Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters

Martha Abbot to her sister Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 15 June 1849

[From Martha Abbot in Beverly, Massachusetts, to her sister Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch in Tarboro, North Carolina. She talks about how busy her mother is, and how incompetent the Irish girl she hired to help has been; mentions the sea voyages of her brothers John and George; mentions a picnic they had on election day; describes lightning damage to Mr. Safford's house; describes the death of a woman named Chalk, from Salem; talks about Nancy Wallace acting strangely; and talks about the activities of various family members and friends.

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

Beverly June 15th 1849

My Dear Sister,

You see ma¹ has made a Catspaw² of me again. She has been over head and ears in buisness the last three weeks, fixing us summer clothes, and John³ for sea, cleaning house, and all other spring work. She says she has not one moment to call her own, although she has had an Irish woman the last two weeks, who is ten times worse than nobody. She washes the floor up with a broom and does everything else in the same style. Ma is going to send her off tomorrow, and says it will take her one whole month to clean up after her. She is perfectly disgusted with the Irish and is determined not to try another if she kills herself with hard labor.

John has gone to Calcutta in the Ship Orrissa with Capt. Sears⁴ of Boston. We are in hopes he will meet George⁵ in Calcutta. By the way we had a letter from George two weeks ago. He was in Hobart Town and expected to sail from there for Calcutta in July and from there home. He will not be at home till next April. He wrote in very good spirits. He mentioned you and your children in his letter.

Has the cholera reached you yet. We have not seen any accounts of it, but it is crawling along. It has got as far as Boston, and the authorities have ordered all the houses and cellars to be cleansed.

Dancing school is over and we had a ball last Wednesday evening. Tickets were sold at 75 cents each. We had a beautiful time. A great many were there. We broke up at one o'clock.

We talk of having a floral Procession on the fourth of July, and Mr. Lefavour⁶ I believe is going to make an adress.

Dr. Boyden⁷ has lost his son Charles.⁸ He died on his way to California. He died of the cholera. Mr. Warren Prince⁹ and a few others of the same company have returned. Mr. Prince has been attacked twice with the cholera, but is better now.

We are still wearing our winter clothes. Here it is June and we have had but a few warm days. Ma was just saying how cold her feet were. We have had a very cold season.

Saturday June 16th

I now take up my pen to finish my letter.

Grandma¹⁰ was down here a few evening ago. She and Grandpa¹¹ both are very well.

Election day we had a Picnic down in Capt. Endicotts fish house. We chose ten to set the table and they looked beautifully. They were filled with fruit cake, confectionary, and flowers. John Carter¹² and Payson Trask¹³ played on their violins and we had dancing.

While I am writing there is a very heavey thunder shower. The lightning must have struck very near.

E. Story¹⁴ is still absent in the Country.

Ask Nat¹⁵ if his little toe is not tired resting on the chair in the daguerotype. How do the little rogues do? How we want to see them. Fred¹⁶ says tell Nat to come on here next summer so that he can take him out to ride and walk.

Since the above we heard that the lightning struck Mr. Saffords¹⁷ house, damaging a great deal. It caught two umbrellas afire in the front entry, tore the ceiling in four rooms, burnt the walls, broke two panes of glass. The lightning passed over Mary's¹⁸ foot and benumbed it for some time. The lightning came down chimney.

Mr. Joseph Dane Tuck¹⁹ has taken the place of Stephens Baker²⁰ in the Post office. Mr. Stephen Baker is going to set up another store behind the Post Office in his yard for the purpose of writing for People.

There is a lady in Dr. Torreys,²¹ name Chalk²² of Salem, who went to ride with her two sisters up to Wenham. While she was gone she had a fit and they brought her to Dr. Torreys. She is not subject to these ill turns. She did not come off of it again. She died this noon, and they carried he over to Salem. She was in the fit twenty hours. She has left a husband²³ and five children.

Sunday June 17th

I have just returned from church. It was very full. A great many strangers out of town have come to locate here in the summer months. Ma has told you before about Miss Nancy Wallice²⁴ coming in here and talking so strangely. This is the second time she has gone out of meeting just before the sermon because the minister preached to her. Ma thinks that she will eventually get to the Worcester hospital.

Mrs. Thayer²⁵ is wearing deep mourning for he sister Mrs. Rogers,²⁶ who died of the measles. She took them from a servant in the family.

Mrs. Pearsons²⁷ was down here last week. She is very well. Mrs. Libby²⁸ and her children are still here.

Ma says she supposes Sis²⁹ can run about any where by this time, for she is over a year old. Ask Nat if he don remember when he was Sis's age, when Grandma used to carry him out in the garden and sit him down in the alley to play with the gravel stones. Next summer we will show her what gravel stones are, for I don't suppose she ever saw any as you have nothing but sand there.

Israel³⁰ is very attentive to Rosabella Edwards.³¹ Ma says she don't think it will be relished very well by his mother³² and Aunt Susan.³³

Ma says Mr. Lovett³⁴ is still on the anxious bench. He has not got his situation in the Custom house yet.

Ma wants you when you write again to say if Jo Henry³⁵ found a sale for those goods that he carried on with him. Mantellas and Mantels are all the fashion. Visetes are not worn at all.

Mrs. Mackey³⁶ gave all her property to Elsie Odlin.³⁷ She did not give any to Mrs. Gould.³⁸ How much there was Ma does not know.

Mrs. Liefy Homans³⁹ has bought the house that Mrs. Page⁴⁰ lives in, and she is fixing it up nicely, Papering and Painting it all over inside. Mrs. Page will feel quite smart.

Write soon. With love to all from all.

From your affectionate sister,

Martha

 

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

Page created by John Cardinal's Second Site v8.03.