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Frances (Appleton) Longfellow to Thomas Gold Appleton, 28 November 1846
Manuscript letter
Craigie House. Nov 28th 1846
Dearest Tom,
I fear some of our letters never reached you, but now you are a fixture in one place, trust we shall be more fortunate, & that you will not punish us by further silence. I am very glad you had the good fortune to secure such a pleasant associate as Austin, & hope you are enjoying Paris with the renewed spirits bestowed by the water cure, which returns the compliment paid to Undine of a soul by restoring to humanity a better body. Mary seems to have greatly enjoyed your visit & Austins, & writes as if she had almost recovered her former self. Your packages arrived safely, & caused much pleasure. The Raphael is a wonderfully mellow lithograph, & the Talbotypes quite surpass Daguerre. I wish this house could be so taken for Mary. Charlie & Erny amuse themselves every day after dinner with the blocks, & their Mamma no less, who constructs famous Gothic cottages & castles. Àpropos of [p. 2] architecture our parish has been quite insulted, it thinks, by Signor Upjohn the architect. He was requested to make a design for the new church they are to have, Federal St being invaded by the Mammon He gave answer that after “prayerful consideration” he must decline, on conscientious scruples, not regarding Unitarians as Christians, & being unwilling to desecrate his art by devoting himself to anything but a Xtian temple, or something to that effect. This seems the narrowest bigotry, but has also a poetical side – this high regard for his art & religion. It has been burlesqued cleverly in the Daily.
Aunt William’s ball went off brilliantly, with an unusual display of fair “comeouters” – Hatty at their head. Marian Shaw & Lizzie Prescott with many others I knew not, & floated out to deep water with a whole shoal of young beaux but yesterday in petticoats.
Pretty Mrs Thayer’s mother, Mrs Van Rensaellaer, a stately, still handsome woman, was there with her daughter, & divers English people who had come from Canada to assist at Miss Dixon’s marriage. She has wedded the Mayor of Toronto. Miss Coolidge has returned in great beauty. & [p. 3] She denies the letter in the Times, but it may be her’s [sic] notwithstanding. Ned Motley was at the ball with his wife, & Iasigis without his. She has just presented him with a little Ajeeb or Fatima, I know not which. Healey & his wife are established at the boarding house in Beacon St, & your bedroom is resigned to him for Father’s great picture. He is at work on it, & has the figure chalked on the big canvass with a calico press behind it, & a factory in the distance through an open door, which I tell him must be very much subdued. We dined in town Thanksgiving day with General Cass, the jolly God of war, who has certainly gained greatly in rotundity since I saw him. We talked over Paris days, & Father playfully glanced upon the tariff, which he, you know, is very hostile to, so between us peace people & the “great manufacturer” he was drolly situated. Henry says he consoles himself for losing the Oregon war by murdering the Queen’s English as valiantly as possible. He ran away from us early to deliver a lecture at Salem. It was a cold, dismal day, the first snow chilling the air, so that I could not but recall merrier Thanksgivings in the olden time.
We found Aunt Sam walking about the room, & coming forward to greet us as if her long confinement were a horrid dream. It is a miraculous cure [p. 4 bottom] & some saint deserves a waxen knee as trophy – Emmeline has gone to New York, & I trust hears something comforting. Her last news was the best she has ever had, but she is afraid to be too much cheered by it for fear of greater disappointment afterwards. She is sadly depressed & desponding, & I hope it will be a relief to her to be with her fair sisters-in-law & a house full of children. Their entire sympathy will alone be a consolation, & she will not be left so much by her- [p. 4 top] self to brood over her trial, & feel its full weight unassisted. I long to hear how the young maiden, your Paris friends are so interested in, bears the shock of her lover’s utter unworthiness. Poor girl! what a waste of her heart’s gold which can never enrich her as it has done - & will seem accursed unless reconsecrated on God’s altar. I hope you did not miss Mrs Rich. Have you heard of Susan Gilliat’s sad death? It has brought back to me [p. 1 cross] the vision of beauty & elegance she was at our house, & many faded pictures of the past are rekindled. She leaves 8 children!
Her death was very sudden. She had, apparently, only a cold of a few days standing & her mother taking leave of her for the night said “I think you will have a quiet rest-“ yes,’ said she, “but pray remove this veil from my eyes.” It was Death, & in a few minutes all was over. She has been long feeble & a slight illness was too much for her –
Pray write me as often as you can & tell us all you are doing & seeing –
With kind regards to Austin & your other friends ever thy loving
Fan.
Henry’s love
30th Nov – Emmeline writes me that she has seen her husband & that he bore it so well he is to join them – that alone is a blessed & most cheering change.
You will see by the papers of the sad wreck of the Atlantic on her way to N. York.
ADDRESSED: T. G. APPLETON ESQ. / CARE OF MESSRS GREENE & GO. / PLACE ST. GEORGE. / PARIS. / FRANCE
STAMPED: COLONIES / &C. ART.13.
STAMPED: FORWARDED BY / HARNDEN & CO. / BOSTON.
