Letter from Sophia Peabody Hawthorne to Wellington Peabody
Description
This letter from nineteen-year-old Sophia to her brother Wellington, offers a glimpse into the dynamics of the Peabody family. Sophia offers updates on members of the family, including a description of her own recent trip to visit family friends and a reference to the poor health that plagued her throughout her life. And, like any good sibling, Sophia ends the letter with a postscript mocking her brother’s spelling.
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}
22nd 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 –
[Page Two]
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?