2024 Valentine's Day Transcribe-A-Thon

No 8

Rockland 2 mo 23rd 1870 Fourth Day Evening.

Dear S, I am afraid this will be a poor return for the pleasure thy letters give us, for I have been "on the go" all day, had no nap, am just through hearing the childrens lessons, and feel generally tired and uninteresting. After closing my letter yesterday aft. and just before I started to [Lynden??], [Sister?], Nancy & Madge walked in. They were very agreeable, and Nancy accepted an invitation to stay all night. I had a little fire made in the front room, as well as in ours and put Henry & Frank over there, Robt. in the Crib, Cornelia with me, and Edith by herself in the Trundle Bed. We had another good night, and a [real?] first rate breakfast at very little after 7.. oclk. Frank went to school & does not seem any the worse for it. After breakfast I [started?] the men over to the Dam and soon followed after but found the ice so "rotten" (inelegant but correct and expressive) and so difficult to land that we only got one load. I find the house is 3/4 full and keeping nicely. This load more than replaces what was melted, and the house is so large that I think we will get through the summer. Alban Gilpin has been very busy all day and will get his house full. He had

a large force at work and pushed it out all around the Dam, wherever he could. I lent him my cart this afternoon. I am sorry it is not better ice.

Cousin George Brooke is quite unwell from cold. Miss [Porce?] and Charles B. went to the "Ball" (in aid of the Brookville Academy) last night, but did not enjoy it much, as some of the Gentlemen (?) got "uproarious" at supper. I went to Mtg. and then home to a good dinner (I mention this, that thy mind may be easy as D our "inner man" (and woman) about which thee is some times anxious), and after dinner at the request of Ana Stabler went to [N. Y.??] to attend the Mtg. in behalf of the Ashton & Bonds Mill Turnpike. About 20 persons were present, and $ 100 subscribed. I took two shares ($50.00) as it is an important road for wheat growers and I have bothered others so much about roads that I had not the moral courage to decline. The time of payment extends through two years. It will require $30,000 and $21,000 are now subscribed, besides about $2000 subscribed in work. They go to Annapolis next week to get a Charter. Warwick and Ben were there, & reported all well. W. said he had sent to Beltsville for Mary. When is Annie coming? I called to see Uncle W^m. who is not very well. He and Aunt Mgt. seemed glad to hear that thee was enjoying thyself. I called at [?Harriet?] & delivered thy messages. Kate seems to think a good deal of thee, as in

I infer from thy letters that thee is having quite as good a time as thee expected. Thee does not say a word about coming home. When does thee expect to return? Father H. goes down tomorrow to return on [??]day, but will be engaged in the evening and cannot get to Alex^a. Will there be room for me? Why do they want to know when I am coming? Will it interfere with M. A's visit? I should like to see her. I am sorry thy teeth are not being attended to. We ought to have written to Dr. D. Has thee heard Mrs. Adams sing? I hope Eliza will invite her round when I come. I like her singing better than Mrs. McC's.

To-morrow will be thy Birth-Day !! I wonder if people that are able to give their wives presents really love them any more than our poor _____s who cannot? How would it feel to be able to hand thee a silk dress or a good watch; or some other thing thee wants and needs? Well! We are not to remain here forever & in a couple of thousand years the dress would be moth eaten and the watch not running. Kindness and [gentle??]ness and consideration however bear fruits that are perennial. May I ever, more and more, be able to lay these upon thy alter on each returning day while spared to enjoy thy true gooodness & womanly worth. Such woman as thee are not found often in this curious world, and such a fine as sainted Mother M. has raised, (??) bless poor human kind. I must leave a time for morning. Goodnight and Pleasant dreams!

24th. The morning dawns beautifully on thy BirthDay, all well and bright. The children have been talking a good deal about thee and are going to celebrate the occasion of being as good as possible. Love from all to all. Affte.

H. C. H.

Post office Defae[?] 8/18 1862

Dear Wife: Got to Washington without delay or accidents & am now attending to office duties, Tho' nothing presing just now & hence I write a few lines.

If thee approves of the enclosed lines to [H??]., give them to him, as I thought it better to be more definite with regard to our proposed plans; so that thee might know more clearly what to expect. I desire to do a fair and liberal part by him, & yet do justice to ourselves.

