South Hadley, Oct. 10, 1844.Dear Uncle,
I left Mother and Boscawen a week ago on Monday and took the stage to Concord expecting to come all the way to this place alone. But at the depot at Concord, cousin Joseph introduced me to his cousin Prof. Morse, the American painter and inventor of the electro magnetic telegraph, who was my companion and protector as far as Boston. Even then he went with me to the United State hotel, procured me a room, called and spent the evening with me and came and saw me on board the western train the next morning. He is a very kind and social as well as scientific man and what is better than all, he appears to be a spiritual christian.
I am now quietly and very pleasantly located in our school at South Hadley. It is fuller this year than usual and very man applicants have been refused. We have five daughters of missionaries here, one, the daughter of Mr. Goodell of Constantinople, who came on with Dr. Hawes this summer. We have Dr. Parker's daughter of Philadelphia. President Humphrey's and Professor Hitchcock's daughters and a great many others from families of the highest standing and from, if I may use the expression, the religious aristocracy. Our school has been blessed every year with revival of religion more or less extensive and we look forward with interest and anxiety to the coming year.
But dear uncle the object of this letter was not to tell you of Mt. Holyoke Seminary but it was to try your patience and kindness and tax your time. There is a young lady in our town, daughter of John Greenough Esq. one of our first and wealthiest families, who wishes to procure a situation at the west or south as teacher or perhaps as governess, although she would prefer that of teacher in a high or select school. She is of course in no need of the avails of the employment but she would like more time and opportunity for intellectual pursuits, than she can have while at home and as she has two younger sisters, she is not specially needed there. She is about twenty two years of age, has been educated at our first New England schools. She never was at this seminary but attended school last at Andover Mass. She is a fine scholar in the English branches from lowest to highest, in Latin and very good in French. If Italian was required, she would go now and spend some time with a teacher in the modern languages and prepare herself in that. She is not a musician, vocally or instrumentally. She has not that stiffness and reserve, which the southerners say and perhaps a little justly, characterize us Yankees, but she is free, affable, social and easy. I do not feel the least hesitation in recommending her as teacher only as she has not had much if any experience in teaching; but as she has a great deal of perseverance and energy, I do not think her inexperience in the business would be any obstacle. She is professedly pious. I am sorry to trouble you with thing[s] of this kind but I felt that I would be doing as I would be done by, to write you for her and beside I know & have know[n] your constant "work & labor of love." If you know of any situation or think it probable you could procure one, will you not please write a letter directed to me at South Hadley & I will write to her. Do not feel under any obligations to do any thing about it uncle, only as you have time & it is convenient. She would prefer going south, but would have no objection to Ohio. I think the western & southern people would like her. You will please write me before long what you think the prospect is. She would be ready to go at any time.
Give a great deal of love to aunt P. & Dewitt. Mother was delighted with aunt's visit. We were very glad to see Dewitt, but I shall never call his short stay a visit. Friends at Salisbury and Boscawen were all well when I left them. With much love
Your affectionate niece
Anna R. Webster -Cousin Sivona is going to marry Capt. or Dea Bayley of Boston. Uncle aunt & Jesse will live at Ipswich. Cousin Joseph has gone into a law office at Concord. Anna.
Will not aunt write a part of your letter to me?
Miss Greenough has spent a year or about a year in Prof Sanborn's & Prof. Hadduck's families of Dartmouth college. Prof Sanborn's wife (Mary Ann Webster, Ezekiel Webster's daughter) is her cousin. She could of course procure good testimonials of them if necessary.
[Thanks to someone else's genealogical research online, I can tell you that Nathaniel Sawyer (1784-1853), the recipient of this letter, was the brother of Anna's mother, Betsey Sawyer Webster (1793-1880). Nathaniel was an 1805 graduate of Dartmouth College, and practiced law in Cincinnati, Ohio. His wife, "aunt P." in Anna's letter, was Pamelia Anderson Sawyer (1791-1888). Together Nathaniel and Pamelia had at least four children: Mary Ann Fitz Sawyer (1822-1912), DeWitt Clinton Sawyer (1825-1899), Sarah (Sallie) Frances Sawyer (1829-1889) and Nathaniel Isaac Sawyer (1832-1910).]