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Fanny and Mary Appleton to Charles Appleton, 4 January no year
Manuscript letter
Boston – Wednesday – Jan 4 th
I am extremely sorry, my dear little Charley, that you have not received a letter from me yet, for I have been very naughty not to write you before; but, the truth is, that I have either been, or fancied myself so much engaged since you returned to R. H. that I have not found leisure to write the whole of a letter to you. But, I shall endeavor to be more punctual in future. I am very much obliged to you for writing to me, even when I did not answer your letters, and I feel quite ashamed that I have increased the danger of losing my reputation of “the only sensible one of [crossed out] the family,” because I wrote you when the rest did not – Mother wrote you quite a long letter last week or the week before, and I thought I would not write you at the same time, for, as we are rather remiss in our epistolary attentions to you, you would prefer having our letters separately, and not “en masse” – and I have [p. 2] therefore deferred writing until now – Now, as I do not wish to fill my letter with excuses for not writing, and promises of amendment for the future, I will leave this subject. We were very happy to receive the newspaper you sent us. It was quite interesting, and I should think the boys would succeed very well in their plan – I carried it out to Cambridge, and Thomas took possession of it, and still has it. He has an idea of writing for it, as he thinks his support will aid it very much. I suppose if he were – possibly to send any thing to you, you could have it delivered to the Editor, without any suspicion of the source from which it came? Now do you not think it is time for me to mend my pen? I think so indeed, myself. Evening. We received this afternoon your letter, and the second number of the paper. I think they improve somewhat. I suppose this plan of having a paper printed is very pleasant to the boys, and, Father says he saw it mentioned in one of the Boston papers. I suppose the Fathers of some of the boys, who have heard of the plan, or had some papers sent them, told of it. Father & Mother have just gone to Mrs Saml Elliot’s grand ball, which is Mother’s first appearance in company for a great while. I assure you she looked quite splendid, & very handsome, besides. There seem to be [p. 3] a great many parties [cut off] for I hear of a new one almost every day. Mrs Otis, the Lady Mayoress, had quite a fashionable tea-party, last week. Miss Marshall was present at it, for she returned from Philadelphia, the day before, where she has been staying with her sister, & she looked, as usual, bellisima. Aunt Sam, went to it; and was, I heard, quite a belle. She looked very much like a Duchess, having a very rich garnet-coloured dress on – By the way, I suppose you heard of the Fancy Ball they had in New York. Miss Marshall was there, in the character of “Sweet Mistress Anne Page”, from Shakespeare; & I heard that she looked & acted the character very well. I intend to give Thomas a scolding for not writing you, he is, as you say, very lazy. He has written one or two letters to Jewett, which I believe form the extent of his epistolary communications, this term. Father imagined that you wrote the piece in your last paper, about shutting the doors, because it contained your favourite word, most instead of almost – but perhaps this word is patronised by the Round-Hillers – I intended to have Fanny to fill out this letters, as I feel remarkably Stupid this evening, but, as I see I have nearly filled it myself, she must write in any corner she can find – [cut out] shocking writing is almost inexcusable, but you must not expect any decent from me, for I cannot take time to write properly
Good-bye yr affectionate Mary A
[p. 4] My little champion of old (Mary wrote this) I suppose, you will discard me, entirely, for not writing to you, sooner, but, I do not know what excuse to make, that you will approve. We received the newspapers, and I liked them, very much and I hope you will send them to us often and I also hope that you will write in them yourself for I should like to see something written by you. I wish you were here to make me a snow fort but I am afraid you would not find much snow to make it of we have had so little snow this winter we have just had a snow-storm but a very light one yet the boys have taken advantage of it and have made a very good coast on the common – but would not equal by any means your coasts. I went to see Tom the other day and though he staid so long with you at Round Hill he has not learnt any of your habits of neatness for his room was in great confusion & when Mary asked to fix it he told her it was useless as it would be just as bad the next minute. As it is very late (after 10 I believe) I must bid you good bye yours. Fanny.
ADDRESSED: CHARLES SEDGWICK APPLETON / ROUND HILL. / NORTHAMPTON.
