William Audley Couper papers

[top right] Allentown 26^th Jun 1852

My own beloved Tootee

I added a few lines to a scratch which Flo-rence sent you on Tuesday last - I do not know that I can make this letter any more clear than was the last - I can only say that I find my health wonderfully improved & if your dear Father your brothers your dear self & family were only here, & I could forget the many I left who are dependent on us for support - I could be perfectly happy - but matters stand I cannot control my thoughts - they will fly to California - New Haven & the South end of S^t Simon's I think in my last-letter from Savannah I requested you to direct your letters to this place until further advised consequently I have been looking every day for another report from you & home since my reaching this spot, it seems scarce-ly credible than only two weeks & not ye not yet two days have past [sic] since I bade you & those sweet children adieu - it seems more like so many years - & yet we have been most kindly dealt with My time in Savannah was made as pleasant as kindness could render it. Our passage a delightful one - Our stay in Philadelphia as agreeable as the noise would admit of - Our ride here not to be complained of. Our reception by your Uncle & Aunt all that could be wished for. The house commodious & dellightful delightful, most agreeably situated, every thing in & out doors kept in beautiful order - The affectionate attentions of Henry & Mary unbounded. Ought I not to be happy? & yet my child I am far from being so. If I could forget the past & only look with hope to the future it would be better. Where could have been my eyes - my senses when I was last here - sho surely the

one most have been devoid of sight - the other of feeling - not to have appre-ciated the beauties & the delightful climate. I then had your blessed Father with me, the only children I had, my dear cousin & two faithful servants. I was then a miserable woman & did not appreciate a simple blessing. The only excuse I can make for myself is that I was then in bad health & the spoilt child of prosperity. Well I can only hope that my present blessings may be continued to me. The scenery is enchanting - the atmosphere so clear so healthful. Every spot under cultivation - the crops of corn, wheat, &c most luxurient [sic]. I break the 10^th commandment look which way I will. The town is 10 times as large as when I was here 24 years ago. Every one is so quiet & civil- every one intent on their own business having their neighbors to look after their own. We have taken several long walks to see the wonders of the place, last evening we all went 1 ^1/2 miles out to see the iron works - Sister Mary, M^r & Mrs Woolley were with us - A M^r Lewis lives near these works whose daughter had called to see your sisters - they went in to return this call- whilst M^r W. Cousen a[nd] Floyd & myself went to see these iron works. Soon Sister Mary & M^r Lewis came out & invited us in. Mrs Lewis is a great-big fat woman has 10 children - one no larger than Bob. They were all very polite - & invited us to go out some day soon & spend the day with them. We met brother Henry & M^r Longnecker coming to meet us - they had been at Easton 18 miles off in law business all day. We got home about 11 oclock. Lord had been too lazy to accompany us. This morning cousin A came over before we had finished breakfast to ask me to go with her to visit a fishpond - where your dear father had taken us in 1827. We got home pretty well tired & found Mary & the girls luxuriating in the cool parlour. It has been very cool ever since we came here - We go this evening

to the table rock. Tomorrow we will of course attend church. Lord left us this morning for New Haven, he will engage us rooms at a private boarding house for a few weeks or as long as it will be convenient & agreeable for us to remain there - Mary has been very urgent for us to remain here all summer but I cannot trespass on her kindness too far. We have promised to return here in October. Your uncle Henry is not in good health & needs a change. I think his wife ought to be with him. They have been as kind as it is possible for any one to be to us all. Mary is a wonderful woman - the best of wives & house keepers. She reminds me much of yourself. She sends much love to you & says she wishes she had you & the babies here - I had a letter from dear Mall yesterday. He is very impatient to see us. We have consented to remain here until the 8^th or 10^th of July - We then go to New Haven. I am so often interrupted I scarce know what I am writing - I can but hope the next letter will be more interesting, & more collectedly written Cousin W. & Amanda are quite well. We see them all times of day. They leave here on Monday next to search after newer scenes. I have no doubt my beloved child that you & dear [William] will do all in your power to keep my affairs in order during my absence. I know it will be an additional trouble & add to your cares When I think of all this I am ready to take the back track & get home as soon as I can. I hope & trust your next letter may give me no bad news. I must say I feel most anxious & uneasy - I hope poor Dunham may be able to attend to his business - William will have to prompt him very often. The ploughs I trust M^r Ander

