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Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot (1821-1902)
Hannah Lovett Rantoul (1821-1898)

Elizabeth Blanchard Abbot, the daughter of George Abbot and Nancy Stickney, was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, on 28 February 1821, and moved from there to her husband Joseph Henry Bowditch's home in Tarboro, North Carolina, immediately after their marriage on 2 April 1845. She died on 26 August 1902 in Micaville, North Carolina, at age 81.

Hannah Lovett Rantoul was born in Beverly on 17 June 1821, the daughter of Robert Rantoul and Joanna Lovett. She never married, and died on 1 September 1898 in Beverly.

Elizabeth and Hannah were friends from childhood in Beverly, and Hannah apparently saved and filed all letters she received, no matter how trivial, and usually added a notation giving the name of the writer and the date. Most of these letters and notes were written by Elizabeth to Hannah. A few short letters were written by Elizabeth's sisters Georgiana, Martha, and Ellen, her daughter Georgiana, and her sister-in-law Sarah (Bowditch) Abbot. Also included are two items written by others on the deaths of Elizabeth's sister Georgiana, and uncle Samuel Stickney.

An expanded name index has been created for the letters that includes everyone mentioned in them (other than those who have not been identified). It lists their parents; birth, marriage, and death information (when known); for some people, additional information about them, possibly with links to external web sites; and the dates of the letters mentioning the person. The dates are linked to the transcriptions of the corresponding letters.

The originals are part of the Hannah Rantoul papers (Box 3, Folder 49) at Historic Beverly in Beverly, Massachusetts. Each letter and note has an identifying number added by Historic Beverly. These numbers are noted in the descriptions below as "BHS ID# xxx." The ID numbers range from 948.001.1226 to 948.001.1293, and correspond to the order stored in the folder. They are presented here, however, in chronological order (with undated items placed as best can be determined). This is generally the same as the order in the folder, but not exactly, especially for the shorter notes.

For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that there were three additional items in the folder. One was a single sheet of paper saying "With love to sister Hannah, E.," with a separate notation by Hannah saying "E. B. A. Bowditch, Tarboro, N. C., 1849." (BHS ID# 948.001.1274.) The other two were envelopes. One was for the letter dated 29 December 1891, and is described with the transcription of that letter. The other has an April 1891 postmark, but the corresponding letter is apparently missing. The envelope is addressed to "Miss Hannah Rantoul, Beverly, Mass." and postmarked "Micaville N. C. Apr 22 1891." On the back of the envelope is an additional postmark saying "Beverly, Mass. Apr 26 1891 Rec'd." A separate notation by Hannah says "E. B. Bowditch, Micaville, N. C., Apr 21 1891." (BHS ID# 948.001.1293.)

These letters are generally in good condition. Some include "cross writing", the practice of turning the page 90 degrees and continuing a letter by over-writing earlier text in order to save weight and/or paper. While transcribing these letters, I have attempted to leave the spelling unchanged. Some capitalization and punctuation has been added (or removed), and paragraph breaks have been added at logical places to make reading easier. The originals were generally written without paragraph breaks. In a few cases, some words may be missing, due to tears and holes in the originals. Missing parts are indicated by "[____]" in the text. In addition, indecipherable words are indicated by "[__?__]", and uncertain words by "[?]".

Letters from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch to Hannah Rantoul

The following is a list of the "full-length" letters from Elizabeth to Hannah, briefly describing each letter, with links to a transcription of the letter. All but one of these letters was written between 1836 and 1849; the last was written in 1891. Some were written while Elizabeth was still living in Beverly, some while she was attending school in Baltimore, Maryland, where she lived with James and Eliza (Leach) Gould (Eliza was a cousin of Elizabeth's father George Abbot), and the rest after her move to North Carolina.

Except for people who haven't been identified, everyone mentioned in the letters is identified in the transcriptions using footnotes, with links to the expanded named index containing additional details about each person. Only the first mention of a person in a letter is footnoted; identification of the same person mentioned later in the letter is normally clear from the context.

