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Frances (Appleton) Longfellow to Mary (Longfellow) Greenleaf, 14 February 1850
Manuscript letter
Cambridge Feb 14th 1850.
I have been a long time in thanking you, dear Mary, for your most welcome letter, but after the painful excitement we were all under when I last wrote came a reaction of stupor & weariness on my part which made me reject every exertion. But as you have now no other correspondent, I suppose, in Cambridge, I hope you have not reproached me for being so long silent about your friends, of whom you must have been most anxious to hear. In truth we have all here indulged ourselves with the hope that something would come to light to cheer this dreadful mystery, but as time goes on we are forced to accustom our minds to the gloomiest thoughts. Dr W’s trial is now, I believe to take [p. 2] place in March, & it will be almost a relief to have it over, what ever may be the results. The lawyers are of opinion, I understand, that the nature of the evidence cannot convict him, strong as it is, - but I fear people’s minds will never clear him unless some wonderful revelation in his favor turns up. His poor family are struggling to support themselves in various ways. One of the girls teaches drawing, another music, & they take in sewing, but of course this barely pays their daily expenses. Mrs W. keeps very retired – no one has seen her I believe, but the girls speak freely of their father, of his beautiful letters to them, & are so sure of his innocence that, although they have seen the details of the accusation, they do not seem dismayed by his position. They were much annoyed, at one time, by anonymous letters offering to reveal the true [p. 3] murderer for a certain sum, which raised momentary hopes to be crushed by the certainty that they could only be sent to extort money.
If acquitted I should think it impossible for the Dr to remain here – so their future is a most uncertain one.
We are passing the vacation very quietly at home, enjoying just now Mrs Kemble’s readings, which are as wonderful & thrilling as ever. A few nights since she read before the Mercantile Library Association Henry’s “Building of the Ship,” which she has desired to do ever since she came. She prefaced it with a few words stating the wish she felt to read it to a Boston audience, & then gave it with magnificent effect. Her genius & feeling seize always every good point, & give them the fullest expression, & the music of verse is always rightly rendered. It was a rather trying occasion for me, sitting in that immense audience of 3.000 but I got through it better than I expected & so did Henry. She stood up & delivered it off with great spirit.
[p. 4] We have had a remarkably mild winter, almost too much so for our furnace-heated houses, & tempting as your bouquets of roses & dishes of green peas sound, or look on paper, I fear I should sadly droop in a southern winter. I need all the bracing of ours for the summer which succeeds. My father has had a bad cold for some weeks, & altho’ it is fast mending, he thinks of making it an excuse for a visit to the South, & proposes to sail next week for Charleston, with Jewett as companion, & will probably take N. Orleans on his way westward. Jewett is charmed with the plan & they both wish me very much to join them, but I cannot leave the children, nor take them so far. They have been remarkably well this winter, no colds nor troubles of any kind, even Jewett confesses the climate has been perfect & that he never felt so well. When the east winds come, I shall run away somewhere, not very far probably. I hear rarely from Annie. She has had much to trouble her & I know not what consolation to offer. Things could not be worse than they were, so I hope she feels them to be better. My sister & brother are still in London. They sent us lately a beautiful [p. 1 cross] illustrated edition of Evangeline published there with most exquisite wood-cuts. I am proud to see it in so fine a dress. Miss Bremer leaves us next week for the South. Hope you will see her. She is a dear, gentle, loving little soul. Poor Lowell has just lost his youngest baby – Rose – from last summer. I wish this wer not so very dull a letter much love to Ann Sophia & James. ever yr
affte Fanny E.L.
Dr Beck has decided to resign his Professorship wishing more leisure for his studies. He will not leave Cambridge however. Our gardener went on to N. O. I hope he has found something to do.
