Isaac, 1798-1872

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary Robbins Post to Isaac Post, n.d. Mary writes at length of family and friends and also comments on a school fundraising effort she opposes and on antislavery and prison reform.

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

229

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

         Dear Brother & Sister
                                       Your long expected letter came duly to hand and
I should have hasted to answer it were it not that I waited for an oppor
=tunity by E P Willis therefore I put off writing and now I know not whether
I shall make out to write much for I feel almost too much fatigued now
to attempt it being to day [sic] without help we concluded to make a change
but the woman we engaged has disappointed us we went for her last evening
she had gone away on a visit for two weeks whether we shall try to wait in
the patience that long is doubtful Oh this toiling how burdensome it is how
pleasant it would be could we live with less care ^and^ work how they fetter
and bind to the earth all our energies but I will leave this and proceed to
tell you of other matters and things first of all our great disappointment
in not seeing Julia here with Edmund it was most too bad to disappoint so
many but we will hope she will be her in the Spring Sarah too has failed to
come we should have been very glad to have given her a welcom [sic] may we not look
for her before Spring.           The mention of Mary Underwood s being in Rochester
and her intention of accompanying Matthew and Elizabeth to Soway [sic] was quite
astonishing what does it mean? I cannot understand it why she should leave her
mother’s comfortable home in her present tried situation I feel great sympa
-thy for her , how did she seem to be ? was she cheerful ? or sad I fear they may ^all^
regret there [sic] understanding when too late DO give us some information relative to
Mary all that you know __ It is now beautiful weather Indian summer but
very dry last evening we felt quite a shock of an earthquake a loud rumbling noi
se and windows rattled considerably the tremor was very perceptible
We went last 7 day to Richard Albertson’s to see Elizabeth Prior she seems to be
enjoying herself her every much expects to set out for home next week she
read us some of her letter’s from John by which it appeared he thought the time
very long he really seemed to be quite impatient for her to return ___ poor fellow
I was quite sorry for him __ but never mind the doctrine now if troubles and trials
are all for our good    he gave quite an interesting account of Lucretia’s visit
or rather of her communications at several meetings in their vicinity
    I am glad for you that you have got moved it must ^have^ been quite a job it will be
more convenient f or your friends to find you now as well as more handy to the
store William & Mary Edmund & Julia will all rejoice I think to have you so near
them I wish it was near enough for us to step in once and a while and chat away she
twilight hour as Amy and self have done so oft in by gone days

(Page 2)

I laid this down to fold clothe’s [sic] after which I made a neighbourly call at u
John’s then came supper to be got and cleared and now Joseph is sitting here talking
so that I shall make but slow progress Ann [Siters?] has gone to her father’s was poorly
before she went and does not get well yet but is gaining Stephen Willets Sarah
is in Philadelphia attending school Edmund’s family have nearly all been
sick with chills and fever _ are better now Uncle Robert has had 3 poor
turns kind of fits the 2 last no doctor being on hand was not bled
and has got about quite soon Aunt Phebe Post has also had a fainting
or some other kind of fit in meeting fell off her seat was some time or
we got her out she pretty soon came to __ in now as well as usual __
Mother has been exceedingly feeble this Fall she seemed a little better
so that we brought her here last week she staid with us several days
we hope she gained some __ sufferd [sic] very much with pain in her side
breast and shoulder and sickness at the stomach    Ann Lewis s canc^er^
is increasing is becoming quite offensive and so extremely sore she can
scarcely bear any thing [sic] to touch it however she has not suffered so much
as is often the lot of those who have this ever to be dreaded disease
   Well here is quite a catalogue of infirmities our Catharine has had
a severe turn of ear ache last week several of us have been indisposed
with cold’s we find the wet sheet very useful have applied it to
nearly all the family with excellent results Do you apply it?
Joseph has got sleepy he is very tired been gathering corn all day
so I will lay this away for the night and retire to our chamber
hoping to add some more tomorrow this is a gloomy concern so far
but you much excuse it for life is made up of change and I sometimes
think the painful exceeds the joyous but farewell for to night
                    Instead of resuming my pen in the morning as I hoped
it is again evening and I feel too dull to hold much converse with
you to night [sic] Phebe Catharine and Edmund have been with us to day
very pleasantly           Do you know Paulina Wright is to spend the
winter at Sing Sing she will be near enough to our prison friends
to mingle much with them and ^will^ contribute doubtless very much
to their enjoyment I suppose you are not working for the Boston
Fair I am really ashamed not to labor in this way but to work all
alone and ignorantly too discourages me from the attempt I fear
I shall allways [sic] be a slothful servant in antislavery effort __ would
not you like to be in Boston during the Fair I think it ^might^ incite
even me to try to help the cause along Joseph has commenced readin [sic]
aloud so I will lay this aside again

(Page 3)

[Separate Page]