If [??] Bowen gets here in time, I shall go to Alx^r this afternoon to get a load of furniture, which he will have for $6.25 (4 horse) he paying his own expenses. I hope he will come as I am anxious to get the goods off of my mind. It is a job truly as well as an expense to move new things up, & get it [???] be for more

is bleached up here most beautifully for 50¢ a good deal cheaper than thee can get it done in town - Anna Wetherald does them, I want thee to get me one and & a half yards of the prettiest 12'-4 gingham they have at Taylors. Father says get him a yard & a half of that green vesting, or gingham, or whatever it is, like Edgar Hutchinson had, the one he had in the spring & I wanted thee to get one like it, he says if they have any brown that is as pretty as the green thee may get one pattern of each, Mother says if thee will bring some of our chickens up with thee she will give us some ducks in the fall, for them if they are left - there they will all be stolen, I expect, and I want some fried chicked to eat myself - if thee will not be ready to come before sixth-day we can write again - I think that would be the best way to fix it - father may change his mind & send all the way - by that time. Little Eddy is fast a sleep in the cradle by my side - is improving every day and is very good - it is bed time & I am very tired - so good night says thy faithful loving & affectionate wife Maggie I would have no objection to [Alban's?] sleeping at our house, while thee is up here - he can have Mother Jones's room - that is if thee thinks well of it-

Waterford 6th mo: 5th 1821

Thinking my dear mother would like to have some account of home concerns & home friends. I avail myself of this favourable opportunity to scribble a short letter to inform thee how we are coming on &c &c. I have been very much engaged of course which has kept me from being so lonesome as I should otherwise have been. After she left as we went to work "with all our might and main" and have got thee the house cleaning in the stone building, whitewashing &c except the dining room which we are going to leave until the papering is done, which bye the bye I am apprehensive will not be very soon. But patience is an excellent remedy in such cases and I will endeavour to exercise my small stock of this inestimable virtue in this as well as in mere trying incidents of life. For trials will be mingled in my cup-and begin to feel tired of the world and its fading joys which as a [Syrens?] song have led me "far from the paths of duty and of peace". I find there is nothing but an anchorage on the immovable "flock" that can enable us to withstand even the smallest temptation of the enemy-and I have a secret hope that at no distant period I may find myself established on this foundation.

I feel uncommonly serious this evening and sincerely hope it may not pay off without a salutary effect. I will just remind thee which I think of it to get for me Dilwyn's Reflections. I forgot to set it down in thy memorandum Book and some English quills as have been at a loss to build something to make a pen of and my dear mother will please request cousin A A Miller to send me the "World before the flood" which she borrowed from M Briggs when she has read it. and I will deliver it safe into Deborahs charge when she comes to Waterford which I expect will be in a few weeks from this time. we were sorry to find thee was so poorly after thee left home but hope now thy health is

improving. I have attended to gathering and preserving the first thee spoke of and will attend to the other directions in thy letter as early as it is in my power. Cynthia [Jamary?] has been with me since first day. and I have been visiting a little with her but cannot pay her as much attention as I should wish. please give my love to her sisters and tell them we will take all the care of her we can and they need not look for her in Alex^a till the warm season is over. my love affectionately to our three pairs of cousins. tell Amy [?] I intended to have sent home "Letters from the mountains" but forgot it when the carriage left here. now Mother thee knows how averse I am to my letters being seen. pray do not let a creature look at this. I would write more but it is getting late. and I was up very early and done my baking before breakfast this morning. so I must say farewell. One thing more I have just thought of- I put up cousin [C?] Morgan's telescopes to send and they were left on the table thee may just inform her that she may not think I am going to keep them alltogether. farewell my mother, mayst thou return with the reward of peace is the fervent wish of thy affectionate daughter [?].

Dear Ann When I went to bed last night I told S. Ann to leave a little room for me to write in her letter, but on looking over it I dont think of much to add, the day thou left us I felt a good deal unwell & so much like I was last Summer that it allowed me a little but have been better since & believe I am about my usual state of health now, I have had to use much exercise in day time rather more sometimes than I felt able to bear, at nights I feel lonesome

but now J. Phillips has come home I hope to have some relief in both respects. I would have thee make thyself quite easy about home, & stay untill thy visit is entirely completed, & all done that thou has to do in & about Alex^a. there is one thing that I intended to mention before thee left us, & forgot it which I am most easy to mention now,, if thou should have occasion to speake easy in public, I could wish thee to avoid as much as consistant, doctrinal points, or at least controvertial subjects, for [this?] a day & time when people are looking out for charges against religion & its advocates, & I have allways believed that thy gift was more admonitory then doctrinal, & if so, those might be likely to do more good by keeping to thy own gift, than in any# other line I heard late last evening that Wm Janney was to sett out to Alex^a [this?] morning, by whom I expected to send this, & have been on the look out for him, but have just heard that he has passed by, perhaps whjen I was washing at the Pump, little James is quite well, I dont understand that there is much change in [E?] Chitton's health, since thee left home, or with any of our neighbours. I am affectionately thy [Ana?] Moore

P. S. I could not find out thy address so could not start my letter to thee - last evening thy letter to Mildred was received - so here goes - Noras so glad thee wrote to her. Every thing is well as reported by Robert & William - then hauled turnips yesterday - Frank came in, in the morning is to have a "pitch" party tonight - dont thee wish thee was home.

