Abbot/Bowditch Family Letters

Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch, 3 August 1877

[From Elizabeth (Woodberry) Story in Somerville, Massachusetts, to Elizabeth (Abbot) Bowditch. She says she received Elizabeth's letter, and laments the years in which they weren't in touch; talks about her flowers, house, and garden; mentions pictures of Elizabeth's sons that she sent, sends one of her son Isaac Marion, and talks about him and his activities; describes a visit to Chelsea; and talks about religious matters.]

Somerville Aug 3d 1877

My Dear Sister Lizzie,

Your letter I received soon after I sent my last, written I think on May 28. I hope you got that. It seemed so good to hear from you. How foolish we have been to deprive ourselves of so much pleasure for so many years. However we must not regret circumstances, numerous cares & busy lives, must be some excuse for us. Let us see to it that we improve the little future that is left to us, and let us thank God that He did not give us ceaseless cause for regret by calling one of us from earth. Notwithstanding I did not write, I often thought of it, & thought too, what if she should die & I never hear from her, or she know how dear she still is to me. I felt that I never could forgive myself if such a thing should happen, but thank God it did not. He is better to us all the time than we deserve. We are too apt to forget Him, but He never forgets us.

The day after I got your letter my husband¹ brought me in the first rose of the summer. How it remined me of you, of the time I used to bring you down blush rose buds & lillies of the valley. I like them now as much as I did then. Now they are not only beautiful & sweet in themselves, but they have such pleasant associations for me. I take just as much pleasure in carrying a few buds or a bunch of lillies of the valley to a friend now, as I did then. So you see I have kept something yet of the freshness of youth. Are you fond of flowers; & do you have many, & what kinds are they?

I wish I could picture our house and garden to you as they look now. The one overgrown with vines & accasia trees, the other full of flowers, fruit trees, & vegetables. We have pears & peaches & grapes for the fall & just now the blackberries are coming on. We shall have a great abundance in another week. Since I have been writing a sick friend sent in for some. I wish I could send you some. They are so large & nice. Our place has improved (grown up) very much since Georgianna² was here.

Why do I fill my letter with these little things? Because I want to make you see me in my every day life. I wish I could see you so. Tell me about your surroundings. Ga.² told me somewhat of your indoor life, but I want to know more. I want to be able to picture you & your home.

I was glad you sent me your boys pictures. I will send you mine, one at a time, as that will be safer. I will begin with the youngest, Isaac Marion.³ He is 22 last April, the tallest boy I have, slight & dark complextioned like his father. None of my boys look alike, although in little things as voice & movements we sometimes detect resemblances. Isaac has not yet finished his studies, has one year more to pass through & then we hope will come out a Civil Engineer. He has belonged to the Baptist church over 3 years. He is very popular among his mates, although rather retiring. He is president of the Young Peoples Missionary & Literary Society. They carry on a prayer meeting every week; a social meeting for business, literary exercises, & a good time once a fortnight; occasionally have concerts, entertainments, ice cream or strawberry festivals by which they raise money to carry on their missionary work, clothing & helping the needy in our congregation & Sunday School. Perhaps you won't care about all this, but I feel as if you must care about all that interest me & I want you to write me so that I shall know all that interest you from day to day.

I have a very busy life as you will find from my letters as you get them. I have many duties and cares & interest outside of my own family.

Do you remember Herbert Presby?⁴ I went yesterday afternoon to Chelsea to see his sister Susan.⁵ She is Mrs. Savory now. Had a pleasant visit & came home alone in the Horse Cars from Chelsea to Boston & from Boston to Som. Got home at half past 9 in evening and found I had, or rather Isaac¹ had had, two ladies from Boston to tea with him. The day before I had three ladies here all the afternoon, but only one stoped to tea. I think we average company to tea two or three times a week and I go out a good deal too. This spring when I made up a list where I ought to call or visit there were more than a hundred names on it. I have not got half through yet, but I hope to before warm weather is over. I can't go out much in winter.

I hope dear Lizzy you have learned to give up every care & trouble to Jesus. I know many who, while they know Him & believe in Him, carry most of the burdens of life themselves, & go bowed down & discouraged when it might be so different with them, when they might, as He tells them, cast all their burdens on the Lord & He would sustain them & they go rejoicing in His strength & the sweetness of His love & sympathy. I feel that in the long lonely years that you have passed in your mountain home there have been many hours, when the care of your childrens future must have pressed hard on your heart. Happy are you, if want of earthly sympathy has driven you to give all your sorrows & all your cares up to Him, who has promised to care for you. All situations in life have compensations. So our kind Father has ordered & I have no doubt, though removed from social pleasures & the society of congenial friends, you have enjoyed more than falls to the lot of most mothers, in the nearness you have lived with your children. You have been able doubtless to impress upon their tender hearts your image & impress as it is in the power of few of those who have too often to share with the world what they would gladly wholly possess. The world with its cares & its pleasures, is striving not only to get them from us, but to draw us as well from them. Doubtless every position has its advantages & disadvantages & after all it does not matter so much what we have as how we use it.

I must close now. I hope to hear from you soon. Give my love to all your family. They are yours & I love them. My husband sends his love to you & Georgianna. He says he think you have lived afar off a long times. He should be glad to see any of you here.

Your loving sister,

Lizzie

 

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

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