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

1865?

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary Robbins Post to Isaac Post, 1865?

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

1465

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

[Text in top margin, written upside down]
-times my letters do look too shabby but I write quite a
number and if I spend much time on
them I cannot so I scribble them off almost uninteigibly [sic]
you must burn them and have them out of sight of others Mary

   Dear All       Time and tide wait for no man was an
old truism and I find it remains so to this present
time and especially so as to answering letters if allowed
to slip away the golden opportunity is lost forever ^like knowledge^ It is only
that this is the case that I have to break away from some
things I would like to do this morning for Martha
like I am busy have been in the orchard to see what I
could find then up on the hill found very little in the
orchard but I had a feast of the beautiful from the hill so
much of rural beauty and with Cowper I could say "Tis
pleasant through the loop holes of retreat To peep at such
a world. To see the stir of the great Babel and not feel the ^crowd^
and watch the animated and joyous life around
a squirrel stop in his gambols a couple of feet from
me looking up in my face with his bright earnest eyes
without apparent fear the birds too some engaged in
teaching the art of flying while others were holding a
grand concert in an old apple tree the cows quietly
grazing every thing seemed harmonious until I un-
-consciously trespassed on some hornets or wasps and
a swelled hand is the result The country is unusually
green and beautiful I think I wrote you of the great
blow we had doing so much damage in places not
generally but how many tornadoes and floods there
have been in various sections and such great loss of
property and many lives too John J Merritt has had

(Page 2)
as you may have seen by the papers another loss &
involving the loss of 3 lives by the falling of the walls
of the buildings in the rear of his house which were just
finished we were there sometime ago they were feeling it was
substantially being built useing [sic] every effort to make it so
had it done by days works   It is being investigated to try
and ascertain the cause of the disaster   Quarterly M
is over no strangers but pretty satisfactory had quite
a share of company Have been expecting our [Truman?]
friends but sickness and death of an old aunt then of a
cousin a most promising young man and the last act one
of Sallies children was sick and I begin to fear we and they will
be disappointed we certainly shall in the length of time visit
We heard through some of our Q M company who came up
on the boat of William & Mary we looked for them but they
came not and sixth day afternoon after our company had
left we went to see and bring them to our house but judge
our disappointment to find them gone It seems to me
they had better tried L I air and all the curatives first
for is not Rochester and Penn more the same than L I perhaps
salt air and bathing might have been efficacious Am sorry
to fid he has not recovered Do write and tell them we
want them to give L I a fair trial a few days will not
do much for [obliterated]te disease of such long standing
we will make them as comfortable as we can and be
right glad to see then I would write myself if I knew
where to direct to them    People are devising ways
to enjoy themselves this summer rather more than

(Page 3)

usual the excitement of war is over and there must
be something I do not allude to our neighborhood but
around N Y and other places there are constant invitations
to join in festivals picnics or something of the kind this week
has been a great camp meeting at Glen Cove in 2 weeks an
-other A company have gone in Schooner to Boston to be
gone 2 weeks or more also cod fishing call at Nantucket
Newport and perhaps other places I will name a few J D Hicks
& wife B D Hicks Joseph Hicks and 2 son's Henry Willets Sarah and
James Anna Titus (J^s betrothed) Joseph Willets wife 2 sisters Carrie
Walters (J H Cock and Stephen Hicks as far as Newport) and
several others about 20 in all    Mary W has been at
Westbury several days expected to go hoe soon
heard somehow she had a letter from Amy
stating Isaac is poorly again (have not heard any
particulars) and you were thinking of making a
visit to Long Island am sorry to hear of his
being poorly and think it may be advisable to
leave his confinement immediately I am sure
he looked as tho he needed some rest when we
were there shall be glad to see you when may
we look? Rachel Hicks and companions leave
tomorrow to resume their visit in Phil Y M
think it will occupy 2 or more months
Mary S Willets is to e married this fall To
to Edmund Seaman and Rachel will wish to
be at home the expectation is he will come
to Rachels to live Jane Willets and granddaughter

(Page 4)

have been making quite a visit Jane thinks
of returning soon The weather is very warm had
a little shower last evening but it is close and hot
and is now pretty dry it has been quite cool and
frequent showers through last month but it seems
like a change Have got through hay and harvest
but South time is coming some have been and
got the black grays I often think and admire the beau
-tiful succession of fruits and flowers and there
is the same in the farmers life a constant rotation
sometimes a little wearisom [sic] but oftentimes it is a
pleasure this year wheat is very poor and potatoes are
also not so that many are carting them as fast as may
be to realize what they can small fruit is abundant
we are having plenty of the Lorton B Berries now
and very fine. Egg plants corn and tomatoes and
also all garden vegetable are plenty
Matilda has had a sore finger her eye has been
sore again but she is better Isaac has a sore
thumb we were there a few days ago he thought
he had a splinter in Joseph pricked it but found
nothing it was very sore and painful and
from the appearance fear it may be a felon
Our love to all at Edmunds I think some of them
might write [obliterate] short letter to us sometimes we
should be so glad to receive it if as to
them to receive a letter as it is to us I think they
would I hoped Joseph would have filled one half
of this as I was not in the spirit of writing but he has gone
to Roslyn and I have scribbled on in great haste I think some-
[Continues in top margin of page 1 with line beginning "-times my letters"]

(Page 5)

I have just been reading an article
on the heat it almost makes me
warmer to think of it in the hot
crowded streets and more unco
-mfortable rooms where the
poor are crammed away is it
any wonder so many die or
are debased by suffering and
wretchedness to almost ^commit^ [comt?]
crime to save themselves from
the present ills Shall we
ever see better times the
tendency is to greater extreme^es^
of wealth and poverty perhaps
universal education will
eaqualize [sic] the relations and
towards another farewell

(Page 6)

I see by the paper to day the
death of Margaret Fox widow of the
late John Fox nearly every day
we see some familiar name among
the long list of strangers whose names
we read with indifference little
thinking how many sad and bereeave^d^
and desolate ones remain whose
only protector may have passed
away and they thrown on the cold
and unfeeling charity of the world
or it may be some rich relative
We see by the paper that Sylvia Howla
-nd who has recently died leaving a
great fortune distributing ^some of^ it to several
institutions one neice [sic] who had had
a million and the use of seveal [sic]
se left her the use of one million
which is not satisfactory she wants
more and has resolved to break
the will engaged lawyers &c

Tags

Agriculture; Civil War; Education; Family; Spiritualism

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/3752.

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