26th June 1852 to the 29th Allentown - Lehigh County Pennsylvania

After writing a hasty letter to my dear Tootie on Saturday Friday evening Mary, Amanda, Mr Woolley, G., F., V., F. & Tip & myself went out for a long walk - our object to visit a Furnace about 1 ^1/2 miles off - Lord was too lazy to go with us. Henry & M^r Longnecker had gone to Easton, We were delighted with the scenery but the road was dusty - We however were all good walkers & in time we reached the Furnace. M^r Lewis an agent for the company has a beautiful residence opposite the Furnace, the daughters of this gent had called on the girls - & their intention was now to return this call. M^r & Mrs Wool-ley & Floyd & myself past [sic] on whilst the rest of the party past [sic] in - We could see very little to interest us, no one to explain - neither is friend Wool-ley yet up to the art of shipping shillings into other peoples [sic] hands - no one seemed to care whether we understood what was going on or not. The huge engine was terrific & I can was glad to get out of it. Soon M^r Lewis & Sister Mary came to invite us to the house - where we found the rest of the party very comfortably seated. Mrs Lewis is monstrous fat - & like most fat persons very good natured - they were all exceedingly polite - inviting us to take tea - this we declined but accepted their invitation to walk about the garden, &c. Every thing was in most beautiful order. After a stay of some half hour we took leave & bent our way home ward - On our way home we met brother Henry & M^r Longnecker - Lord not yet recover-ed from his fit of laziness. M^r W. & Cousin A. took tea with us - & remain-ed until past ten. On Sunday we went to Church - & listened to a Scotch pr man, very ugly & not eloquent. Church goes in at 10 - we dine at 1 - then to Church again at 6, leaving us breathing time of 6 hours. about 4 in the afternoon a most fearful accident occur'd There is a beautiful spring - one which I was visited with my belov-ed husband in 1827 - & which I was at on Saturday morning (I find my dates are being confused - it was on Friday evening [)]

[written sideways, from bottom to top, on left of page] I commenced this as a journal - I prefer the letter state, this is a poor apology for a letter or journal

[top right, in pencil] [2]

that I wrote to my precious Tootee & went to the Furnace. On Saturday morning dear Lordy went to New Haven to attend to some business of his own & to look for Lodgings for us. On Saturday evening we all went out to "Prospect rock," situated about 3 miles out of Allentown. Mary, Henry, the boys, M^r Woolley & myself were in a Carriage - drawn by a splendid pair of black horses, driven by a white man. Cousin A. G. & V. were in a very nice light carriage driven by M^r Longnecker. Florence would not go. Well the hills here are very steep, & when we were ascending a pretty high hill - we met the stage full in & outside it came thundering down Hill & our beautiful black horses took it into their heads to to back & rear - may be I was not frighten-ed. After this we went on pretty well. We had to walk after ascending half way up this prospect mountain, & glad was I to get out of the carriage. This mountain is shaded by splendid trees of various kinds the earth thickly strewed [sic] with rock of all sizes - (the old folks say "the devils [sic] wife emptied her apron full of rocks down there"). These rocks are piled up one on another beyond the tops of the highest trees. The most of our party climbed up to the very top, but I remained about 10 feet below. Floyd & Tip took of their shoes & stockings - & were nev-er one moment still, this made me perfectly nervous. A fall off of one side would have been a fearful thing. We remained there perhaps a half hour - viewing the beautiful scenery - we could see for miles around - every spot in perfect cultivation or here & there dotted with lovely groves of trees - The scenery is certainly most beautiful - Just as high up as carriages can come is a little farm. Brother Henry tells me this soil is the very best for fruit of every kind - the spot was not well cultivated but the trees were loaded with apples & pears. of course yet very small. after drinking water from the well better than iced water & trying to eat some bad ginger bread - we turned our faces homeward. I walked down to the road, & would have walked further but from a fear of fatiguing brother Henry. We had a more pleasant ride back than going - found Flora just waking from a nap

