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

1860-10-26

Description

Handwritten letter from William Cooper Nell to Amy Kirby Post. Nell writes to Post about the job he's begun outside of the abolitionist movement.

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

1340

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

                                         Boston Oct 26^th 1860
Dear Friend Amy Post
                                             There are a few
matters mostly personal of which I now
feel liKe communicating in substance to You:
and first I have              at last accepted a
business engagement outside of the antislavery [sic]
office ( a department in Dr Louis’ New
Gymnasium for Ladies and Gentlemen ) and
hence my relations to the scenes and
associations of 20 Years’ past. will ^be^ but
nominal.             You Know how such a
remove must be regretted by me . Yet
So far as I can see the circumstances
Justify me in doing or trying to do
Something to improve my pecuniary
condition._
                      Last Sunday Saml J. May SpoKe
at Music Hall and alluded to its being the
25^th anniversary of the Boston Mob.
     Mr Garrison and Several of the family
were present=      I also on that day
contributed to the Albums of FranKie
and Fannie Garrison      =. writing at the
anti slavery [sic] office and in his BooK

(Page 2)

noting many pertinent reminiscenses.
   In Fannies BooK. I quoted from a
Liberator Letter of mine written at 36
Sophia St Rochester Feb 1852. = and
winding up with the fact of Your
Sarah Hallowell and my influencing
Sallie Holley to Join the New England
Abolitionists = ( which of course is fresh on
Your tablet              of memory.-
              A few weeKs since for the first
time I engaged         in public discussion
in advocacy of Spiritualism in which
as You may readily suppose I secured
attention    by Culling largely from my
Rochester Chapter of experience and
observation = I had Some hard ones
opposed and many who favored
and sympathized = It was a
regular Fraternity Discussion and
accupied [sic] two Evenings. Once in a
while       some of us participate [sic] in
Sitting Circle =        last Sunday Evening
at Louisas with Geo T. Downing
Ira and Louisa     Mrs Oliver and
myself all Spiritualists and had a
Satisfactory time.-

(Page 3)

[Two lines of text aligned upside down along top margin of Page 3, extending across to top margin of Page 2]

You will recieve [sic] a Copy of Dr Louis Monthly / The Institution is a few doors from
                    Wendell . Phillips House .

Harriet Jacobs BooK will be
published in November by
Thayer and Eldridge Title
-    Incidents in a Slave Girls Life
           or Seven Years concealments^ed^
in Slavery (          I . believe ) -

Louise is Yet at Dr Birminghams
doing well.-
                     I suppose You recieved [sic]
a copy of my New YorK Suffrage Pamphlet.
I shall be obliged to pay more than
half the Printers Bill out of my own
pocKet =    Gerrit Smith has subscribed
5 dollars and Saml J. May bought
two hundred.-
                          But I ^have^ done with Public
matters of this Kind at least.
    My experience has been indeed a
          dear bought one. -

                  I wish it was my
good fortune to Spend a few days
with You and the Circle in Rochester
this fall.     But really I dont Know
when that pleasure will be mine.

(Page 4)

when next You write please
tell me news of all.-
                   -
Mr Phillips is Yet feeble -
Francis JacKson has been sicK
for Several WeeKs -
    Mr Garrison is in rather poor
health = does not attend
meetings out of the City -
   Saml May J is also unwell
Spends most of the time at
Leicester.-
              I am myself ordinarily
well. =    and trust this
will find You and all in
exellent [sic] Spiritual and bodily
health.          Please distribute my
love after Your own approved
method and believe me
                 Fraternally Yours William C. Nell

Annotations

William Cooper Nell, an abolitionist and former slave, is writing from Boston to fellow activist, Amy Post. Samuel J. May was a radical reformer, who advocated for women's rights, access to education and the abolition of slavery. William Lloyd Garrison was a radical abolitionist and the editor of the newspaper, the Liberator. Nell refers to the mob of October 21, 1835, when the Boston Female Society announced that the British orator, George Thompson would be addressing their meeting. Pro-slavery forces threatened violence and Garrison spoke in Thompson's place. On the day of the event, a lynch mob formed and tried to drag Garrison away, but he escaped.

Nell refers to the Post family home at 36 Sophia Street in Rochester. Sarah Hallowell was Post's sister. Sallie Holley traveled the anti-slavery lecture circuit with Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone and Sarah Remond. Spiritualists believed that through mediums they could communicate with the dead. George T. Downing was an abolitionist. Louisa was Nell's sister, and Ira refers either to her husband or her son. Wendell Phillips was an abolitionist, Native American advocate and lawyer. Harriet Jacobs was an abolitionist and former slave. Louisa was her daughter. Gerrit Smith was an abolitionist. Francis Jackson was an abolitionist from Boston, who was affiliated with the Boston Vigilance Committee.

Tags

Abolitionism; Family; Spiritualism

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/3627.

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