Nicholson, Valentine. Letter to Isaac Post.

Title

Nicholson, Valentine. Letter to Isaac Post.

Creator

Nicholson, Valentine

Contributor

Post, Isaac, 1798-1872

Date

1849-12-16

Description

Handwritten letter from Valentine Nicholson to Isaac Post, December 16, 1849. Nicholson, in an unsolicited letter, writes of his interest in antislavery, reform and spiritualism and asks for answers from the spirits to questions about his family life.

Subject

Slavery, abolition, and emancipation

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

771

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

[Text in left margin, written upwards]
                                                                       name is Ruth W Nicholson
Perhaps some of these might be in simpathy [sic] with us tho they may not yet
                                                                                                                    be
                                                                                                                    as well
                                                                                                                    informed
                                                                                                                    as some
                                                                                                                        others

[Text normal]
                             Harverysburgh Warren County Ohio
                                             12^th mo 16^th 1849

Isaac & Amy Post
                                     Beloved friends the deep intrest [sic] which
I feel in the welfare of our great Family of Mankind must
be my apology for this tax upon your precious time
       I have for several years (I might say from my
days of early childhood to the present hour) felt a deep
intrest [sic] the reforms of our times I have been a very
attentive reader of Antislavery papers have done what
I could to sustain them and extend their circulation
I have for several of the last years been much interested
in the investigations going on relative to spiritual
or internal philosophy I have read Davis's book-
I have read the Univercoclum - I have watched with
deep intrest [sic] everything which has come in to print
relative to the phenomina [sic] which has been going
on in your part of the country in this matter of
spiritual communication with the natural or external
world - It seem easy and natural for me to believe
these things - I am pained to the heart at every
coarse and vulgar remark which I see or hear made
in relation to the subject - I did not lik [sic] the
remarks of Dick in the North Star - I almost
wonder the Angels were willing to come in such close
contrast with the skeptical multitude - I simpathize [sic]
deeply with those girls whom the Angels seem
to have chosen as the connecting links between the
two worlds "Blessed are they among women" - I have been

(Page 2)

           induced to write to you by having recently
      conversed with our mutual friend Joseph A. Dugdale
I learn from Joseph that our guardeen [sic] angels seem
to manifest a wilingness [sic] to impart instruction and
give us salutary and wholesome advice (or at least
to give this some persons) touching some things pertaining
to what would be the most usefull [sic] occupations and
stations for certain individuals to be permanently
engaged in - Now if I have not "sined [sic] away my day of
grace" so far as to care to be considered worthy I
should like to have answers to a few questions - I
was a few years ago very enthusiastic in trying to help
establish an association or community my Wife
was not so enthusiastic but cheerfully consented and
we lost a good portion of our property in the
experiment - I have never lost the hope of our
succeeding sometime in the future of becoming united
with or somehow situated near more congenial
neighbors than now surround us - My Wife has
not this hope and is quite anxious for us to
purchase a farm which belongs to her Mother
There are some very peculiar circumstances connected
with the and particularly with my wifes Mother and
with the farm she owns which I have no doubt
the spirits can reveal to you) if it is worth while)
I am in some perplexity to know what is right
for us to do under the circumstances - could the
kind spirits answer the following questions

(Page 3)

           Would it be right for us to purchase that farm
        _
      If not is it best to wrent [sic] it
    _
     Had I better settle for life in this neighborhood
_
Had I better depend on farming for a living
or had I better work at the tiners [sic] trade
_
Would it be posible [sic] for any to have such
spiritual intercourse in this part of the country
-
(and if so) When - How & by Whom
_
            In love & remains your friend

                                        Valentine Nicholson

[Text below is written by Joseph Dugdale and transcribed as letter 772]

(Page 4)

[Text at top of page is written by Joseph Dugdale and transcribed as letter 772]

You need
not think I
can answer
every test
question I
did not se
y [sic] yew [sic] could
come here
to have
your test
question ans
swrd [sic] a

[Text in center of page, written upward]
                             paid 10

        Isaac Post
          Rochester Newyork [sic]

[Text in center of page, left to right]
Harveysburg O
               Dec 15

[Text on bottom of page written by Joseph Dugdale and transcribed as letter 772]

[Text along right margin, written upwards]
                    PS - I presume it is hardly needfull [sic]
                    for me to refer you to names of the departed
             my father was Daniel Nicholson - my Mother was
Elizabeth Nicholson - my wifes father was IsaacWales - she has too very
a sweet spirited daughter also there her
[Text continues over centerfold into left margin of Page 1 with line beginning "name is Ruth"]

Tags

Abolitionism; Spiritualism

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Nicholson, Valentine, “Nicholson, Valentine. Letter to Isaac Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 23, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/3062.

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