Go to tea at [name??] with Carrie [Booth??] and Lizzie Smedley - who arrived yesterday and return tomorrow -- I with love in Abundance - Cornelia Remember me to Mr & Mrs Hopkins

[1997,0005,0143]

2021.0006.0003 [?] 2-2 Roger BF to Mary Hallowell -2- 12/13/'61

cause to regret such a step, but should it be otherwise though it would be the greatest trial I was ever subjected to I hope I should not forget to rely upon that all wise and merciful Being who orders all things for the best and whose strong arm is able to protect us from all harm.

[P inserted for readability] Thee said thee wished I had been at Rockland to hear Uncle B, I always enjoy hearing him speak on such matters and also in listening to his preaching because I believe he is good and is sincere in what he sayd. I regret that we are all not more concerned about our future welfare and though I cannot feel that security it is the privilege of some to feel, I think that everything should be subordinate to a preparation for that life which has no end. I am often struck with the little difference it makes how things go in this life which is but a few days at most, so we are making a preparation for the one to come.

[P inserted for readability] Thee said though it was difficult to believe, we would have to believe that the way of the righteous man is the easiest, I have not a doubt but that it is the case for where this confidance is felt the ups or downs of this life are harmless in their effect and our true pleasures are not diminished, as Cowper says,

Religion does not censure or exclude Unnumbered pleasures harmlessly pursued.

It is time for me to stop preaching without I was better than I am for it is said thou must remove the beam from thine own eye that thee mayst see more clearly to take the mote from thy brothers eye.

What will we most likely be doing eight weeks from now, how soon the time will be here. I can hardly realize what is to take place, [Mary's marriage to Willie Brooke] but with all sincerity I wish you a long and happy life and that I may ever remain thy attached cousin,

/s/ R. B. Farquhar

2021.0006. 0003[?]2-1

Lonesome Hollow 9th mo. 23rd 1861

My dearest cousin

I willingly comply with thy request by sending the enclosed letters, believing as I firmly do that it is no idle curiossity that made thee desire to see them, but from a real interest in me which I hope I am not decieved in believing thee feels.

In my communication thee will no doubt discover some of the coldness and indifference which certain laides have attributed to me, but please make some allowances for the circumstances under which I was placed in having no intimation from her in what way I would be received and therefore thinking it best to make no hazardous declarations.

I think I can now see clearly through the whole matter and feel that I owe her a debt of gratitude for so promptly doing what was best for us both, and though I have suffered more than I am able to tell (partly only partly on account of my pride it must be admitted) I believe I have forgiven her from beginning to end, and the only regret I now have is that she may have heard the falsehood that was perpetrated against her as coming from me, upon inquiry I find it has been pretty generally circulated and if it has reached her ears as I fear it has I regret it exceedingly and would gladly sustain the truth and my honour by contradicting it. This like a report I apprised thee of some time ago respecting C S M [written larger than the rest of text] and myself, are right hard to bear with a person of my nature who likes boldly to announce the truth and still percieves the impropriety of doing so, "but to bear is to conquer our fate."

What was the summary of your critacisms upon us gentlemen last evenign after we all left. I ask the question understanding that that is the way you ladies all deal with us poor love enamoured bipeds, we thinking

The gust o' joy, the balm of woe The soul o' life, the heaven below' Is rapture giving woman.

I must admit I felt completely eclipsed last evening, as small lights usually are by larger luminarys. It is a deficiency in my name that I can talk to one person (whether well or not I leave to others to decide) but am entirely dumb if it is necessary for me to participate in a general conversation.

Walter spent part of this evening with us. He seems to be in a very excited state from some cause. I think something will transpire before very long, and I am affraid it is impossible for me to wish him the best success in the undertaking. Please give my best wishes to Carrie* and tell her I hope the loss of her secession charm may not affect her spirits to such a degree as to materially injure her health and especially should this not be the case as it is in such good hands.

As this is the fourth production of mine to but one of thine it is most long enough, but so it is as I have told thee

* presumably Mary's sister Caroline Hallowell