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1858 Salem MA letters HUDSON, BALCH family CHILD HAS CONVULSIONS LIKE MOTHER
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1858 Salem MA letters HUDSON, BALCH family CHILD HAS CONVULSIONS LIKE MOTHERThere's two small letters, apparently written within a couple of days of each other, from Aunt Lizzie. The envelope is addressed to Miss Mary R. Hudson, Dorchester. No postal markings, this was likely handcarried by a friend.
From a little research, the writer was
possibly Elizabeth Balch, daughter of Daniel and Lucy Hodge Balch, b. Newburyport 1786, d Newburyport 1873, never married. But you'll need to double check on that.
The addressee seems to be Mary Rogers Hudson, b. 1819, daughter of John R. Hudson and Hannah Balch.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem has some Hudson letters, maybe they could provide some clues.
Some abstracts:
"
Salem, Sunday Morn'g, June 6th, 1858."
"I received your note last evening, dear Mary, enclosing the fourteen dollars, all safe.
"I have very few calls for my own use [of money], except board money."
"... visit from Miss Coolidge. She came up on Friday & David gave her, with us, several nice long drives."
"Had two family parties here, Ma Balch's one day, & Ma Merritts another and we were all over there (at old Mrs M's) to tea & had a splendid time."
"Lucy seem'd unusually well in the morning & was sewing & talking with Miss Nancy, when she was suddenly seized with one of those ill turns, just like her Mother's! ...... she fell from her Chair & in the fall struck her face across the nose & forehead on the corner of another chair .... dreadful sight .... she lay in strong convulsions her face all bloody & the blood still flowing from her nose on the carpet."
[June 8th] "Monday morning, Dear Mary .... Lucy recovered from her ill turn this time very rapidly, all but the bruises in the face, which were very bad, but are now quite well."
"We are expecting a visit from Sarah Fox of Wisconsin, sister in law to John F. Potter, member of Congress. She has not been in Mass. for 18 yrs & has now come to breathe her native air & spend the summer in Portland and Augusta ... she wished to see Lucy & me very much and we want to see her."
"We understand Fanny thinks of coming to Dorchester. How pleasant that will be for you! She sent for us to get some Sad irons at the Pottery here to send to you ..."
".... accept this badly written letter, dear Rosa, from Aunt Lizzie."
The envelope has some wear / tear / stains. The letters are in good condition.
An interesting letter good for genealogy and history research.
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