POSTMARK: BOSTON / FEB 5 / MS
ENDORSED: MARY & FANNY
I am extremely sorry, my dear little Charley, that you have not received a letter from me yet, for I have been very naughty not to write you before; but, the truth is, that I have either been, or fancied myself so much engaged since you returned to R. H. that I have not found leisure to write the whole of a letter to you. But, I shall endeavor to be more punctual in future. I am very much obliged to you for writing to me, even when I did not answer your letters, and I feel quite ashamed that I have increased the danger of losing my reputation of “the only sensible one of [crossed out] the family,” because I wrote you when the rest did not – Mother wrote you quite a long letter last week or the week before, and I thought I would not write you at the same time, for, as we are rather remiss in our epistolary attentions to you, you would prefer having our letters separately, and not “en masse” – and I have [p. 2] therefore deferred writing until now – Now, as I do not wish to fill my letter with excuses for not writing, and promises of amendment for the future, I will leave this subject. We were very happy to receive the newspaper you sent us. It was quite interesting, and I should think the boys would succeed very well in their plan – I carried it out to Cambridge, and Thomas took possession of it, and still has it. He has an idea of writing for it, as he thinks his support will aid it very much. I suppose if he were – possibly to send any thing to you, you could have it delivered to the Editor, without any suspicion of the source from which it came? Now do you not think it is time for me to mend my pen? I think so indeed, myself. Evening. We received this afternoon your letter, and the second number of the paper. I think they improve somewhat. I suppose this plan of having a paper printed is very pleasant to the boys, and, Father says he saw it mentioned in one of the Boston papers. I suppose the Fathers of some of the boys, who have heard of the plan, or had some papers sent them, told of it. Father & Mother have just gone to Mrs Saml Elliot’s grand ball, which is Mother’s first appearance in company for a great while. I assure you she looked quite splendid, & very handsome, besides. There seem to be [p. 3] a great many parties [cut off] for I hear of a new one almost every day. Mrs Otis, the Lady Mayoress, had quite a fashionable tea-party, last week. Miss Marshall was present at it, for she returned from Philadelphia, the day before, where she has been staying with her sister, & she looked, as usual, bellisima. Aunt Sam, went to it; and was, I heard, quite a belle. She looked very much like a Duchess, having a very rich garnet-coloured dress on – By the way, I suppose you heard of the Fancy Ball they had in New York. Miss Marshall was there, in the character of “Sweet Mistress Anne Page”, from Shakespeare; & I heard that she looked & acted the character very well. I intend to give Thomas a scolding for not writing you, he is, as you say, very lazy. He has written one or two letters to Jewett, which I believe form the extent of his epistolary communications, this term. Father imagined that you wrote the piece in your last paper, about shutting the doors, because it contained your favourite word, most instead of almost – but perhaps this word is patronised by the Round-Hillers – I intended to have Fanny to fill out this letters, as I feel remarkably Stupid this evening, but, as I see I have nearly filled it myself, she must write in any corner she can find – [cut out] shocking writing is almost inexcusable, but you must not expect any decent from me, for I cannot take time to write properly
Good-bye yr affectionate Mary A
[p. 4] My little champion of old (Mary wrote this) I suppose, you will discard me, entirely, for not writing to you, sooner, but, I do not know what excuse to make, that you will approve. We received the newspapers, and I liked them, very much and I hope you will send them to us often and I also hope that you will write in them yourself for I should like to see something written by you. I wish you were here to make me a snow fort but I am afraid you would not find much snow to make it of we have had so little snow this winter we have just had a snow-storm but a very light one yet the boys have taken advantage of it and have made a very good coast on the common – but would not equal by any means your coasts. I went to see Tom the other day and though he staid so long with you at Round Hill he has not learnt any of your habits of neatness for his room was in great confusion & when Mary asked to fix it he told her it was useless as it would be just as bad the next minute. As it is very late (after 10 I believe) I must bid you good bye yours. Fanny.
ADDRESSED: CHARLES SEDGWICK APPLETON / ROUND HILL. / NORTHAMPTON.
POSTMARK: BOSTON / FEB 5 / MS
ENDORSED: MARY & FANNY
Archives Number: 1011/002.001-001#008
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Courtesy of National Park Service, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site; Archives Number 1011/002.001-001#008
Public domain
Correspondence (1011/002), (LONG-SeriesName)
, Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, Early Letters (1011/002.001-001), (LONG-FileUnitName)
, Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, Early Letters (1011/002.001-001), (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
Unknown
Manuscript letter in Frances Appleton Longfellow Papers, Series II. Correspondence, A. Outgoing, Early Letters. (1011/002.001-001#008)
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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
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