It is now fourth day afternoon and a most lovely one it is oh that we
^could^ spend it together instead of the way I am about to our late visit
seems almost like a dream there is so much unsaid which we
should have said and now I will not attempt to on paper
it is ever thus when with dearly loved ones, I seem to forget
in the joy their presence affords every thing [sic] else after our
return home Joseph remarked “I want to see them now more
than ever” __ you hold so many visitor’s we had very little quiet com =
=munion such as I love when are you coming? while Edward Hicks
was at the quarterly meeting held forth each day 6 day he quoted
this passage for his text Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and
persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely &c __ spoke
on it very feelingly (Joseph said (I was not there) but mingled there
=with the good was considerable which was objectionable ___ but
I suppose some could swallow all let it be as it might
for gospel truth’s ___ Joseph is one appointed to get
money subscribed for the Boarding School he and William T Cook
Joseph has been to his part and not one cent has he got
subscribed I conclude some will think he is the wrong
one but I am right glad if they do not succeed in building
up this sectarian scheme __ there are many good schools
now which need patronage and individuals can manage .
such an institution better than a yearly meeting I was
really disgusted last spring when this subject was before the
meeting with the sectarian seal manifested by some they
seemed to think a school under the care of thair [sic] august body
might almost make the society what it had been __ for the
declension was traced by many mothers to their having
sent their children to other schools where they had lost their
love for the society and its important testimonies __ but
the cause lay’s deeper still and all the schools ill not alone
effect the work home education is needed thus should be instructed
in their duty to their fellow creatures and &c I will not now go on
to enumerate all the particulars in which they should be instructed

(Page 4)

[First paragraph written by Joseph Post to Isaac Post and is transcribed as 230_nd]

    You will have a real patchwork letter and I fear you
will find it uninteresting as it will necessarily be from
us but one good thing it will not cost much you inquired
about Joseph and Ruth we have no very late account from them
they were attending some of the meetings I think in Bucks Joseph
was so unwell he had to lay by after which they went to the shore
where they staid [sic] a week they then turned their faces homeward
but had to return and attend some meeting in Pennsylvania
had to give up getting to the yearly meetings as they hoped when
we parted from them   We expect they are at home a little before
this we have been hopeing [sic] to hear from them but suppose it is not
probable we shall Joseph met with a woman at Flushing from
Trenton an intimate friend of Rush and Rebecca Plumbly he
took a seat by her and commenced conversation relative to
them and made some inquiries about Joseph and Ruth ment
-ioned having been with them out in Western New York she

(Page 5)

said is it possible this is Joseph Post said she had read all
Rebecca’s letters and ^she^ felt quite acquainted after this
                                             Timothy and Isaac have been up the
river as far as Hudson had a number and attended a number
of meetings were gone two weeks come home before Quarterly
meeting they have gone again over to Purchase they had
a satisfactory time Isaac said there seemed to be considerable
prejudice against Timothy in some minds he has spoken excellen
=tly since he got back Rachel has been up to Cornwall Qr Meet
=ing she is faithful in settling the diffrently [sic] or rather triing [sic] to do
it her way ___ we have listened to several remarkable communicat ^ions^
but it is now some weeks since I will just let it go but in the
time of it they were worthy to ^be^ questioned and examined
                     Phebe Johnson is at Isaac’s generally silent Matilda
babe grows finely they fail anxious    William Titus little
Mary is quite sick tho better to day Amy is quite a bell has
considerable company among the number are Benj Albertson
Valentine Hicks Daniel Underhill &c some of whome [sic] are rather
burdensome sometimes I guess    Don’t you want to hear what
great things the English deputation have accomplished I rather
guess it will not amount to much I hope I may be mistaken
           We as well as yourselves are exceedingly interested
in all which relates to Frederick Douglass and others in England
also in the English [corresponder?]. how cheering to Garrison
to receive such tokens of approval from tried friends distant
tho they be I think this generation unworthy of him I often
find myself breathing the desire that his future course may cont
=inue to be “upward and onward untrameled [sic] and free”
           Have you noticed Sydney, remarks are getting up an
Antislavery society in New York the very few they are and
the great amount of proslavery by which they are surrounded
well they commencd [sic] and altho it is said as thy day is so
shall thy strength be yet I greatly fear they will grow weary
but I will not dwell on this “but hope on hope ever” that it may
not be The Third party have been in and ^commenced a^ discussion ^on^ the constitu
tion this will sure to interest some minds

(Page 6)

Sydney will be married soon I expect ___ We better get acquainted
with him the better we like him
I have been up to see Elizabeth Mott quite lately they seem to get along
a great deal better than once she calles [sic] herself very well now ____
                                    affectionately your sister Mary
Love to all dont forget to write

[Text in center of page, written upward]

                     Issac Post

Attention of               Rochester
EP Willis

[Text in bottom left corner, written upwards]
Indelible Ink
Looking Glasses
Black Braid

Tags

Abolitionism; Domestic Servants; Education; Family; Medicine

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/2530.

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