Willets, Hannah. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Title

Willets, Hannah. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Creator

Willets, Hannah

Contributor

Post, Amy Kirby, 1802-1889

Date

1826-10-29

Description

Handwritten letter from Hannah Willets to Amy Kirby Post, October 29, 1826.

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

445

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

                   Skaneateles 10^th mo 29^th 1826
                             First day morning
My dear Amy
          A long, long time has flown since last
I wrote thee yet my heart has often yea very often
been with thee, in sweet communion but my
domestic duties and various other causes com-
bined have induced me to delay from time to
time the pleasure of writing thee untill [sic] this late
period and shouldst thou censure me for my neg
ligence I cannot think thee unjust --- just
one week ago today I received [sic] an affectionate
epistle from thee which was indeed grateful
to my feelings and awakened a renewed desire
again to be with thee, which I had fondly hoped
I should have been ere this, but ah! dis-appointment
is the lot of man, yes long ere this I had hoped to
greet thee a welcome visitor at Skaneateles but
I fear all prospect of seeing thee this fall is at
an end for Nature has assumed such a dreary
wintry aspect, that, much as a want to see thee
I could not urge thy setting out, but should
we both live to see another Spring, then oh then
my Amy I trust thou will gratify us so [obliterated]
far as to consent for a while to be an inmate
of our mansion, how often I have thought if
thou wast with me, I should feel no longer
lonely or feel the want of a friend, but perhaps
the right time has not yet come –---
   The death of John Nichols which thou mentioned

(Page 2)

in thy last must have been trying and the man
ner of his death shocking to you, but my friend
if he was prepared to meet his doom I believe
there is no cause of mourning, he seemed to be
almost an isolated being, far from his country
and his friends, and no doubt his affections
were weaned from this transitory scene and
fixed on that which could blunt the arrows of
death and divest the grave of its terror –--
   Mournful was the intelligence of the death
of dear Mary Hicks. lonely oh desolately lonely must
her parents, brother and sisters feel, poor Caroline
how I feel for her. for I believe I can feel –--
          “For I have wept o’er a loved brothers tomb
          And felt what [illegible] from those I loved to part”
though deep and poignant must be her grief I
hope she is enabled to bear her loss with a degree of
composure and reflect that it was in best wisdom
her precious Sister was taken from this sorrowing
[world?] I should have written to her before
this but did not know she had returned
untill [sic] I received thy letter, when thou
sees her give my love affectionately to her and
tell her I intend writing her soon and [oh?]dear
cousin Edmund, there is a void in his breast
which no one now can fill, I thought last
fall when I was at Valentine’s that there was
an attachment between them but how as-
tonishing it is that the family were not ac-
quainted with it, perhaps fear least [sic] it would
not meet the approbation of her parents [inclined?]
them to conceal it, I hope he will not give way
to his grief to [sic] much, but Nature will feel

(Page 3)

and the wounds in his bosom time alone can
cure but yet I trust her image will not soon
be effaced from his remembrance, I should
like to see him but that is at present impos
sible. ------- -------
Second day morning ----- Have just recieved [sic] a letter
from brother Joseph mentioning the death of dear Anna
Willets and her father which was unexpected and truly
affecting, poor Amy Titus is stripped indeed she must
feel almost as though she stood alone, the partner of
her bosom and her only remaining darling daughter
snatched from her almost at one time by death’s
relentless power, have no doubt had an effect to
weigh her to the earth, Nature must appear to her clad
in sables, and all the things of this world I trust have
lost their power to please. Oh may she be ena[bled]
to bow in quiet submission to the will of [obliterated]
who has seen meet to afflict her, and undoubtedly
He will be a support and comfort to her sorrow
ing soul –--- my beloved cousin Amos Willets too
has tasted deeply of a bitter cup he indeed needs
the sympathy of his friends. I feel for him what
no tongue can express, his precious wife was
a lovely woman, to him a fond and faithful
wife and an affectionate mother to her tender
offspring, his loss is a great one, the strongest tie
that bound him to earth is broken, but no
doubt she left a consoling evidence that what
was his loss was her eternal gain –----
It has been very healthy about S.’s the past season
The Typhus & Remittent Fever has prevailed about
Scipio and in some instances proved mortal

