South Hadley, Jan. 13. 1846.
My dear Mrs. Kittredge,
Your application in behalf of Miss Lock [?] has been received. We will reserve a place for her this emerging year.
It would give me great pleasure to accept of your invitation to visit you. It would give me great pleasure to see you here. I hope I may as you will come to Monson to visit your sister.
Affectionately yours,
Mary Lyon.[The seller claimed that the letter was written to Dr. Josiah Kittredge, who served as resident physician at Mount Holyoke a decade after this letter was written (1856-1860). The auction quoted the following letter to support this claim:
The following biographical sketch was written by Susan (Brigham) Kittredge regarding the career of her husband, Dr. Josiah Kittredge:
Mont Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y.
December 12, 1876.Rev Mr. Wiley
Dear Sir:My husband was born in Mont Vernon, N. H., Oct. 15, 1793. He. became a Christian at the age of sixteen, and from that time cherished the hope of being a minister, but his ill health led him to abandon that for the medical profession. He commenced business in Pembroke in 1818, and was there fifteen years, leaving there in 1833. From Pembroke he went to Boston, and had an excellent practice for five years, but the east winds proving so unfavorable to his health, he decided to go to Concord, N. H., but suffering there from illness, he removed to Nashua, N. H., in 1839.
He lived in Nashua seventeen years. From 1856 to 1860 he was resident physician in Mt. Holyoke Seminary. He removed to Montclair, New Jersey, late in 1860, and resided there nearly three years. Early in 1869 he went to Glastonbury, Ct., and died there, Oct. 29, 1872, aged seventy-nine years and fifteen days…
Very respectfully yours — Mrs. Dr. J. Kittredge
It seems more likely that the letter was written to Josiah's wife, who was Susan (Brigham) Kittredge. Her sister Sarah (Brigham) Kittredge was married to Josiah's brother Charles and lived in Monson.]