Nell, William Cooper. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Title

Nell, William Cooper. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Creator

Nell, William Cooper

Contributor

Post, Amy Kirby, 1802-1889

Date

1857-08-23

Description

Handwritten letter from William Cooper Nell to Amy Kirby Post. Nell writes to Post about his recent travels in Massachusetts.

Subject

Post, Amy Kirby, b. 1802

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

1172

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

Sunday Evening 9 . O . ClocK _all alone in
                                my Bachelor Sanctum

                                     Boston August 23^d 1857
My Kind Friend
                                 Amy Post .
                                                       I trust You have
not erased my humble name from Your BooK of
remembrance because of my long silence.
    until within the past few days I have
been anticipating a Journey west with
Charles Lenox       Remond touching at Rochester
   but as this has been for the present at least
abandoned. I must if for no other purpose
than to maintain my reputation at 36
Sophia Street pen a few lines preliminary
to more at an early opportunity.
          Just now I am     quite lones ome [sic]
Louisa is at Chelsea Beach with her
Husband, Son and Baby = and I have
but Just returned from a [sic] Eleven days
Visit to Salem where I have enjoyed
myself most capitally I can assure You
    the usual agreeable company there was augmented
by some friends from New YorK and Philadelphia
we went to Lowell Island = Marblehead
Nahant . Danvers antislavery meetings
had blending-Fishing = Bathing = Pic Nics [sic]
Parlor Concerts and other social and mental
                                      recreations –

(Page 2)

Louisa Jacobs is now here on a visit and Harriet
Soon expected from New Bedford - by the bye
the friends of Wm Wells Brown are pained at
what seems to be the degeneracy of his
daughter Josephine = She has lost her good
name =   please ( as I Know You will ) make Judicious
use of this     which     I am afraid is more than
idle rumor.               He has appreciated much money
and devotion upon his daughters and I grieve
for his feelings = but She may Yet redeem
    herself = -I fondly trust I shall have the Joyful
news to communicate in an early letter-
       At an antislavery [sic] Picnic recently . Charles
Remond and myself had a pleasant Rochester
Chat with ( Miss Money ) if that is or was the
name = a Lady whom I met at Sarah
Burtis on the first occasion of my meeting with
the Ladies Sewing Circle = the old guard -
      She gave us a polite information ^invitation^ to call upon
her in Boston and I intend soon doing so
             I wish I could learn something
definite from Benjamin and FranK
they are so very negligent in writing
I Know not whether good or bad or
indifference, lucK or merely procrastination
may be the cause . but I am very
anxious to hear from them-

(Page 3)

The fact that the New Organized Womens anti Slavery [sic]
Society in Rochester have secured Rev Geo B. Cheever
to lecture for them induces my belief that some one [sic]
among them wears Julia Griffiths mantle .
when is she to return from Europe      ?
           Mr Garrison abandoned his Western tour
in consequence of his Aunts severe and protracted
illness . =                He Labors hard though = ever
faithful and earnest -
           Susan B. Anthony is highly appreciated
by the friends here =     She is an excellent
Agent =      I am rejoiced that her heart
is so engaged    =       You speaK of Andrew
Jackson Davis and wife. they were here
some weeKs since and I listened with much
interest to his . conversation with Mr Garrison
                         Dorcas Collins last letters
speaK of Phebes prospective recovery
     Poor Girl.        how She has suffered = I trust
She will Soon be free from Doctors and
Continue well = She certainly will revel in
Such a change transition -
                           Abby and Husband are in
Kansas : = in that region where King Slavery is
anticipating a triumph . and it really looKs
as though he had not counted without his
host = = .      I presume Abby will bear
a faithful anti slavery [sic] testimony -

(Page 4)

How I do wish for the opportunity of
often meeting my choice friends in Rochester
I want a long free and easy talK with
the entire Circle = I want to See Jacob
and his Wife =        Sarah and Mary Hallowell
I never can forget the former was my
room mate [sic] and the two latter Very
instrumental in securing my sojourn at
36 Sophia Street
                                    To Isaac William
Edmund     Joe = Sarah Birney .Mary Johnson
Mary PitKin = Willie . Post = the Burtis .
Anthonys .      Fishes . De Garmos . are all
      Murrays – V= ^Lucy Colman -Giles & Catherine^ are all remembered with
them
                             This is indeed a poor
     apology for Your interesting letter
     but I will try to do better next
    time .     in the meanwhile

Monday Noon ^21 Cornhill^         I am Truly Your
Mr Foss is now in the office
expecting to be at
Rochester                             Obliged and Grateful Friend
Sunday next
tho [sic] he may be                                      Wm C. Nell
    disappointed

Annotations

William Cooper Nell, an abolitionist and former slave, is writing from Boston to fellow activist, Amy Post. Charles Lenox Remond was a lecturer and abolitionist. Nell refers to the Post family home at 36 Sophia Street in Rochester. Louisa was one of Nell's sisters. Louisa Jacobs was abolitionist and former slave, Harriet Jacobs's daughter. William Wells Brown was an abolitionist, lecturer, novelist, playwright and historian. He was born a slave, and escaped to the North in 1834, where he wrote the first novel by an African American- titled Clotel. Sarah Burtis was woman's rights activist, Susan B. Anthony's cousin. Frances and Benjamin were Nell's sister and brother-in-law. Julia Griffith was a British abolitionist, who supported Frederick Douglass's newspaper, the North Star. William Lloyd Garrison was a radical abolitionist and published a newspaper, the Liberator. Andrew Jackson Davis was a Spiritualist healer. Spiritualists believed that through mediums they could communicate with the dead. Jacob, Joseph and Willie were Post's sons. William Hallowell was Post's son-in-law. Edmund Willis was Post's brother-in-law. Mary Johnson was an African American woman who lived with the Post family for a period. Mary Pitkin took care of Willie. The Anthony, Fish, De Garmo, Murray families were all abolitionists in the Rochester area. Lucy Coleman and Giles and Catherine Stebbins were also abolitionists. Andrew T. Foss was an abolitionist lecturer for the Massachusetts Anti- Slavery Society.

Tags

Abolitionism; Personal

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Nell, William Cooper, “Nell, William Cooper. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 23, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/3462.

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