Willis, Mary W Kirby. Letter to Kirby Jacob.

Title

Willis, Mary W Kirby. Letter to Kirby Jacob.

Creator

Willis, Mary W Kirby

Contributor

Kirby Jacob

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary W Kirby Willis to Kirby Jacob, n.d.

Is Part Of

Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Rights

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Identifier

342

Location

Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Transcription

(Page 1)

28^th of 9^th month please remember to the friends that ^I^ visited I very frequently take
a view of you all at your different homes accompanied with the pleas
ant retrospect of our visit, farewell Mary W. Willis

   Dear Saints
brother and sister    Soon After parting with you at Aurora we reach'd
Auburn as I should think you would readily suppose had we
gone all the way at the rate that ^we^ started at, which we did for
a mile or two, the horses galloping up hill and running down
I felt but poorly for a little while and then gave it up and
look'd out to see the horses run so nimbly, and arrived at Auburn
before 10 O Clock. we then concluded to take the telegraph back on
to arrival at 2 O Clock their [sic] was not room for us, and we
thought the time would be very tedious to us, but we took a
walk to the State Prison and went through the principal park
there of with which we were much interested and pleased, returnd [sic]
back to the Hotel just in time for tea sat down with a
large company I judge 60 in number, we then retired to the
parlour where we had a fire made for us and frequently had
sleppers [sic] in some of whom were agreeable company, in the course
of the evening a nice looking gentleman came in and said he
was waiting for the evening Stage and was a going to Syracuse
to the young mens convention, he being one of the delegates
from Genesee (as we afterward learned) he finally concluded he
would like to have our company thither to work untill [sic]
morning and step'd to the office to speak for a seat and they declined
engageing [sic] ^him^ one [sic], when a little before they had engaged to send an
extra for us provided the Stage should be filled, he finally
settled upon trusting to the morning, as he was laboring under
considerable fear of entering the place on account of Cholera
At 4 O Clock next morning we sat out again, and found
the aforesaid man in the Stage with us, there being so many
passengers they were under the necessity of fitting out an extra
Stage just before we got out a man fell very hard in
the hall, making a loud noise and strugling [sic] for breath
which proved to be a fit and that he was subject to them, but
he got over it so that they got him in the Stage, but he look'd
very unable to travail, he was not with us but we saw ^him^ every
time we stop'd, after passing Syracuse and Salina I found that
John was poorly again much as when we went out, only more

(Page 2)

so I began to fear that he would not be able to reach Utica
but did and took tea their [sic] before taking the packet, still
feeling very unwell and continued so untill [sic] we reached Alba
=ny 4^th day evening at 5 O Clock in time to take the Steam boat
tho I think he felt better after the ride on the Rail road, so
that we concluded to take the evening boat when we had
a nice tea with fresh fish which was the fish he had
relish'd since leaving Isaac Posts, slept very well that night
and next morning felt better, went to Dr Seamans to break
fast, found Caroline up dressing her babe, the D^r, James
&c not up yet, but were all well, on enquiry it appear
=ed that our friends at home were well, which was a pleas
ant sound in our ears, although they informed us of a
death or two of our acquaintance James McQueen died
pretty suddinly [sic] near taken down to South on the Marsh
were not able to get him home, they said Do^ct Rogers
named it Cholera, Do^ct Seaman had been called to William
Willets in the night, he felt better next day so that he drove the
Stage up, we stop'd a little while at V. Hicks, where we met
with Phebe P. Mary Jones and Mary F, L. Seaman & Valentine
said he he [sic] must give us a double shake of the hand, seemed pleased
=ed [sic] that only the day before they had interred Stephen Underhill.
he was taken poorly just about a ^week^ before stomach sick at night
the next morning walk'd home still feeling unwell which
was on fifth day, the next day at night he still indisposed they
thought it best to send for Do^ct Kellog as the Cholera was some
prevailing he came and gave him a large dose of Calomel after
which he became exceedingly deranged and distressed, 3^rd day
morning following gave him a few drops of laudnum [sic] as they
said, which put him asleep and in a nice sweat and doing
finely the Do^ct said but that evening at 8 O Clock. he died
not be able to arouse out of that nice sleep any more, thus
ended the life of one that our children had mingled with only
ten days before, it appears to have been a Stroke indeed to
them, it was thought that he admired Mary Powell and others
sought her company, his mother did not attend the interment [sic]
they had a meeting at the house which John Plummer attended

(Page 3)

Edward said they felt very comfotable in our absence, untill after Stephen*

[Text in next section written by John Willis and transcribed as letter 343_nd]

[Text in bottom half of page, written normal]
________________________________________
* death and but then he or they wished for us home so that we ar[obliterated]
pretty near the right time I believe first day after meeting [obliterated]
seen grandmother yet she was not to meeting the girls were, and [obliterated]
had gone to Flushing the evening we got home he was not very well, next
morning he came up here and spent half a day, the girls came in the after
=noon and said they were getting along nicely grandmother had been staying
to Jericho some time aunt Ester rather improved since we left seems
feeble yet. Abigail Townsend much the same trying to get well enough
to go to Cold spring on a visit, uncle Davids leg better, Mother W, rathe [sic]
better so that she goes out, father went to Cow Neck a fishing since
our return, and caught a few nice black fish but had no relish
for them after getting them did not with nay cooked for his supper
a very rare occurrence indeed, said he felt as well as usual they
said he generally got along pretty comfortably during our absence
when Edwards was at home. E. went twice to market and at
those times he felt very much tryed [sic], with the men that were
here and thought he would not stand it gain to be left.
The subject left defer'd by our two preparative Mgs before we
left was resumed and they could not move into any measure with
propriety they said, a proposition was made for appoointing a
committee, which being united with, 5 were sepparated [sic] to con
sidder [sic] the subject and make ^such^ proposals as they thought proper
Tell Jeffries that when we parted with him we expected to see him
again before the Stage came and thefeore did not say farewell to him
perhaps this will suffice if he is informed the reason
                                 Edmund Rushmore rather more poorly so that he sleeps
                                                 poorly nights J. Searing got in N Y one day before
                                                                            us with a lame horse

(Page 4)

This piece of poetry was on the paper when I commenced

      Can friends forget; Can friends forget)
             The blissful ties that bound them
       Those happy hours when once they met
               With hope and bliss around them

[Text in center of page, written upward]

          Aurora P O              18 3/4
                ford from Ledyard Oct 7^th
   Jericho NY
Sept 28               Isaac Post
                                     Ledyard
                     Cayuga County
                                              N. York

Tags

Family; Medicine

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Willis, Mary W Kirby, “Willis, Mary W Kirby. Letter to Kirby Jacob.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 25, 2024, https://rclomeka2.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/2641.

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