Thayer, Sarah E. Letter to Amy Kirby? Post. ([184- ?])

Title

Thayer, Sarah E. Letter to Amy Kirby? Post. ([184- ?])

Creator

Thayer, Sarah E

Contributor

Amy Kirby? Post

Date

[184- ?]

Description

Handwritten letter from Sarah E Thayer to Amy Kirby? Post, 184-?

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

536

Location

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

Transcription

(Page 1)

[Illegible] My dear Amy
                   Time has rolld [sic] on and [brog] ^brought^ the new year with
all its hopes and fears and now the snow is falling fast, our zealots have
pass'd and repass'd attended "mass" and been carried by their stout horses "too [sic]
and fro." we have been reading some, working & and looking over old letters till [sic] 2 [oclo]
o clock – when H & D with their children left for Amos Giles s where they meet congenial
minds – The absence of the noisy youths gives us a calm to write in – but if I must live
without H & family long I should not enjoy the solitude – Our friends have become
jealous of our absence from Mg. and so the overseers came to visit us I did not know who were
in that office      and they came in a friendly way, made a visit came before dinner – and
as the hour of evening approach'd they touch'd the dreaded cord I felt calm and self
possess’d and so did the girls – D told them her views briefly, and they seem'd as decent
as they well could Sarah Dunlap is a stranger to thee but Priscilla Hains is not they
told us that E [Bier?] intended to come and she may - I shall tell her as I did them
that I no longer feel it a point of duty to assemble with them to sit there and do [noth]
nothing – I could say more if necessary but I have no words to lavish on such "Geese"
as Anna Coffin would say   I did tell them if they were tired of me they could
put me out – that I did not feel as if I could cast censure on those individuals
who might consent to the measure believing it to be their right to set me aside
but as I now felt united in love and good will to many of them I hoped to continue
to feel so – [Amos Giles] It is probable we shall face worse (if worse it may be calld) [sic]
for the course pursued by Cross & family – I have no unity with the friends who sit
as judges at Rochester and would rather be disownd [sic] here than to trust to those
who are less acquainted with us – we are much united as a family except some
of the number would like ^rather^ to ask for a release than to wait for them to sit in judg
ment on the case     I think now that I am decided just as we all were 20 years ago
(or in the time of the Division) we were scatterd [sic] widely but all took one way
now I say let them work    I look forward with pleasure to the spring when we may
meet and cheerfully join heart and hand to bless and be bless'd in turn
   A letter from thy Dear Isaac reach'd H.C. the information was satisfactory and
as I have written one letter and destroy d [sic] it because I could not in reading
it over feel satisfied with it so now I have made an attempt to make a small
return for your polite attention for F.D. whom I did not see (for like my dear Mother
whose example I shall try to imitate) I staid [sic] at home to let the rest go
to Meetg

(Page 2)

Among other letters in store I found one to day from L.P.M to Mathius A
on the recipt [sic] of her "minute" which was sent her from this meetg in 1842
complaning [sic] of his short notice "only of a tie long since virtually broken & in my mind only
a painful recollection"      I also reread thine by A & E Giles thy dear Matilda was
sick with scarlit [sic] fever yet thy wonted kindness led thee to write me and I well recollect
with what interest I perused it ^(the account of m. mg – disownment [sic] &c &c)^ I shall bring it with me – I think it will do thee good
to see how the [sic] felt then I trust thee will not ever feel so much again I mean
in meetg for discipline      I hope we have (you & us) got clear of such clashing I feel
that my time could and I trust will be better employ'd – I learn from Isaac
P. that A Bush has been calld [sic] to surrender her little darling how trying to the
mother! but I have seen so much suffering in the adult as to feel sometimes as
if the dear little ones were spared alike the pain of future life and the
severe separation from friends which after life realizes but I have not yet
mourned the loss of my own offspring and cannot judge –
[Amung] Among others, I find ^a^ good letter from J. E. Robinson to his coz. [sic]
Anna Greene I prize it much and shall preseve [sic] it as a rilic [sic]
please present my love to him – we are making great calculations on
his society tho' [sic] we may live 3 miles off – I feel well satisfied with the
arrangement           I prefer the country for the children and my self too – except
Just when I like to visit or sojourn for a time in the City its social blessing
I hope to appreciate fully but I am affraid [sic] of "fire"
H.C. tells us that you have in view to establish a reading room with which I unite as
far as my cautiousness in regard to incurring debt will admit of -- I look at it as
among the possible, that such an attempt may prove successful – I have always
wish’d that I might be useful in the line of free good but we have hithertoo [sic]
been in no situation to take part in any thing of the kind     I have view'd
you my dear friends in R. as quite too much burthened with the preparations
and attendance upon fairs – &c and I have come to the conclusion that I cannot
so will further the good cause by the usual course or what has (as far as
I could discover) been requir'd of you in so limited a time as 3 or 4 weeks
but would suggest whether by small beginnings in a cheaply rented room
we might not give our attention to the constant supply of articles of usefulness Books
of information ^&c^ keeping on hand goods which we might sell on commission,
or make up for a yearly exhibition – it seems to me that we should be
aided by many who now see but little way into a thing so novel and
lottery like as a fair           fishermen Always furnish themselves with
bait which they first ascertain to be suited to the taste of their
victims – and tho' the society of friends [are] ^is^ fast losing [their] ^its^ identity
and sooner or later the vacancies must be filled at the table by
or from the highways and hedges (as I view it) the increase of our
original principles affect a large share of the thinking