Henry’s Love
I have been a long time in thanking you, dear Mary, for your most welcome letter, but after the painful excitement we were all under when I last wrote came a reaction of stupor & weariness on my part which made me reject every exertion. But as you have now no other correspondent, I suppose, in Cambridge, I hope you have not reproached me for being so long silent about your friends, of whom you must have been most anxious to hear. In truth we have all here indulged ourselves with the hope that something would come to light to cheer this dreadful mystery, but as time goes on we are forced to accustom our minds to the gloomiest thoughts. Dr W’s trial is now, I believe to take [p. 2] place in March, & it will be almost a relief to have it over, what ever may be the results. The lawyers are of opinion, I understand, that the nature of the evidence cannot convict him, strong as it is, - but I fear people’s minds will never clear him unless some wonderful revelation in his favor turns up. His poor family are struggling to support themselves in various ways. One of the girls teaches drawing, another music, & they take in sewing, but of course this barely pays their daily expenses. Mrs W. keeps very retired – no one has seen her I believe, but the girls speak freely of their father, of his beautiful letters to them, & are so sure of his innocence that, although they have seen the details of the accusation, they do not seem dismayed by his position. They were much annoyed, at one time, by anonymous letters offering to reveal the true [p. 3] murderer for a certain sum, which raised momentary hopes to be crushed by the certainty that they could only be sent to extort money.
If acquitted I should think it impossible for the Dr to remain here – so their future is a most uncertain one.
We are passing the vacation very quietly at home, enjoying just now Mrs Kemble’s readings, which are as wonderful & thrilling as ever. A few nights since she read before the Mercantile Library Association Henry’s “Building of the Ship,” which she has desired to do ever since she came. She prefaced it with a few words stating the wish she felt to read it to a Boston audience, & then gave it with magnificent effect. Her genius & feeling seize always every good point, & give them the fullest expression, & the music of verse is always rightly rendered. It was a rather trying occasion for me, sitting in that immense audience of 3.000 but I got through it better than I expected & so did Henry. She stood up & delivered it off with great spirit.
[p. 4] We have had a remarkably mild winter, almost too much so for our furnace-heated houses, & tempting as your bouquets of roses & dishes of green peas sound, or look on paper, I fear I should sadly droop in a southern winter. I need all the bracing of ours for the summer which succeeds. My father has had a bad cold for some weeks, & altho’ it is fast mending, he thinks of making it an excuse for a visit to the South, & proposes to sail next week for Charleston, with Jewett as companion, & will probably take N. Orleans on his way westward. Jewett is charmed with the plan & they both wish me very much to join them, but I cannot leave the children, nor take them so far. They have been remarkably well this winter, no colds nor troubles of any kind, even Jewett confesses the climate has been perfect & that he never felt so well. When the east winds come, I shall run away somewhere, not very far probably. I hear rarely from Annie. She has had much to trouble her & I know not what consolation to offer. Things could not be worse than they were, so I hope she feels them to be better. My sister & brother are still in London. They sent us lately a beautiful [p. 1 cross] illustrated edition of Evangeline published there with most exquisite wood-cuts. I am proud to see it in so fine a dress. Miss Bremer leaves us next week for the South. Hope you will see her. She is a dear, gentle, loving little soul. Poor Lowell has just lost his youngest baby – Rose – from last summer. I wish this wer not so very dull a letter much love to Ann Sophia & James. ever yr
affte Fanny E.L.
Dr Beck has decided to resign his Professorship wishing more leisure for his studies. He will not leave Cambridge however. Our gardener went on to N. O. I hope he has found something to do.
Henry’s Love
Archives Number: 1011/002.001-020#002
U. S. National Park Service
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Correspondence (1011/002), (LONG-SeriesName)
, Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, 1850 (1011/002.001-020), (LONG-FileUnitName)
, Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, 1850 (1011/002.001-020), (LONG-FileUnitName)
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Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Code: LONG
Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Latitude: 42.3769989013672, Longitude: -71.1264038085938
Latitude: 42.3769989013672, Longitude: -71.1264038085938
NPS Museum Number Catalog : LONG 20257
Title: Finding Aid to the Frances Elizabeth Appleton Longfellow (1817-1861) Papers, 1825-1961 (bulk dated: 1832-1861)
URL: https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/archives.htm#FEAL
URL: https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/archives.htm#FEAL
2016-01-30
02/14/1850
Manuscript letter in Frances Appleton Longfellow Papers, Series II. Correspondence, A. Outgoing, 1850. (1011/002.001-020#002)
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Organization: Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Address: 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Email: LONG_archives@nps.gov
Address: 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Email: LONG_archives@nps.gov
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:55:04 PM
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 5:55:04 PM
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