  • 30 June 1836. Describes an incident in which William M. Whitney was injured in a fall while on the brig Hanover. BHS ID# 948.001.1227. [Transcription]
  • November 1836. Talks about an upcoming dancing school, and the people signed up to attend. BHS ID# 948.001.1226. [Transcription]
  • 10 December 1838. Describes Elizabeth’s trip to Baltimore via New York and Philadelphia, and some of her experiences on the way. BHS ID# 948.001.1228. [Transcription]
  • 26 December 1838. Describes Elizabeth’s initial impressions of the "Southern people" in Baltimore; talks about a potential duel between William Peabody and Mr. Harland "on my account;" and describes an enlightening visit to a nunnery. BHS ID# 948.001.1229. [Transcription]
  • 12 January 1839. Reminisces about Elizabeth's school days in Beverly; asks about mutual friends; mentions gaining weight; and describes her life in Baltimore and her relationship with the Goulds. BHS ID# 948.001.1230. [Transcription]
  • February 1839. Talks about Elizabeth's New Year's Eve, and various activities in Baltimore; describes a trip to Washington, where she met with Pres. Martin Van Buren, and visited the Senate and House, where she heard and/or saw various people including Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Vice-President Richard Johnson; and mentions a knife fight that had occurred in Baltimore. BHS ID# 948.001.1231. [Transcription]
  • 9 March 1839. Describes Elizabeth's relationship with the Goulds; mentions having her portrait done; and talks about Elizabeth Woodberry's engagement to Charles Peabody. BHS ID# 948.001.1232. [Transcription]
  • June 1839. Describes a picnic at Wenham Pond, that was moved to Col. Sheldon's barn due to rain, and lists many of the attendees; mentions but doesn't name a beau; and mentions various activities and mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1233. [Transcription]
  • 7 June 1840. Describes another picnic at Wenham pond; mentions various activities and mutual friends; and describes an incident in which a woman was coerced by her beau into serenading people in Beverly. BHS ID# 948.001.1234. [Transcription]
  • 22 December 1840. Describes an "old bachelor" (a Dr. Skinner) who may be pursuing her; talks more about Elizabeth Woodberry's relationship with Charles Peabody; and describes attending lectures by George Burnap. BHS ID# 948.001.1235. [Transcription]
  • January 1841. Describes a Christmas party Elizabeth attended, and her activities in Baltimore; talks more about the lectures by Mr. Burnap; and mentions and asks about various mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1236. [Transcription]
  • 15 March 1841. Mentions and asks about various mutual friends; talks more about Elizabeth Woodberry's relationship with Charles Peabody; mentions the end of the lecture series by Mr. Burnap, and how he asked her to come see him in his "Sanctum Santorum"; and describes a visit to Baltimore by the Philadelphia Greys. BHS ID# 948.001.1237. [Transcription]
  • 30 April 1845. Notes that she traveled to Tarboro via New York and Baltimore; mentions seeing Elizabeth Woodberry and her (future husband) Isaac Story; gives her first impressions of Tarboro, the people, and Southern life, including the many blacks around her; and describes a circus that was in town. BHS ID# 948.001.1275. [Transcription]
  • 1 July 1845. Mentions and asks about activities and mutual friends; names and describes various new friends in Tarboro; describes a visit to the country; and describes the 4th of July celebration in Tarboro. BHS ID# 948.001.1276. [Transcription]
  • 19 August 1845. Describes another visit to the country, and the common use of tobacco, even among women; talks more about the blacks; mentions a visit to the Tarboro Female Academy; talks about the Black Tongue disease; and mentions and asks about activities and mutual friends. BHS ID#948.001.1277. [Transcription]
  • 27 October 1845. Mentions a trip back home to Beverly "not much more than a month" ago; describes with much amusement witnessing a yearly "muster" required for everyone in the county between 18 and 45; and describes her dislike of mules. BHS ID# 948.001.1278. [Transcription]
  • 14 November 1845. Mentions the mild weather; talks about making a dress with the help of "Laura my little negro girl"; describes the Male Academy in Tarboro, and a wedding she attended; and mentions and asks about activities and mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1279. [Transcription]
  • 6 December 1845. Mentions that she and her husband will soon be moving into their own house; describes the perhaps absent-minded Mr. Brooks of the Male Academy at Tarboro; and talks about a new black cook. BHS ID# 948.001.1280. [Transcription]
  • 27 December 1845. Describes the house she'll soon be moving into; says they had a quiet Christmas; describes the negro holiday time between Christmas and New Years; talks about the upcoming "great change" in her life (her first child); and mentions and asks about activities and mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1281. [Transcription]
  • 26 January 1846. Mentions being in her new house; mentions and asks about activities and mutual friends; describes activities and people in Tarboro; and describes helping/managing negroes in smoking pork. BHS ID# 948.001.1282. [Transcription]
  • 9 June 1846. Describes her new baby; asks Hannah to spend the winter with them (she did not); notes that their neighbors are jail inmates and describes two of them, one a woman with a three-week old infant, and a man who killed his wife; and mentions and asks about mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1283. [Transcription]
  • 23 August 1846. Talks more about her new baby, and notes that her parents were there when he was born; talks about Helen (Stephens) Davis who died on 12 June 1846 in Beverly after giving birth the day before; describes Rufus, a black boy who plays with her son; and mentions and asks about mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1284. [Transcription]
  • 26 October 1846. Talks more about her new son Nathaniel, and notes that they intend that he be educated in New England; says that she plans to spend the following summer, from March to October, in Beverly; and mentions and asks about mutual friends. BHS ID# 948.001.1285. [Transcription]
  • 28 October 1847. Notes that she left Beverly to return to Tarboro a month ago; talks about Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story and the anticipated birth of her first child; describes meeting with a friend Mr. March in New York (presumably on her way home from Beverly), and narrowly avoiding having to talk with Charles Peabody; and describes a wedding she attended in Tarboro. BHS ID# 948.001.1286. [Transcription]
  • 17 May 1848. Describes her grief over the recent deaths in her family, of her father George Abbot in January 1848, her sister Georgiana in childbirth in March 1848, and the family servant Cora in February 1848. BHS ID# 948.001.1287. [Transcription]
  • 21 October 1848. Sympathizes with Hannah over the death of Hannah's mother Joanna (Lovett) Rantoul a month earlier, on 23 Sep 1848; notes that her son Nathaniel had been sick with "White fever" and that they had feared he would die; and describes her new baby Georgiana, born 21 May 1848. BHS ID# 948.001.1288. [Transcription]
  • 4 August 1849. Says that "I dread my visit to Beverly" (due to the changes in her family after the deaths in 1848); describes her children Nathaniel and Georgiana; and talks about the death of Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story's son (Thorndike Marion Story, at age 7 months, 18 days). BHS ID# 948.001.1289. [Transcription]
  • 29 December 1891. Thanks Hannah for remembering her at Christmas; mentions and asks about mutual friends; and talks about her sons Charles and Frederick, and her nephews Paul Thorndike and Abbot McClure. BHS ID# 948.001.1290 (letter) and 948.001.1292 (envelope). [Transcription]