(Page 3)

community – the economy sobriety and habits of dilligence [sic] which were the legit-
imate offspring of true christian laws – ought to have produced better
results – – but as all organized relations are to be supplanted
by advances – so I for one feel no regret at all – no, I rejoice
rather that I have lived to see the structure so far demolished
and hope yet to be able to view the ruins where figuratively speak
ing there shall not be one stone left on another
I often say since we have concluded to move there that
I expect to enjoy those advantages of a City which Newport
R.I. famished me when young – it will seem familiar I
think to step off and help myself – to a bottle of good black ink
for instance and may be a glass pen or some other with which
I may make my crude thoughts legible
I learn that J Gurney is expected to journey eastward we shall
be glad of a call from him do take a sheet of paper and write
ask S to add and M too and pleasant W^m I think I see his cheerful
face ready to greet me while my friend Isaac holds
his dignified corse [sic] I shall be glad if you cannot write
for J.G. if you can freight him with at least some acc t
of what you are about and I will try to draw it from him
with the help of our social group we have no visitors
except Brother W^m who has spent more time with us since
my return than previously he likes to hear about you all
H is still confined to her mother who is delirious all the
time – our Q M occurs this week I hope we shall have
some social company. The 1^s month is drawing to a close
and the above has lain 3 weeks the ink has grown darker
and I have been very much engaged our auction is over &c
H intends to improve the sleigh [obliterated] if we have it in season to
move west but we are informed of the small pox being with
you – and – should like to have your opinion respecting the
safety of coming as none of my family except myself have been
vaccinated for kine pox – Henry & Dorcas are dispos'd to distrust
the use of introducing one disease to counteract a worse so as
a mother Dorcas feels anxious to do for the best
          We have been visited by this disease several times within a
few years – but solitary instanes [sic] occur in different neiborhoods [sic]
and tho' in one family 3 deaths have taken place – as near as
"Fitchs Corner" only one instance of [valis----?]

(Page 4)

[Text upside-down, top of page]

I ought to apologize for sending this old scrawl but I felt like writing
then and meant soon to finish it but – different occurrences have
kept me from attending to it our children have been visited by a
committee 2 men and [2? 4?] women on account of a request which they
(D & A – Abby & Phebe) sent to the M.M. requesting a release – I can give
no description of the occasion now as we hope soon to meet and
I am a poor hand to concentrate on paper I hope they will not
visit me on the account for I want to part with my friends in
good feeling and shall not wish to make a fuss now still
I dont know but it would be better to do so if I could give my
[reason to] reason for dissenting from them in a dignified
Manner -

[Text continues on bottom third of page]

I am well satisfied with the course pursued by the children
I was present and listened took no part in it       I felt rather
more remov'd from participating in their way of worship afterward
than before – for the most prominent actors in com^teewas Sarah Arn
-old and Richard Searing – H [Louis?] was one and Cornelius Meek & wife
Eli^th Baker – – they regretted that the children of J & A Greene
should make such a light thing of their right in society while I
secretly rejoice that I could look back on the last 10 years
of their lives with a satisfaction to which they are strangers
and was more confirmd [sic] than before that it is fear more
than love which holds society together your Sarah E Thayer

[Address in middle third of page, running upward]

Popr [Poplar] Ridge
NY Jan [27?]

                   Isaac Post
          for Amy Post
                   Rochester Monroe
                                         Co
                                                New York

Tags

Medicine; Personal; Quakers

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Thayer, Sarah E, “Thayer, Sarah E. Letter to Amy Kirby? Post. ([184- ?]),” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 24, 2024, https://rclomeka2.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/2834.

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