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

1840-10-26

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary Robbins Post to Isaac Post, October 26, 1840.

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

546

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

                                     Westbury 26^th of 10^th mo 1840
Dear Brother & Sister
                            We arrived home the next day
after leaving you found our family as well as common
Mother we thought seemed a little smarter but since
has been verry [sic] much as before we left gets out to
meeting monthly. Our chrildren [sic] verry [sic] much plased [sic]
to see us, and beleive [sic] friends generally were willing
to see us home. On our arrival we heard H and C Willis
had the fever & ague but on going to see them the day
but one after geting [sic] home found they were taken about
the time we left with the Bilious remittant [sic] fever
had set up but verry [sic] little in time James Haviland
been sick with the same complaint verry [sic] low at one time
under the operation of medicene [sic] from what we could here
although Phebe thought they were unwilling to let
them know the particulars As Henry and C have had no
doctor the Jericho folks particularly V. Hicks & the
Leaman family seem very much disposed to call it [obliterated]
fever and ague, Sister Lydia we found some comp[obliterated]ining
when we got home and has since been growing more
poorly so that now she sets up but verry [sic] little have
had Doctor Mitchel to see her bleed her considable [sic]
they think her much as she was some years ago
On our arrival at N York we had James and Lucretia
Mott arrived the day before and had gone home, John
C Merrit was at our meeting and gave me an invitation
to go to Philidelphia [sic] to attend the free produce meeting
on cons^id^erartion I concluded to accept, found our friends
nearly in usual healh [sic] and our antislavery friends apeard [sic]
verry [sic] glad to see us, Lucretia said I might tell her
friends she was well we had a pleasant visit and
were interested with the meeting although I did not
think that much would be done except to incourage [sic]
one another to individual faithfulness on account
of not finding any body ^with sufficient capital^ willing to undertake they
were trying to get free cotton and have it manerfactur^ed^ [sic]
Lucretia seems to be the same ^pleasant^ woman that she ever was

(Page 2)

Rachel and William got home last 5 day week we
caled [sic] to see Rachel the next day she seemed pleasant
talked some about her viset [sic] I inquired about the couled [sic]
people in canada she seemed to show less concern about
them than before she left home for then she thought
she should take considerable panes [sic] to see them I
believe they had 2 meetings in canada for couled [sic] people
I inquired about them at toronto she appeared to know
but little about them although she was at toronto said
many of them entered the military service, said she
thought they would not concent [sic] to be governed by a
people 3000 miles off always, seemed as though she
would be glad to hear of their througing [sic] off the yoke
of great Britton [sic], Last week was our Quarterly meeting
Henry W Rigway [sic] from N. Jersey and Ruth Spencer from
the north. Henry spok Ruth appeared verry [sic] much concernd [sic]
to have that Isreal [sic] should dwell alone and not be numbered
a mong the nations said a great deal against the popular
assoations [sic] of the day, and then Henry Rigway held forth
on practical Christianity in all its bea^u^ty, and then Ruth
again said a great deal about the twinings of the serpent
that he was the grat [sic] deceiver [sic] twisting and twinging
endeavering [sic] to draw away and decive [sic] the [unwagery?] and
^Rachel^ united and aded [sic] to it, all except H Ridgway [sic] was time
unprofitably spent S thought, but I suppose others would
think different. At the clouse [sic] of the buisness [sic] wile [sic]
^we^ were waiting to here [sic] from the women C Mariot
informed the meeting that friends association would
meet that afternoon at 4ocock [sic], G. White and several
others objected to haveing [sic] the information given in the
meeting thought after meeting would be better
A few of us meet a docoment [sic] was produced and read
answer my some of the objections we here [sic] from friends
against doing any thing, which with a few alterations
was adopted and directed to be printed, what affect
it will have I cannot tell, but as they complain so
much about the report last summer. it is likely this
will also cause some of our opposition friends to find
falt [sic]

(Page 3)

six day H Ridgway spoke first again on the practical duties
of chirstians [sic], after him Rachel Cromwell and Ruth Spence
and them G White in his usual strain against Preast [sic]=
craft said all the preast [sic] both individualy [sic] on collective
=ly from the creation of the world down to the preasent [sic]
time were emesarys [sic] satan that they were doing the
work of their master the David and then spoke
of the associations of the day two of which he would
name the Antislavery and temperance societys [sic]
and the others were of the same kindred, said
the was tired of the ^cant^ stail [sic] hackned [sic] phrase of the tea
totalers [sic] that they would if they could convert all
the properties of the grape that God had given them
so that no intoxicting [sic] drink could be drawn from
them that it was Blasphemy that Paul rekermded [sic]
a little wine for the stomack [sic] sake and that Jesus
turned water into wine, but that the teetotalers
would convert all wine into water if they could
and much more in the same strain, and also that
the antislavery folks say that if they had the power
they would abolish slavery instaly [sic] this hour thereby
presumeing [sic] to^be^ wiseer [sic] than the allmighty [sic] on who
could if consistent with his divine will accomplih [sic]
it at once – Henry Ridgeway [sic] arose again and it seemed
as though their [sic] had been enough said agains [sic] Priest
craft, but their [sic] is three great evils in the world
Priestcraft s^l^avery and intemperence Priestcraft
were the greatest because the priest sustained
and even held slaves that by their office they
were bound to cry against all and every evil
Rachel Hicks to day held forth ^in^ as I think a
laboured commun^i^cation she tried to make it
appear that it was rite [sic] to have laws to inforce [sic]
the observance of the Christian sabbath said it was
to have 1 day in 7 for our servants and beast [sic] to rest
Stephen Rushmore was here this after no one said
he was asshamed [sic] of Parkerism [sic] if this was a sam=
ple, some, I supposed will as in the ^other^ case think it
was every work of it Gospel

(Page 4)

       We were at William Willets last evening it seemes [sic] very
       pleasant to have him home again he says Rachel let
       the condeming [sic] subjects alone very much after leaving
       your monthly meeting untill [sic] they arrived to Ferisburg [sic]
       where she had an appointed meeting for friends only
       and then she had came out and said much against
       friends joining with others said she was no sectarian
       very often which he thought they did not recived [sic] and
they said her saying she was so sectarian did not make her so
       I think William does not swallow the communications
of our opposing friend any better than some of the rest of us
     I expected to have written some to you have just finished a long letter
to our Waterloo friends had company since our return from yM and now
some have gone home and some to rest and the clock is pointing toward
12 all admonish me that there is no time to tell any thing and I
have much to say on many things quite as much as tho we had
[Continues below with line beginning “not visited you”]

[Text in center of page, written upward]
Isaac Post
   Rochester
          NY
Care of EPW

[Text at bottom of page, written upside down]
not visited you so recently Our little girls were exceedingly pleased
with their presents particularly the dolls which are shown to all our
company named them Caroline and Matilda John Ketcham and Phebe
returned from Boston highly pleased with their visit also on Nantucket
there were no friends, from there to yM and ^no minutes to our meeting^ a concern was got up to
address a few lines to them informing them of it and also to say they had
been very felingly [sic] remembered at this time by us. which would have
been well enough but it was taken to [sic] far they were informed as
above and that a great exercise had been felt in this meeting that friend
should keep out of all exciting subjects and that our friend Ruth had
travialed [sic] under this concern and some more in that way but the paper
is full so farewell with love to all your household and gratitud [sic] for the
favours received from you remain your attached relative Mary
love to S Underwood family and B Fish'es particularly do let us hear
from you soon again

Tags

Abolitionism; Medicine; 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/2844.

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