| Title: | Candee (n. O'Brien), Maria Wright to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1848 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6169 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/172 |
| Year | 1848 |
| Sender | Candee (n. O'Brien), Maria Wright |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Buffalo, NY, USA |
| Destination | Collins, Lake Erie, NY, USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | daughter-mother |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1257 |
| Genre | cholera, family news |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Buffalo July 30th 1848 My Dear Mother I suppose you all feel anxious to hear from us and to know how we are getting along in these sickly times; I may say astonishingly well and I cannot say we have any fear of having the Cholera, though we have a great deal of it in town: though mostly confined to the eastern and lower part of the City, very few cases having occured in our immediate vicinity and those in every instance brought on by imprudence in regard to diet. We are very careful in that respect, eating nothing in the shape of either vegetables or fruit. We keep Dr. Hills medicine in the house and whenever we feel the slightest symptom of pain in the stomach or bowels, take some of it and it sets us all to rights immediately. Dr Hill has more that he can do and I saw him yesterday. He told me he had not lost a single case yet and had not known a failure of his medicine where it had been properly administered, it is gaining him a great name: his Clerk told Cortes one day last week they had sold more than 60 dollars worth that day. He has orders for it from all parts, even as far as New Orleans and all the western cities. So thee need not trouble about us: we have an almost infalible remedy always at hand. We have from 40 to 100 cases per day and the death averageing about one third. I suppose there a great many cases not reported to the board of Health. Dr Hill says he does not report any of his cases at all: I suppose he thinks it only alarms people and a great many have it just from excessive fear. I have known of two or three such instances. I cannot say that I have felt much alarmed but in one instance, a young woman, a teacher in one of the public schools, came home from school one afternoon after having taught all day, was taken in about an hour after and died at 12 oclok the next day and was intered at 7 o'clock in the evening. She lived only 3 doors from us and it was so sudden and she was taken to the grave before she was cold. It seemed to shock me and indeed the whole neighborhood and cast a gloom over us that took several days to dissipate. But I knew it would never do to give way to such feelings & now as we have not had any deaths since that in our neighborhood (tho' some among our acquaintance), we do not feel any alarm at present. Zanna and Henrietta are here yet, but are going next fifth day if nothing happens - and as soon as Cortes can leave we will come out for a short time — though it is not thought best here to do so, as several who went visit in the country for a while and then came back have had it very badly and some have died; so that it is not thought best to go out unless one can stay there. Business is very dull indeed, almost nothing doing, though Cortes has been busy with jobs till just now, and now they are fitting up a new set of machines and are going to commence making up stock for fall trade as they expect to do a better business in selling in the fall than at any other season. I feel pretty well most of the time though not very strong, and Cortes never was so well a summer since I knew him. Hntta has been well with the exception of one day even since thee saw us in Hamburgh. We staid all night in H that time it rained and C thought it would not be best for me to go home in the damp night air, and we had a delightful drive into town next morning. I think our jaunt did us all good and we enjoyed it very much indeed. Augt 1st Charles [Candee] is here sick and he was so much worse yesterday we had the Dr. to him twice and I did not get time to finish my letter. His sickness in the first place was a slight attack of Cholera and then he was careless about his Diet and took a heavy cold, and for the last 24 hours has been very sick though this morning he is more comfortable. There is a great deal of sickness still: yesterdays report was 57 cases and 11 deaths, an unusually small number as it is about one third generally. We heard this morning of the death of William Williams (the Druggist) and his wife by Cholera under painful circumstances. His wife started for the Niagara Falls in the morning to spend a few days in ... [good?] health and before she arrived there she was taken sick; on arriving there they Telegraphed immediately to her husband and he went down on the afternoon Train. By the time he got there he was so sick he could not see his wife and there are both to be brought up today In their coffins. Is it not a shocking thing indeed? We have not heard any of the particulars yet but most likely they had been imprudent about their diet or something of the kind. How are the children getting on. I hope they are not very troublesome. Oh! I am so glad they are not here now: there are a great many deaths among children of their ages. Henrietta is older and their is not so much danger of her. I have felt very anxious about thee, ever since I saw thee in H, as thee was so poorly then. Thee will have to get some one to take the burden off thee or thee cannot stand it long so. Tell the boys I would like to see some of them down, but I do not think it would be best for thee to think of coming, even to stay over night, though I would be glad to see thee. But the Dr says it is worse for those coming in from the country than those who live here, particularly those who are not very well before coming. When we can leave we will come out in the stage. Charles is so sick I think Ziadana will not go out untill seventh day at least. If thee should conclude to take a little girl to bring up, I know of one thee can have any time between now and fall. She is Jane Hales sister, younger than her. Her mother lives here in town and come to see me about her 3 or 4 weeks ago. She says she wd like very much thee should have her, as she prefers having her brought up in the country; and on a farm she says she is smarter if anything than Jane and very ambitious to learn everything that she can, and is very large of her age which is between 10 and 11 years. August 2nd I finish off in haste to send it to the office. Charles is, we are in hopes, some better but still pretty sick. Love to all and a kiss for the children. Henrietta sends a kiss to Grandma and her little brother and sister. Poor child, she is so lonely without them. Afftly Maria W. Candee |
