Letter from Sophia Peabody Hawthorne to Wellington Peabody, Oct. 1828

Transcription

Letter from Sophia Peabody Hawthorne to Wellington Peabody, Oct. 1828

Transcribed by Shelby Spaulding

Several annotations were made after the creation of the letter in a different hand. They are bracketed { } where they appear in the text.

{Peabody, Sophia

Wife of Nathaniel Hawthorne}

22^nd of October {1828}

My dearest Welly,

I hope your little affectionate heart

has not felt any thing like neglect because I have

not written to you for such a long time – for I

assure you I think of you every day. But you

know my poor head will not allow of much exertion,

& you will forgive me for its sake, I know

I have lately been to Dedham with Lydia to see

Miss Haven & staid a week. You cannot think

what a beautiful time I had, for I was strong enough

to walk about almost any where, & besides walking,

I rode & even sailed. Judge Haven’s house is very

large & delightfully situated, & his family the stillest

I ever was in, & you know quiet is the pleasantest

there is for my head. They were so kind & careful

about making the least noise, that I became quite

in love with them all. One lovely day, I went

down into the garden, & took the house, which you

shall see when you come home. There is a piazza

around it & on one side a woodfire covers the

pillars & fence entirely, & Langsdown [sic] in graceful

festoons all about. There I an artificial pond

in the garden, & a little grove of trees with seats

in it, & all kinds of fruit trees scattered over the

grounds. – I have some news to tell you, Welly dear,

& I hope that you will be as glad as we are. Our dear

Lydia is engaged to Mr. Samual Haven! I know you

will admire him, when you come to be acquainted

with him, & acknowledge him fully worthy to have

such a prize.

I am rejoiced that you continue to be con –

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tinue happy & contented, because it proves that you

are in a wise & good state of mind. You will be

doubly dear to us when you come back, & we shall

be rejoiced to find our brother, who is so capable of

every thing noble, acting up to his capabilities, & showing

that he knows how to value the gifts & favours [sic]

of his Father in Heaven. Lydia sends her best love to you.

Elizabeth’s school grows larger & is very

pleasant. Miss Lewis gives drawing lessons three

times a week to the scholars, & Mr Rapell is

now well enough to begin his labors again.

Mary & Susan Benjamin came home from their

travels vastly better & desire their love to you.

Mary has grown fleshy & really rosy; if you can

imagine such a thing! Susan says that Mary is

always well enough when she is doing nothing.

George is still very happy with Mr Leale

& goes on with his german [sic] very swimmingly –

Nattias is the same honest, kind soul, & even wears

a longcoat Sundays! He looks like a real man

at such times. Now, my love, I must bid

you goodbye, wishing you all manner of kind

things – & Never forget your true sis – Sophy.

When you have time, dearest, you must try to

spell correctly in your letters, would you?