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Well they do sit up to an abominable hour here, every one taking tea at 6 oclock, & as it is not dark until near eight all the visiting is done after tea. I had taken a long walk in the morning then this ride & walk in the afternoon made me pretty tired. Amanda]& [M^r Woolley again took tea with m us &c. If The accident yesterday was this. There are sever-al omnibus' here & as many forget for what the sabbath is intended it is the fashion to ride to the spring. One of these huge vehicles just as it was using the Hill - being filled inside - & several on the top, the leaders got unhitch-ed - the wheel horses were unable to drag up the load, the hind wheels got off the road, the driver was drunk as was also many of the inside passen-gers, over went the omnibus & it performed a complete summer set, two poor little boys were instantly killed - as incredible as it may seem the head of one of these poor little fellows was driven through the top of the omnibus - One poor boy still lives with both legs shattered & a piece of glass driven through his neck & face he was reported dead yesterday - but he still lives in the utmost misery, he makes the 3^d boy., the 4^th is brother to Sister Marys [sic] cook- a smart little fellow between the size of Floyd & Tip a pretty boy, he was dashed / as the carriage went over across the road one leg & his collar bone broken, but he is doing very well. One of the two boys who were instantly killed was the youngest son of a widow who 3 weeks ago bu-ried her oldest son a most promising youth. All who were inside the omnibus escaped with life - tho' much cut with broken glass one little girl 1^1/2 years old was covered with blood - but not one drop of her own. Had that this accident happened 50 yds or even 25 yds higher up scarcely one or would have escaped with life, the omnibus not only performed this summerset but then seem'd to bound over again - the horses apparently uninjur-ed. We walked down last evening to look at the wreck - it was a fearful sight - quantities of blood stained the ground, & they say the inside of the carriage was covered with

[top right, in pencil] [4] blood & human hair. This is a very quiet place & this awful accident seems to have struck them all with awe. This morning I spent with dear Amanda - She was been very unwell since yesterday, & M^r Woolley is very little better. I think she has been walking too much - perhaps the water may not agree with her as it is limestone M^r Woolleys [sic] indisposition is from cold. Brother Henry is better - Mary & the girls are quite well, as are also Floyd & Tip, Rhina & myself are about the same. Floyd fully made up his mind to have his Daguerreotype taken for you you [sic] this morning - he regrets the want of his old straw hat & ragged clothes - thinking you would sooner recognise him in those than in his present garb. G. F. & V. have gone out to spend an hour with cousin A. after tea I am to go over again to see Amanda & the others are to make calls. Lord promises to return here on Wednesday. I rather think he finds this place dull, for my own part I would but for conscience sake be willing to stay here until it is time to go home.

29^th I had just got so far when the girls came in from a walk bringing with them your dear letters to George & myself - I was taken with such a tremor I could scarce open the letter. I then began to glance from page to page until - ["]kill'd by a rattlesnake" struck me. I got so nervous I called Georgia & begged her to read the letter first & tell me the contents. After hearing there had been no deaths - I listened to Georgia with a heart overflowing with gratitude to God, for all the blessings you could tell me of. I then insisted on hearing all you could say to Georgia. You promis-ed me dear Tootee to tell me all that concerns you, & yet you try to keep from me that your "cough was worse & that you were troubled again with that pain" My own beloved you can have but little idea how much this troubles me. I feel convinced one of your bad turns were at hand, & William would not be with you. My blessed child why are you not more careful of your precious health. What would become of me if harm befalls you whilst I am so far away from you & your sweet babes. Oh! my Tootee God! be merciful to us all!! Mary & the girls had some calls to make - Our dear cousin was so un-well the boys & myself went over to sit with her. I took with me both of your letters & read them aloud to Amanda. Then M^r Woolley & the boys went out to walk & I remained with cousin A. - until ten oclock. We talked over all you had written to me. I have been feeling very uneasy about that boy Edinburgh - I have no doubt that sudden attack of his was all owing to his having got hold of some thing to eat which was not good for him. What a wretched race of beings they are. How ungratefully Rose has behaved - I suppose she ran away because Dunham wished her to go to Newfield?

