Cadding, Milo Defany. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Title

Cadding, Milo Defany. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Creator

Cadding, Milo Defany

Contributor

Post, Amy Kirby, 1802-1889

Date

1850-02-18

Description

Handwritten letter from Milo Defany Cadding to Amy Kirby Post, February 18, 1850.

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

830

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

[Text in left margin, written upwards]
Cannot spare this broad margin, but I do pity thee
for being called to read such a string of my hieroglyph
ics, & will stop, praying good angels to bless thee & thine.
Ms. Amy Post.    R.-N.Y      Thy friend
                                                                 Milo D. Cadding

[Text normal]
                            Pleasant Hills, 2 Mo. 18, 1850

My friend Amy,
                         As it is pretty certain
that I shall not visit Rochester for some
weeks yet, I use the present opportunity
to chat with thee a little, & perchance
with Isaac too, & friend Sarah: but more
especially with Amy because I wish thee to
answer a few inquiries which will become
apparent in the course of this same letter
And perhaps Amy will recollect her
remarks - "What is the use of having friends
if we cannot use them?"
                          But I am going to tell thee
some of the chat first - And we here had
a first vote two days meeting on the sub
jects of A.S.- The N.Y. state Vigilance Com.
the Underground R.R.-Chaplins Participation
& Health & Water Cure. All brought along
by Hathaway, Chaplin, & Jackson. And
Joseph H. & I feel a little pleased that C. &
J. are now precisely upon the ground we
have stood upon for ten years. The meet-
ings were interesting, and will do good
in each department - but it was all so
new to the people, I mean the practical
propositions, that they were not as well
prepared to take hold of [illegible], as they
will be at another time, perhaps; - some
funds were obtained, but I do not have the
amount.

(Page 2)

    The friends were at Canandaigua last 7th day
P.M. & Father & self were there. A Freesoil
meeting had been called for that day, & so
they all put in together, but Jackson &
Hathaway did most of the talking.
     Wm. R. Smiths folks including Ann Adams,
Joseph's wife were out, our friend Mary
Chapin of East Bloomfield, & Elisabeth Smith
were there. But I only had an opportunity
to speak with Ms. H. & Wm. R.
     My sister [illegible], & friend C. Anna B.
(Dost thou reccollect [sic] my speaking of her?) came
home with us, & they with our people have
all gone visiting, leaving me to keep house
so I got dinner for self & the man threshing,
& for sick sister Mary - & have brought"
my study" as the ministers call it, into the
parlor by the open fire, (it is usually in
the sitting room, which our people have
used as kitchen this winter.) And it consists
of a plain stand & an arm chair without
[markers?] the [A.S.?] being contained in the
stand drawer. There [illegible] if I would des-
cribe this room, and write so thou couldst
read it thou couldst see me here all to
myself writing. I shall not take time to
describe the room, but if you all were
home with me I would give you as good
a treat of grapes as you have had since
the last time. As it is I have eaten a fine
bunch for Amy, & they were good. We
had pic nic dinner at the meeting houses &
we carried some grapes for the [illegible] &
the Edmundson girls whom I forgot to
mention were on hand

(Page 3)

    I commenced to write my Natural Philosophy
on the 15th ult. but get on slowly, as I am
compelled to loose [sic] many days, but have written
enough for about 40 pages. It is not as
difficult as the book for children.
    Tomorrow if nothing hinders I am to go to
Vienna, & thence to [Macedon?] and Farmington to
see about having my plank road dried
early in the spring. and after my return
shall endeavr [sic] to get up a Health Society
in town. I have thought much of the questions
whether I should let alone all other matters
while writing my philosophical series, & conf
fine myself to that, & my pecuniary af-
fairs, or donate a little time occasionally
as demanded on manual objects; & have de
cided to adopt the latter course, for ten
or twelve years is a little too long to
seclude myself from practical actions, &
it will take that length of time to get through
my series of philosophies. But as it would take
too much of my time, to keep sifficiently [sic] post
ed up in regard to Antislavery, Temper-
ance &c. to be able to ply the oars
those departments, & all that pertains to health,
its preservation & restoration, coming directly
in the sphere of my writing it appears
to be the bets [te?] subject I can take upon upon
as useful past time & stimulation.
    Amy wilt thou ask the spirits what
they think of it? I would like sister Harriet's
to answer, or [sanction?]. Also, if my little book
is not considerably better as it is, than what
I did as first indicated?
    Somehow I have a feeling that the Fish &

(Page 4)

Foxes some of them are suspicious of my friend
ship, & of my belief in the spirit communica-
tions. I would like to know. They have no cause
for any such apprehension on either
score

    There is getting to be a good deal of interest
at Canandaigua respecting the Rapping, &
I have several times been told that the girls
would come to C. if any one would bear
their expenses. I should like very much to
have them come there & also here. They
would be sure of good treatment & fine
hospitality. If the girls were willing to come
to either place, it may be that we could get
an opportunity for t^h^em to come by pri-
vate conveyance, if the travelling should con-
tinue good. Otherwise R.R. facilities might
be afforded if people knew it. And if the
spirits should want any public lectures, they
probably know who could accommodate them
   Now Amy if it will not be taxing thee too
much, I shall be much pleased with an early
answer to my questions, & queries, & all other
news, especially that which is of a spiritual
nature. I see by the papers that the spirits are
still alive & spreading themselves.
     What has become of C.C. Bunn, & the
Nineteenth Century? I get no tidings of
either - dost thou.
     Recently I had a visit from an old friend
Miss Mary Wheeler of Mich. She & I are the only
two left from the elite band who used to
make merry together, who are not married, &
a she glories in being a "pleasant old maid" - it did
seem like being transported back 17 years into
the past. We had met but once before in that
                                                             (time.

Tags

Abolitionism; Personal; Spiritualism

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Cadding, Milo Defany, “Cadding, Milo Defany. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 21, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/3121.

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