Martha (Abbot) Thorndike to her sister Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 1 August 1865

[From Martha Abbot in Beverly, Massachusetts, to her sister Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch in Yancey Co., North Carolina. She talks about Nat, his release from prison camp, stay in Massachusetts, and heading home to North Carolina; says she and William may be moving to Milwaukee, which they thought would break up the family in Beverly, but that Fred may take a new job in Boston and live in Beverly; notes that Fred has been married to Emily Whiting for two months; talks about Elizabeth Story, all her troubles, and what a wonderful person she is; and talks about the activities of various family members and friends.]

Beverly August 1st 1865

My dear Sister E,

We have written you repeatedly, but with little faith that you would ever see the letter. This one I think there is little doubt but that you will as Nat1 will take charge of it himself. We are happy to return him to you in such good condition, for indeed he was a poor miserable creature when he first came from Prison.2 He says he has some remains of his pains left, but the hot suns of N. Carolina will cure him entirely.

We would like to have him stay with us till we are sure of his getting home without any trouble, but he seems anxious to see you, and as you haven't heard of his whereabouts since last Jany, to relieve your anxiety. I can imagine how unhappy you must have been to have him leave home and not be able to hear from or of him. We heard of his being a prisoner about a month after he was taken, and did every thing we could to get his release, which we succeeded in doing after two months correspondence with different individuals. I will send you by Nat the various letters I have received, as they will be interesting. He has been for the past six weeks at Mrs. Uptons3 in Lynn, where he has been having a very good time.

Nat will tell you all about us and our prospects. That we, I mean Dr. Thorndike4 and myself, propose moving to the West, Milwaukee. He served three years in the Army as Surgeon, and altho' he had settled in Beverly before he left, since he came home he feels that he wants a larger field to work in, and that he has outgrown such a small place as Beverly. It would be my choice of course to remain here, but as Wm says it is best to go, why I shall not say a word.

We had been thinking that our going would be the means of breaking up the family, as Fred5 has been living in New York for nearly ten months. But within a week he has had a fine offer to move back to Boston, with a salary of $1500.00 and other advantages, which I think he will accept. If so, of course he will live in Beverly, and the family will remain together. I believe Nat doesn't know of this as Fred wished it kept quiet till he decided.

Fred has been married nearly two months now to Miss Emily Whiting,6 a family you know. The mother7 was a Lynde and the grandmother8 a sister of Larkin Thorndike9 who was engaged to Abby Pickard.10 She is a nice girl and will make Fred a good wife. I suppose it is hard for you to realize that he is large enough to have a wife, but when you look at Nat who is several inches taller, should think that feeling would vanish.

I have given Nat some photographs for you. Hannah Rantoul11 is grey but looks as she used to.

E. Story12 called as she always does when she comes to Beverly, to hear from you. She is the most wonderful person I ever knew, has seen more trouble and rises above them unlike anyone I ever heard of. She has had nine children13 I think, and has lost all but three. She does her own work of every description and has chronic Rheumatism all the time. Notwithstanding all this she has plenty of time to call upon her friends and to lend a helping hand to the needy. Her last visit to Beverly was to see Rebecca Edwards14 who is dying at her old home with dropsy. Her husband15 has given himself up to drink and neglected her, so that her brothers brought her to Beverly.

Hannah Rantoul keeps home alone at the old homestead.

I think Beverly will have changed very much to you. All the old people are dying off. Mrs. Lovett16 (Sam P.17) died in Jany. 64, and he will marry Emily Howe18 in October. A surprise to every body. All his children have died excepting Wm. Edward19 & Louise,20 and he seems left alone. Betsie21 is here and will keep house in one part of the house with her two boys.22

Charles Lamson23 is at home now, and is the same old six pence.

Capt. Mich. Whitney24 died about a year ago.

No one is left of the Pearson's except George,25 who lives down in the old house which he has thorouly repaired. He married an Episcopalian and is very devout himself. He started a small society here in town, paying most of the expenses himself. It increased so that now, altho' it is less than two years old, they have built and paid for a very pretty church nearly opposite Thorndike St. on land he presented, where the old Wallis House use to be.

I hope ere long the mails will go more regularly and we shall be able to hear from each other oftener. I rec'd your letter of April 28th, and Nat has had one since, enclosing one from his father26 and Ga.27

Give my love to them one and all. I would so like to see you all, but if we go out West I suppose the chances will grow less and less. Now the war is over I hope you will (or at least some of you) find your way to Beverly. We are to drive to Lynn this morning to give this to Nat, as he will start for New York tomorrow. I shall write by mail very soon again, and you must write as often as you can. With love from all to all, with numerous kisses, I remain your

affectionate sister

Martha

  1. Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (1846-1913), Elizabeth's son
  2. He served in the 36th North Carolina Artillery Regiment during the Civil War, was captured during the Union assault on Fort Fisher on 15 January 1865, and sent to Point Lookout Prison Camp in Maryland. His relatives in the north, including presumably Major Henry Pickering Bowditch, leader of one of the Union regiments guarding prisoners at Point Lookout, began working for his release. In particular, James Gould, a close family friend whose wife Eliza was a cousin of Nathaniel's grandfather George Abbot, apparently knew Dorothea Dix, who was then serving as Superintendent of Army Nurses. He appealed to Ms. Dix for help, and she in turn appealed to President Lincoln, who signed an order for his release on 22 March 1865, just three weeks before his assassination.
  3. Helen Maria Bowditch (1814-1889), Joseph Henry Bowditch's sister, Nat's aunt
  4. William H. Thorndike (1835-1887), Martha's husband
  5. Frederick Abbot (1841-1903), Martha and Elizabeth's brother
  6. Emily Lynde Whiting (1843-1928)
  7. Elizabeth Thorndike Lynde (1819-1895)
  8. Nancy Thorndike (1791-aft 1855)
  9. Larkin Thorndike (1797-)
  10. Abigail Davis Pickard (1824-1892). Martha may have this wrong; it's likely that Abby Pickard was engaged to Edward Thorndike, brother of this Larkin Thorndike. The letter by Elizabeth Abbot of 13 Dec 1843 says Abby Pickard was engaged to Edward Thorndike, and that he was age "40 something." Larkin was born in 1797 (would have been 46 in 1843) and Edward in 1801 (42 in 1843).
  11. Hannah Lovett Rantoul (1821-1898)
  12. Elizabeth Bowen Woodberry (1817-1888)
  13. Actually ten.
  14. Rebecca S. Foster (1819-1865)
  15. Abraham Franklin Edwards (1817-1871)
  16. Lucy Lovett (1796-1864)
  17. Samuel Porter Lovett (1796-1880)
  18. Emily H. Howe (1818-1898)
  19. William Edward Lovett (1823-1883)
  20. Louisa Kilham Lovett (1831-1906)
  21. Betsey Lovett Chapman (1818-1891)
  22. Charles Ingersoll Brown (1843-1923) and Henry Waterston Brown (1847-1925)
  23. Charles Elisha Whitney Lamson (1820-1889), former husband of Martha and Elizabeth's sister Georgiana
  24. Michael Whitney (1787-1864)
  25. George Batchelder Pearson (1823-1883)
  26. Joseph Henry Bowditch (1818-1900), Elizabeth's husband
  27. Georgiana Abbot Bowditch (1848-1927), Elizabeth's daughter