[centered] 5 [top right, in pencil] [26 June 1852] I can only hope the orderly ones will continue to do their duty & the wretched who give trouble may be made to do their duty. Tell those who are doing well that they shall be rewarded - & those who are refractory that I am grieved to think they would wish to add to my troubles & that time will convince them of their folly. You have ere this been informed of my great disappointement relative to your Fathers [sic] visit to us. I can but hope he will be back in November - I have had no letter later than the 3^d of May from him tho' 2 of later date have I received from dear Butler. What a prince of a son that boy is! ---- I received a letter from M^rJ.H.C. a day to two since of which the enclosed is a copy. I wish William to keep this & send me a list of the names - ages &c of these 115 negros [sic]. I was under the impression there were 140 negros [sic], & so informed M^r King. From what passed between M^r Cor-bin & myself I was under the impression the purchase could be made more advantageously to us. If dear [William] would just write to my husband & give him his opinion of the proposition made by M^r J.H.C. I would be much indebted to him I will send M^r J.H. Coupers [sic] proposition of your Father in my next letter. I am very home sick dear Tootee - tho' I am really as kind-ly treated by dear Mary & Henry as I can possibly be - They have a most delightful house, & garden, every comfort around them & these comforts we enjoy to the very extent. I could be almost happy if you were all with me. But when I think of your distant Father & Brother - & of you beloved ones at Hamilton & my poor ne-gros [sic] I cannot be otherwise than anxious & unhappy. God! has been merciful to us - May this mercy be continued - I hope you will get the trunks Georgia sent - & the letter I wrote last week telling you what to send back to me. I will remain here until the 10^th of July - then go to New Haven from thence I can write you how long to direct your letters there. Cousin Amanda is so much better as to have spent this day with us & will go to Bethlehem tomorrow. We will miss them very much & regret their depar-ture. She is now lying on my bed talking to Florence. Georgia & Appy

[top right] Sunday Night: 13^th June [written in pencil] [1852]

My own beloved child

It is very probable I may not have time to write tomorrow so I will just give you a few lines before I go to bed. Oh! my Tootee it does seem strange that I have you to write to in addition to my other dear absent ones - my sweet child I do feel this separation from you very much. I never see a little child in the street but I fancy I can see some resemblance to our dear little ones but not one of them is as pretty as yours. I wrote you by the Mail yesterday before the Southern Mail came in. I then had to go out shopping - a most disagreeable occupation to me. I was out all the morning trudge trudge. M^r Woolley Amanda & myself went to that famous London House store. I did run up a bill of $15-55. cts - but think I could have got just as good & as cheap at De Witts & Morgans M^r Woolley & Amanda did pretty much all their shopping there. I then came back to this truly friendly roof & after din-ner off again I went - in our perambulations we encoun-tered dear William - he was in McClesky & Nortons, he joined us - took us into an ice cream shop where he & M^r Woolley ate twice as much ice cream as we could. We then went to a new confectionary establishment kept by Monsieur N Lefont, Proprieter of the " Paris house" there we met Mrs McDonald & Sue Johnson eating ice cream. My object in going into this establishment was to pur-chace [sic] you some cake, as you forbid my getting candy for the chicks - it did seem hard that you all should be deprived of candy because dear Bob would have it & it would give her toothache. But as neither William or myself could bear that she should have an ache we passed by the

beuit beautiful candies - I must before I go further thank you for your comforting letter - thank you & M^r Dunham too for the comforting news you both give. I pray God!s mercy on those poor negros [sic] that they may indeed all be better, & may live to welcome me back. It is requires no little resolution on my part to keep from getting into the Planter tomorrow and going back to you. But for those dear ones who I have not seen for more than a year I certainly would do it. It worries me that I should be the cause of keeping Wil -liam so long from you. I know his presence is so necessary to your comfort & happiness. It is very selfish in me my permitting him to accompany me. God! in mercy protect you all & grant to your good husband a happy & safe return to you my love

Last evening M^r Cuyler & Margaret called - they staid [sic] here a long time. Margaret is the same old seven & sixpence - M^r Cuyler is no longer a handsome man, he was very kind however - Mrs Matthau had called when I was out. Lizzie I believe I mention-ed had called - I met her & Dick in the street, yesterday. In the presence of M^r Cuyler Margaret gave me an invitation to dine with them tomorrow & ask William to accompany me. All that M^r Cuyler said was to ask where William was staying - I did not say I would dine with them or that I would mention the matter to William - Mrs Johnston made a long call on me in the evening - & was the same as when we were on the Sand Hills. I had invitations from the Cuylers - Mrs Johnston & the Cunninghams to go to Church today. But some how I preferred to go with Cousin A & M^r Woolley to their church. So they called for me & the boys - We had a most excellent sermon on this morning from the Presiding Elder - on our way to church this evening we had