Kingston February 22d 1840My ever dear cousin
Very often have I thought of writing you & as often put it off till tomorrow, & I presumed you heard often from me, or at least heard so often as they heard in Rehoboth, for I expect Nancy favors you often, & I hope you do her, for I think she must feel very lonesome, if she has time to feel so; She used to say she intended to clear us all out and reign alone & now she has an opportunity to see how she likes it.
Isn't this charming weather? Were it not that the ground is so muddy that one cannot get about much I fear I should scarcely be contented to be confined in school Nancy wrote me that you had been seriously injured by being thrown from a sligh how did it happen & who was with you? do tell me all about it, Miss Stone has robbed you of your careful driver, how do you bear it? how is M. Ide getting along, is she to be married this spring, I don't know but I had better come home, the old maids seem to be dodging off so that way at an rate, if nothing occurs to prevent I shall take a trip that way & see what you are all about -
Have you closed your winter school if so I suppose you will be ready to commence again by the time I get home[.] I was very much surprised to hear of Mrs. Cushings [sic] death, did she not fail rapidly? Have you all had measles enough this winter & have you all got over them? I expect Nancy has been obliged to keep one of her scholars stationed at the window this winter - I generally manage to get so far off from home and acquaintance that I never expect to see any one, or if I expect it, I seldom do see any
& aone & am not obliged to keep a watch. I got a letter from Susan a day or two since & have sent one to her to-day, the people from this place are going to NY very frequently so that I have heard from her twice where I have heard once from home, excepting when the sound was closed. She was well when she wrote & said her school was increasing, or rather the number of old scholars. in her last she said but very little about Mrs Jacob but this I think was the first letter I have had that has not been partly written there, & she had us really [?] just come from Mary's -I have passed my time this winter very plesantly [sic] and the winter has passed very rapidly it does not seem possible that it is fifteen weeks since I came here, but it is, or rather fifteen weeks to-day since I left home - I looked for Uncle Hunt cont [sic] week but did not see him, I hear him spoken of occasionally I see the old bachelor with whom he used to stop occasionally when he was upon this Rail-Road[.]
Would you like to know how I have passed my time? Well, I have school five days in the week, Saturdays I have to myself. Saturday evening is the female prayer meeting which I usually attend, tuesday [soc] evening a
bible class at Mr Vernon'sLycieum [sic] at the Academy, they have lectures but no discussions thursday [sic] eve's a bible class at Mr Vernon's, & the other three evenings we have improved the sleighing or been out in the village -Monday 25th This was commenced friday [sic] but as you will see was not finished, Saturday I was too much occupied to write much; about ten Miss Potter & one of her brothers with myself started for a horseback ride we rode about
tennine miles, it was aa charming day to ride excepting it was rather muddy, but notwithstanding that we had a fine ride, were gone about two hours; Yesterday I went to meeting twice to hear Mr Vernon & when we were going home from the second service weweconcluded to go to Church as that just gone in, after their church was out the minister of the African church in Providence preached & we went to hear him - his sermon did very well but when he got through there was some of the drollest exhorting I ever heard, & I got frightened at their groaning & wanted to go home soon after I got there, but did not go, one of the speakers was black as black could be & he talked real negro lingo, when he begun, he said "the white gentleman & ladies mustn't be frightened to hearnigger hollar" & very good remarks & some quite original ones I assure you -Tuesday - I did not finish this yesterday as I hoped to have some thing from Susan by this morning train, but did not -
It is snowing finely now but does not appear to gain much upon the ground - I for one do not feel anxious to have any more snow, for the ground is getting settled & I dread another thaw up. - Where is Josiah? When you write him send my love - give my love to Rehoboth people - tell them I think it time they wrote to me - My love to Uncle, Aunt, Grandmother[,] Aunt Ruth[,] Caroline[,] Horatio & all enquring [sic] friends & accept a large share yourself - do write soon do, & be ready to visit in R- in four weeks -
affectionately your Elizabeth -
Dont [sic] read with a critic's eye but [remember?] that I have written this sharing word of recesses - with no small number of children running over me - E-
Aunt Lucy wants to know what she has done that she can't have a letter from New England -
Will you ask Nancy when she writes again to be particular in writing how Samuel Vernon is - I have seen in the Providence papers a notice of Aunt Carpenter's death but have heard nothing of it in any other way E-
[Elizabeth's husband James Blanding is the brother of Susan Blanding, who was the mother of Maria Hunt, the recipient of this letter. Elizabeth's daughter is Nancy, who is mentioned in this letter.]