POSTMARK: CD / 17DE17 / 1846
POSTMARK: [ILLEGIBLE] DEC 28 / BOULOGNE
Dearest Tom,
I fear some of our letters never reached you, but now you are a fixture in one place, trust we shall be more fortunate, & that you will not punish us by further silence. I am very glad you had the good fortune to secure such a pleasant associate as Austin, & hope you are enjoying Paris with the renewed spirits bestowed by the water cure, which returns the compliment paid to Undine of a soul by restoring to humanity a better body. Mary seems to have greatly enjoyed your visit & Austins, & writes as if she had almost recovered her former self. Your packages arrived safely, & caused much pleasure. The Raphael is a wonderfully mellow lithograph, & the Talbotypes quite surpass Daguerre. I wish this house could be so taken for Mary. Charlie & Erny amuse themselves every day after dinner with the blocks, & their Mamma no less, who constructs famous Gothic cottages & castles. Àpropos of [p. 2] architecture our parish has been quite insulted, it thinks, by Signor Upjohn the architect. He was requested to make a design for the new church they are to have, Federal St being invaded by the Mammon He gave answer that after “prayerful consideration” he must decline, on conscientious scruples, not regarding Unitarians as Christians, & being unwilling to desecrate his art by devoting himself to anything but a Xtian temple, or something to that effect. This seems the narrowest bigotry, but has also a poetical side – this high regard for his art & religion. It has been burlesqued cleverly in the Daily.
Aunt William’s ball went off brilliantly, with an unusual display of fair “comeouters” – Hatty at their head. Marian Shaw & Lizzie Prescott with many others I knew not, & floated out to deep water with a whole shoal of young beaux but yesterday in petticoats.
Pretty Mrs Thayer’s mother, Mrs Van Rensaellaer, a stately, still handsome woman, was there with her daughter, & divers English people who had come from Canada to assist at Miss Dixon’s marriage. She has wedded the Mayor of Toronto. Miss Coolidge has returned in great beauty. & [p. 3] She denies the letter in the Times, but it may be her’s [sic] notwithstanding. Ned Motley was at the ball with his wife, & Iasigis without his. She has just presented him with a little Ajeeb or Fatima, I know not which. Healey & his wife are established at the boarding house in Beacon St, & your bedroom is resigned to him for Father’s great picture. He is at work on it, & has the figure chalked on the big canvass with a calico press behind it, & a factory in the distance through an open door, which I tell him must be very much subdued. We dined in town Thanksgiving day with General Cass, the jolly God of war, who has certainly gained greatly in rotundity since I saw him. We talked over Paris days, & Father playfully glanced upon the tariff, which he, you know, is very hostile to, so between us peace people & the “great manufacturer” he was drolly situated. Henry says he consoles himself for losing the Oregon war by murdering the Queen’s English as valiantly as possible. He ran away from us early to deliver a lecture at Salem. It was a cold, dismal day, the first snow chilling the air, so that I could not but recall merrier Thanksgivings in the olden time.
We found Aunt Sam walking about the room, & coming forward to greet us as if her long confinement were a horrid dream. It is a miraculous cure [p. 4 bottom] & some saint deserves a waxen knee as trophy – Emmeline has gone to New York, & I trust hears something comforting. Her last news was the best she has ever had, but she is afraid to be too much cheered by it for fear of greater disappointment afterwards. She is sadly depressed & desponding, & I hope it will be a relief to her to be with her fair sisters-in-law & a house full of children. Their entire sympathy will alone be a consolation, & she will not be left so much by her- [p. 4 top] self to brood over her trial, & feel its full weight unassisted. I long to hear how the young maiden, your Paris friends are so interested in, bears the shock of her lover’s utter unworthiness. Poor girl! what a waste of her heart’s gold which can never enrich her as it has done - & will seem accursed unless reconsecrated on God’s altar. I hope you did not miss Mrs Rich. Have you heard of Susan Gilliat’s sad death? It has brought back to me [p. 1 cross] the vision of beauty & elegance she was at our house, & many faded pictures of the past are rekindled. She leaves 8 children!
Her death was very sudden. She had, apparently, only a cold of a few days standing & her mother taking leave of her for the night said “I think you will have a quiet rest-“ yes,’ said she, “but pray remove this veil from my eyes.” It was Death, & in a few minutes all was over. She has been long feeble & a slight illness was too much for her –
Pray write me as often as you can & tell us all you are doing & seeing –
With kind regards to Austin & your other friends ever thy loving
Fan.
Henry’s love
30th Nov – Emmeline writes me that she has seen her husband & that he bore it so well he is to join them – that alone is a blessed & most cheering change.
You will see by the papers of the sad wreck of the Atlantic on her way to N. York.
ADDRESSED: T. G. APPLETON ESQ. / CARE OF MESSRS GREENE & GO. / PLACE ST. GEORGE. / PARIS. / FRANCE
STAMPED: COLONIES / &C. ART.13.
STAMPED: FORWARDED BY / HARNDEN & CO. / BOSTON.
POSTMARK: CD / 17DE17 / 1846
POSTMARK: [ILLEGIBLE] DEC 28 / BOULOGNE
Archives Number: 1011/002.001-016#013
U. S. National Park Service
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Correspondence (1011/002), (LONG-SeriesName)
, Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, 1846 (1011/002.001-016), (LONG-FileUnitName)
, Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001), (LONG-SubseriesName)
, 1846 (1011/002.001-016), (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
2016-08-08
11/28/1846
Manuscript letter in Frances Appleton Longfellow Papers, Series II. Correspondence, A. Outgoing, 1846. (1011/002.001-016#013)
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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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