Travel Diaries and Journals

Tuesday.. Rained in the morning but cleared off very pleasantly of noon. So soon after dinner I started for Brooklyn Reached Mary Jane's about three o'clock. Found them all well. Carrie was much pleased to see me. We called on Aunt Graves across the way before dusk returned in time for tea after which Louise played and sang very prettily for our entertainment.

Henry Hudson called about seven o'clock and accompanied Carrie and I to Mr Beecher's church where we heard an excellent sermon by the Rev Charles Finney on "Prayer" It suited Henry's case exactly -- nothing could have been more appropriate. -- I intended to return home with Henry in the evening but my cousins would not listen to such a proposition -- stay all night I must so at last I consented and Henry returned without me. Carrie and I slept together and talked an hour or two after retiring before we fell asleep.

Wednesday.. Delightful day... C-- and I rose early. Met the family at the breakfast table soon after seven. Breakfast was followed by family prayers. and at eight we attended a morning prayer meeting at Dr. Cox's church across the way. It continued an hour, we then returned, the children went to school, and Mary Jane, Carrie and I spent the morning in talking, reading, and sewing. I left at three o'clock P.M. and returned, as I went, by stage.

Wednesday, July 14th Very warm. Aunt Graves came over soon after breakfast to see Kate--staid about an hour, Kate not feeling well, and being [white?] much fatigued lay down in her room and I sat beside her reading + talking till dinner time. We sat a long time at the table talking about Aunt Caroline, her family, the South etc. Kate's conversation is very interesting and betrays a refined and highly cultivated mind with a very poetic turn. Sewed some in the afternoon--Evening listening to Kate. Thursday Very warm. Carrie and Kate went out in the morning. Annie came over before dinner. I was not well and was obliged to lie down most of the afternoon. Margaret Culbert called. Stan came over to tea and after spending a pleasant evening with us he with Annie left about ten o'clock. Friday Cloudy. Sewed in the morning. In the afternoon called on Mary R. but did not find her at home and made quite a long pleasant call on Harriet Strong. Attended prayer meeting with Father in the evening. S. W.? accompanied me home. He talked and appeared very well-- happened to be in a proper mood I suppose though I gave him no invitation to do so, he told me he would call soon. I replied that I should be pleased to see him.

still they were beautiful, and were much admired by the crowd who were assembled in the vicinity We returned near two o'clock. Joseph and Mary accompanied us home and remained about an hour later Father was in the the parlors with us a short time during their stay, and afterwards remarked that Mary was the smallest marriageable [piece?] he ever saw. "The best goods are done up in the smallest packages" Joseph says whenever Mary's size is referred to but however that may be he will have a nice little wife.

Tuesday. Very warm. In the course of the morning I started of to visit my cousin Martha Wood who is now with Aunt Graves in Brooklyn. I took one of our kittens with me as a present to Aunt, it was a pretty little thing but too smart altogether for becoming frightened by the rattling of the stages. It pushed of the cover of the basket in which I was carrying it, jumped out and vanished like a phantom I felt badly, got out of the stage and looked for it some time and being unsuccessful I proceeded on my way and arrived at my place of destination without further accident. Found Martha and Aunt at home - Aunt was not very well. Martha entertained me all day in talking about a fortune teller who had called there in the morning and pretended to unveil to her her future destiny yet what she said had much the appearance of truth and it seems hard to be accounted for