Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters

Martha Abbot and George W. Abbot to their sister Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 12 August 1848

[From Martha Abbot in Beverly, Massachusetts, to her sister Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch in Tarboro, North Carolina. A few sentences, noted below, were written by Martha and Elizabeth's brother George W. Abbot. She says she attends the Academy; says her sister Ellen went swimming and one of the girls fainted; describes a picnic, with a fire that almost got out of control; describes an incident involving her brother George and a runaway horse-drawn wagon, in which he was injured saving one of the ladies; and talks about the activities of various family members and friends.

Addressed to "Mrs. Joseph H. Bowditch, Tarboro, N. C.," and postmarked "Beverly, Aug."]

Beverly August 12th 1848

My Dear Sister,

As Ma¹ thinks I write well enough now to make my first attempt in letter writing, I thought I would write to you. We are all well at home, hoping this will find you all the same. How I want to see little Georgianna² and Nat.³ Ma says she can't begin to tell you how much she wants to see them.

I go to the Academy, to Mr. Lefavour⁴ as teacher, who used to be one of yours and Georgianna's⁵ schoolmates, for he can hardly refrain from calling me Georgianna. He says I look so much like her. He is a very pleasant man and I like him very much. He has bought the Academy, and is going to have it fitted up.

Mrs. Rantoul⁶ still continues very low. I believe Hannah⁷ is well. We do not see her very often. She is confined to her mother all the time.

Mr. Eben Smith⁸ died very suddenly Sunday morning, not being sick but 14 hours.

Wednesday I sent a letter to John⁹ by the ship Santiago. I wish you had sent your letter so that we could have sent it with ours. I expect that John will be a little surprised when he reads my letter and hears that he is an uncle again. We received a letter from John a few weeks ago, and will enclose it in this thinking that you would like to see it.

Ellen¹⁰ went in a bathing last night and had a very pleasant time. She went with Caroline Leech¹¹ and Augusta Endicott.¹² When they were getting ready to come home Caroline Leech fainted away. I called Capt. Galloup¹³ who was down there with his wife¹⁴ and children. He came up and with the help of Capt. Charles Lovett¹⁵ carried her home.

Capt. Mike Whitney¹⁶ made a tent for the acommodation of the ladies. Before it was finished they threw a sheet over the frame while they were fitting the canvass. In the evening they sent the Irish girls down for the sheet and the silly things carried tent and all right up to the house.

Fred¹⁷ goes to Miss Bridges¹⁸ now and is quite a large boy. He is going a berrying this afternoon with some of his schoolboys.

Ellen¹⁰ stays at home now to help Ma. She is going to school as soon as Ma can get help.

Grandpa¹⁹ is having his house fixed, large windows put in and the house painted. They both are well and send much love.

Mrs. Story²⁰ spent the evening here. She said that she should write you soon. She has Mary,²¹ the little girl that Georgianna had, and says she is very capable for one of her age.

Charles Giddings²² had a very bad ill turn in church last Sunday. It caused a great confusion. He frothed at the mouth very bad, but I see he is out again.

George²³ is still at home. He has gone a berrying with a party of gentleman and ladies, the Fosters and Lovetts I believe. He has not forgotten how to pinch and plague yet.

Eunice is here this summer again. They had a picnic in the feild next to the house. We had a grand time. In the evening we thought we would have some fireworks of our own manufacture, so the boys scraped up all the dead branches and bushes they could find, and set it on fire. It made a very large blaze, but the wind blew the sparks among the trees. They had to put it out. It was so large that the people over to Salem cried fire.

I began my letter Saturday, and here I am again Monday, sitting at the same old desk that you have writen so many letters on. How many things take place within a short time.

Saturday when I wrote you we were all well. I told you that George had gone a berrying with a party of gentleman and ladies in a two horsed wagon. When they had got the horses tackled ready to come home the young lady that was engaged to Horatio Foster,²⁴ who lives in New York and is here making a visit to Mrs. Foster,²⁵ got into the wagon. (But I do not know as you heard that Horatio Foster died in Albany last January, and was brought home here.) She got into the wagon and was sitting on one of the front seats with George, who was standing up holding the reins talking together.

There are two sisters from New York boarding at Mrs. Nourses,²⁶ one married. The one married came up and made an attempt to get into the wagon. George said let me help you. She said Oh no indeed. She stepped up on the shaft and her foot slipped. George dropped the reins to catch her. Her foot struck the horse and that set them a going. George could not keep his balance. He slipped to and held her in one hand, and the other he held on to the pole that goes between the horses.

He hung there with the horses going at full speed as far as from here up to Mrs. Giddings.²⁷ At last he could hold on no longer, and George, thinking that they would both have their brains dashed to pieces, had the presence of mind enough to put his foot against the shaft and gave a spring with her in his arms, which just cleared their heads and breasts from the wheels. One of the wheels passed over his hips, the other over his leg, without touching her. As he knew the wheels must pass over them, so he threw himself over her.

His hips are bruised, the skin is broken on one leg, it took the skin of one side of his c[_____] and the front of his leg, without breaking any bones. The Doctor looked at it yesterday and said it was a very narrow escape, and it was a wonder that he did not break any bones. The horses struck Georges foot and bruised it and tore his shoe. The only injury Mrs. Bunnins received, the horse kicked her foot which bruised it. But George is as bright as a dollar, limping about and whistling, and said he never hugged a girl so tight before in his life. He is in no manner of danger, and we are all thankful that he is no worse.

But I will now tell you about the lady in the wagon. She kept in her seat holding on, saying whoa whoa very calmly. The horses slackened up a little, and she got down upon her knees and reached forward and got the reins which had slipped down in front, and stopped the horses herself. They ran a mile before she stopped them. She said she had been run away with before, and had had instructions how to manage if she was ever run away with again. She behaved very courageously. Quite an adventure.

Ellen¹⁰ and I were taken sick night before last and were a bed all day yesterday. We were taken sick with a severe pain in the stomach, but by mother's good doctrine we are both up today.

[The following few sentences were written by Martha and Elizabeth's brother George.²³]

Yes, I should think so. They eat more pairs & apples than would fatten a common hog.

As Pat²⁸ has just left off, I thought I might just show you my hand writing, for fear that you might think that I had entirely forgotten you, but I calculate I havn't! I had a little adventure Saturday²⁹ but are first rate now, & am going to write a letter to you before I go on the briny deep, if ever I get a chance.

Wednesday we are going to set the monument up in the cemetary.

Martha has told all the news & so I'll knock off, & you can write me as long a letter as you like. As Israel³⁰ is waiting for me I will bid you good by sending his love.

Your aff. bro.,

George W. Abbot

[Now back to Martha writing.]

How wonderful! George has written a line or two to you of his own accord.

Ma says you must kiss Natty³ and Georgianna² a thousand times for her, and says if you lived as near as New York she should come on and see them.

Did you know that Mrs. Libby³¹ has removed from White Hall to New York?

Miss Nancy Wallace³² tells us that Mrs. Pearson³³ has returned, and went to see Mrs. Gould³⁴ when she went through Baltimore, and when she returned.

Mother says I must do up this letter myself, and you must not laugh at it if it is of a three cornered shape, as it is my first attempt.

With love from all to all.

From your affectionate sister Martha E. Abbot

 

Copyright Charles Towne. Usage of this work is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0
Compiler: Charles Towne

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