| Title: | Sinton, Joseph to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1819 |
|---|---|
| ID | 5970 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/20 |
| Year | 1819 |
| Sender | Sinton, Joseph |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | merchant |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Wilkesbarre, near Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | uncle-niece |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1211 |
| Genre | being busy, friends, business, bachelorhood, family |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Past 11 o'clock - in my Den Wilkesbarrie Augt 25th [1819] My Dear Niece I partly promised and fully intended answering thine of 19th Ulto. before this time, not because I had any thing of importance to communicate but to convince thee that though absent thou art not forgotten. But since it came to hand I have had some pretty troublesome & perplexing matters to engage my attention, particularly about the bridge; for though I refused to be a manager I still feel great anxiety on that subject & the board, knowing this, consult with me as if I belonged to it. At length a contract has been made with a new architect to rebuild the destroyed part & secure me whole in a better manner than ever, & hands are now at work, which makes that part of the town look lively once more & I am in hopes in about three months it will be passable again. The ramble in the woods to which thee alludes was accidental &c thy presence really wished for, notwithstanding thy doubts on that subject. A letter from thee would be really acceptable I have no doubt, in reply to the one thee received. S and E Cist frequently enquire for thee and desire their love to thee, the latter is going to start tomorrow up the rivet - her health still delicate. I often call there since she came to live at the corner & find her an agreeable acquaintance - so that I have not forgot then thy advice about leaving my den sometimes. I have visited several times McCoy's too, about which 1 get some hard rubs, which I bear like a stoic. I have also created some surprise by riding out frequently in the chair with M. G. [Mary Greeves], Yes - I hope the visit will be of service to her health. She has gained 3 lbs in weight since her arrival. We are all much pleased with het visit, having long known her many amiable qualities. Her brother James staid here but one day &C returned by way of Harris burg & Lancaster. Times as to business & money are more gloomy than ever here. The failure of the Silver Lake & some other banks has rendered what little money was in circulation here worth very little & will nearly put a stop to all kinds of business except the sheriff & constables. One comfort is I have no wife & children to be uneasy about & am not afraid but I can find a bite & sup for myself. This to be sure is but a miserable sort of comfort & some married folks tell me that pleasures arc increased & the weight of misfortune Lightened by having a wife to share the goods and evils of life with. I have no doubt but thy William can give me a dissertation on this subject & I propose to consult him when I see him-a visit to which I look forward wirh a great deal of pleasure, I assure thee: a bed similar to the one I had on the Pocono will be perfectly agreeable. I am glad the young Toad gets along so well. I became so fond of her that now whenever I see a little one I involuntarily get hold of it and wish thine was in its place. Somehow or other people begin to immagine that I am not such a callous cold hearted old curmudgeon as I have professed to be, although I seldom spare a fling at matrimony yet, & I am sorry to say that a great many couples may be found paired not matched who offer me fair game in this respect. Among the rest there are 4 or 5 women whose husbands have gone off lately who are daily plagueing me for letters - & some of them have been harnessed only from 6 months to 2 years. J. McCoy seems to bear his disappointment very well, is quite a gallant. I spare hi in. except by congratulating him on his lucky escape - but the family speak on the subject before him & others with perfect ease. I think if he feels as easy on the subject as he appears to do he has escaped well, but a smiling countenance may only conceal an aching heart & if he was really attached to his intended, a difference about the mode of tying the hard knot will hardly make a lasting separation. By the way, I am plagued a good deal by the people about his tallest sister, & she about me, which makes us both feel a little awkward when we meet, but I assure thee I am as heart whole as I have been for many years. As life is uncertain & my papers may sometime be read by others, I must request thee not to say anything in thy letters about S. that could be misundetstood by those who dont know me as well as thee does. I know when thee means a joke: others might not. More when we meet. I dont know what time I shall be down but when I have fixed upon the time will let thee know, least thee should be gadding about & I miss thee. I hope Lydia is well & single & still kind to thee & William. From what I hear of Aunt Mary there is not much danger of her grief at her loss throwing her into a consumption. What if I should call & endeavor to console her - her situation must be almost as lonely as mine. As Polly wrote lately I need say nothing about family affairs, which move on in the same harmonious order as usual. Brother Jacob has not had an attack of the cramp for a month until] yesterday & then not all over him. Polly gets fat & so does Phebe: & I, although I do not lead such a merry life as when thee used to visit my den, have not lost any flesh, although the weather has been untill within two days veiy warm. I rejoice that the necklace140 1 recommended has been of service for thy headache: perhaps it would be proper to make a new one, as perhaps the chief benefit is derived from the smell of the material. Sidney & Betsey have got an english family for neighbours. They have bought the next place below ours & are found much more agreeable associates than the dutch [i.e. deutsch, German] family who formerly lived there. I have had no ramble in the woods there of late - but there are few situations in which I am placed but what I often think of William & thee & the little Toad, who I hope thy next letter will inform me has got over the whooping & all other coughs & has teeth enough to crack nuts. A letter from William would also be very acceptable to me or any of the family, although I did plague him about the County Carlow. All the family join in love to you all. Believe me sincerely thy afft. Uncle Jo Ann O'Brien Care of William Fisher Wakefield near Germantown |