Notes from Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch to Hannah Rantoul

In addition to "full-length" letters listed above, there are many short notes, all but one written between 1840 and 1845 when both Elizabeth and Hannah were living in Beverly. For these, the transcriptions have been combined together instead of being presented individually.

For the most part, these notes deal with things like invitations to get-togethers, requests to borrow something, etc. They provide an insight into what day-to-day life was like for Elizabeth and Hannah in Beverly, but are not as interesting from a family history viewpoint as the longer letters. Exceptions include notes dated 10 August 1841, mentioning the upcoming wedding of Mary Louisa Bridge, and 29 July 1844, telling Hannah that Elizabeth Woodberry has broken her engagement to Charles Peabody.

Notes from Others to Hannah Rantoul

As noted above, the Hannah Rantoul papers at Historic Beverly also include a few short notes written by Elizabeth's sisters Georgiana, Martha, and Ellen, her daughter Georgiana, and her sister-in-law Sarah (Bowditch) Abbot. Links to transcriptions of these notes are listed below.

On the Deaths of Georgiana (Abbot) Lamson and Samuel Stickney

Two other documents in the Hannah Rantoul papers that have also been transcribed are reflections on the deaths of Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch's sister Georgiana, written by Angeline Frink, and her mother's brother Samuel Stickney, from the Boston Musical Education Society.