Thursday August 2^d 1838
My dearest Sister,
I thought it better to defer writing
until Henry had passed by – I received your last letter
the morning Henry left home – I was sick all that day
with nervous headache which has afflicted me much
of the time for a week past – Ann Eliza Nicholson came
along and took tea with us – she is much more agreeable
to me than she ever was before – perhaps it is because she
has a very agreeable husband – She is one of the most
enthusiastic of politicians – says when Henry ran for Gov in
1834 she took the pains to carry votes to two men whom
she knew she could persuade to go the right way –
she intends visiting Serene before she goes home again — I
am afraid she will not go at a very convenient season
as Blanch told me yesterday that the children had
the whooping cough – Mrs Fosgate does not return I
presume that is the reason – Clara thinks she has heard
before that Birdsall was intemperate – I do not think
I ever did – I am very sorry if it is so he was
sufficiently disagreeable before – Poor Serene has paid a high
price for a home – Yesterday afternoon I went to see
Miss Benedict of Albany who is at Beachs – she is to visit
us to day – Mrs Beach seems to have recovered from her
grief about Christina’s marriage – Mrs Dill was here
a few evenings ago and gave me a prolix account of
the proceedings of the maternal association – I wish you
could have heard it – she was unusually eloquent – she
represents Mrs Beach as a person of very different disposition

[top Margin] I hope you will answer all these questions the next time you write and my
next expedition shall not be so fruitless – Tell Frances

x

Frances Chesebro

Birth: 1826-12-12 Death: 1909-08-24

Augustus has
commenced school at the Academy very much against his inclination
Sanford

x

Benjamin Sanford

Birth: 1818-01-22 Death: 1883-07-21

could not teach them any longer as Mr Leonard

x

Leonard Lathrop

Birth: 1796 Death: 1857-08-20Certainty: Probable

required all his
services and “Anthon's Caesar”

x

Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War

Author: Charles Anthon Publisher: Harper & Brothers Place of Publication:New York City Date: 1841

was altogether too difficult for my
limited knowledge of Latin – your own Sister —

from what I had supposed – says she and her daughters have
violent tempers which are perfectly uncontrolled — Mrs
Beach has certainly behaved ridiculously in this affair
all the accounts I receive agree in this particular –
I have no doubt she gave Isham every encouragement
for a long time – I cannot and will not undertake to tell
you half that Mrs Hills said but must reserve it
until I see you – I was considerably inclined to
come with Henry and return the next day but as
Clara had been there so recently I concluded to wait
a while longer – Friday morning – I was oblige to
leave my letter yesterday to prepare for our company –
I invited company on account of Miss Benedict and thought
it a convenient time to return some of the invitations
we had received to weddings &c – I intended to have
about 15 but many sent undecisive answers and
some who actually came said they could not
in place of these I asked others so that when they
were all assembled there was 21 or 22 – the invitations
were given verbally and for the afternoon notwithstanding
all precautions the people were determined it should
be a party at least in name – Miss Benedict & Beach
came at ½ past seven it was nearly nine when Miss
Conkling made her appearance — and many of the
others waited until it was unusually late – Clark and
his wife were here (we were invited to their wedding) he
seems very self sufficient and she not much of any
thing – Jem Wood and his wife seemed very much
pleased with each others society – Adeline wears a
large shawl in the street and keeps her scarf at parties!
Nye is I should think paying attention to Miss Beardsly
Johns daughter – you may fancy that we had some difficulty
in gathering a sufficient number of beaux for 10 girls

William Fosgate actually came which was an unexpected honour
William is sick with dispepsia which he says he has had
seven years – he has the usual attendants of dispepsia
depression of spirits and disinclination to mix in society
I felt sorry for him as he seems determined in his own
mind that he will never be well again – Maxwell I
invited because it is said he is attentive to Miss Conkling
which I rather think is the case – Frank Hamilton I
asked because I like him – he was sorry there were so
many as he did not wish to attend a party – I told
him I was sorry too as I did not wish to give one –
the time has been when we should have thought 20 persons
a small assemblage – Tom Miller came fresh from
college but Tom still – and Sanford the meek young
man I was very much grieved to be obliged to ask him
to go home with Jule Chase whom I was compelled to
ask because I wanted H Hughes who is staying there
to take care of Dr Smiths children during their sojourn
east – I hope he will not think all young ladies as dis[ agreeab ] le
and ugly as Jule if he does I fancy it will have a ten[ dency ]
to diminish his romance – Ann and Henry Richardson
I believe were the only remaining guests – They all conducted
remarkably well – I saw no symptoms of the ill bred proceed-
ings which we have heard related as occurring at some parties
here – perhaps these young people have not taken Mr Cooper
for a model – Now I want to ask you what you know about
the effect of ether – I have taken it 3 times when suffering
with violent nervous headaches and found almost instantaneous
relief – I was felicitating myself upon having at last attained
a very desirable object when Dr Hamilton threw cold
water upon all my glowing hopes by informing me that
ether frequently produced apoplexy – the little boys were
very much afraid I would fall down in a fit instantly – I
of course had no such apprehension as the quantity I took was
only 10 drops – but if the effect is sometimes so powerful

it cannot be harmless taken in small quantities – Clara says Marcia Hall
takes it – I reply that I should be very unwilling to be in the state
she is in now whether produced by persecution or ether –
I have been to see about your things but am afraid you must wait a
week or two longer – Seymour had no settee bedsteads made but
there was one making (being made) at the Prison price $20 – I was mistaken
about their being so high – Mrs Millers was $25 – hers is curled maple
that at the prison is to be painted and gilded like your chairs –
you prefer that do you not – I am to call and see it the first of
next week and take it if it suits – you will write in the mean time
if you prefer maple – All the mattresses they had made were
without cotton – I ordered one with cotton thinking you had better
take one if it is soiled as I intend to do and wash it as Clara
did – they are very heavy and unportable – mine is to be made
so as to fold in the middle would you like this – I have never seen one
but am told they are just as well to sleep upon and much more conven-
ient – They do not have any wollen woolen carpets lower than 9
shillings – there was none of very small figure without too much
white – one I saw which had a very close figure not very large I
should have taken it for our dining room but it had a little white
which Peter would soon make a little black – the predominant colours
were red green and yellow – would you prefer these colours to that
AUBURN
AUG
3
N.Y.
Mrs Alvah Worden
Canandaigua

[right Margin] of your front room carpet – they have some of those with
tolerable small figures – I think however you prefer the other colours