(Page 1)

[Text sideways, overlapping original text]

Brother Jacob’s business is yet unsettled, he and Esther are
now in this village preparing to go to House keeping, he expects
to enter a store here as a clerk his troubles have had an effect
to injure his health he looks pale and thin but is mostly pleas
ant and cheerful he has had a great deal to bear but has indeed
manifested real christian fortitude and resignation he has a
sweet disposition and is as well qualified to bear the frown
of his persecutors as any person I know of, --- I expatiate on
the virtues of my dear brother when writing to thee my
dear Amy because I feel as though I was writing to a sister,
they have a sweet babe it begins to walk and is very interesting, I
believe she has been a great comfort to her parents, it seems to
delight them to watch her innocent gambols about the floor and
causes them at times to forget their trouble --- ---- well I have
written so far without saying any thing about the arrival

(Page 2)

[Text sideways, overlapping original text]

of Father and some Long Island friends, they have now been here more
than five weeks and have known something in that time of the
malady called homesickness I hope time will reconcile them to
their new situation, their attachments to L Island and its inhab
itants were strong – and it is not to be thought strange. Grandmother
has been very ill with the dysentery so that her life was despaired
off [sic] but has so far recovered as to be able to walk about and work
a little –---   Mary Ann Baker has returned and I unders-
tand is much better. I feel anxious to see her she is a fine girl
and I believe truly pious, Lydia Mott has remarked that she
few people were better prepared for a sick bed than she was ---
L. P. Mott expects to break up housekeeping in a few weeks to go
to Athens and nurse her cousin Martha [Barnard?] who is
fast declining with the consumption, we shall miss her
very much, she is a lovely woman and an excellent friend
and counsellor to all around her –-----

(Page 3)

[Text sideways, overlapping original text]

Isabella Spalding left us nearly three months ago to prepare
for her marriage which I expect took place the 28^th of this month
Maria Bishop took her place and has remained here since that
time her quarter expires in about two weeks when she expects
to leave as it is not convenient to have a school in the house in
the winter thus my dearest thou sees we are often changing –--
          I have been afflicted with an inflammation in my
eyes for several months. they are occasionally better but the
least cold effects them, one of them is now so sore that it is
difficult to keep it open, and my head aches so exceedingly
that I shall be under the necessity of closing this scrawl with
out much comment and I fancy I heer [sic] the [sic] exclaim ‘tis time
although it consist of many unconnected sentences I hope thou
will have the goodness to overlook all imperfections do write
often and not wait for priva[te]conveyance for I do love to
hear from thee and I will p[rom]ise not to be so negligent again

(Page 4)

[Text in top third of page, upside down]

I intend writing to dear Caroline Hicks in a few
days my eyes are at present so weak that I dont
like to strain them too much please tell her so when
thou sees her, remember me affectionately to
cousin Mary Robbins, I hope ere this she has re-
gained her health she is a sweet girl and
will be a welcome visitor at Skaneateles. tell

[Continues in bottom third of page, upside down]

[Text in center of page, written upward]

                             18 ¾
Amy Kirby
     Jericho
          Long Island

[Text again upside-down, on bottom of page continued from “tell”]

her she must not let her courage fail when
thou gets ready to come, – with dear love to
thyself and all thy fathers [sic] family ^I conclude^ and
subscribe myself thy ever affectionate Hannah
--- I often think it would be delightful to
spend this winter with thee and my precious
sister but it will not be practicable.      H

Tags

Family; Personal

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Willets, Hannah, “Willets, Hannah. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 22, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/2743.

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