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Aurelia Hale letters to her sister Sarah, and brother Horatio [Decimalized .01- .52]

52 letters covering New England transplant Aurelia Hale's travels in the South, including her views on slavery. Born in Connecticut, Aurelia moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1821, and later migrated to Washington County, Georgia, and then to Alabama...

GLC08934

to Horatio Hale

Letter to her brother Horatio upon reaching Savannah. She speaks extensively of their trip from New York, which lasted fifteen days due to their encountering bad weather. She mentions several social engagements she has had since reaching Savannah...

GLC08934.002

to Horatio Hale

Letter to her brother written to tell him about her first few days in Washington, GA. She reports that the news of her arrival spread quickly and that she has already had several social engagements, and that the boarding house in which she is staying...

GLC08934.003

to Sarah Hale

Letter to her sister, which is apparently the first since she left home. She describes quickly becoming accustomed to the lifestyle in Georgia and says that she prefers it, including the number of blacks in the area: she mentions that they "find it...

GLC08934.004

to Sarah Hale

There is an enclosed letter from Mary Ellsworth, who is also originally from the north. She has never met Sarah but urges her to visit soon. In Aurelia's letter to Sarah, she chastises her sister for taking so long to write, but expresses happiness...

GLC08934.005

to Sarah Hale

Letter to her sister in which she first speaks extensively about her social arrangements. She then goes on to speak against her sister's prospective marriage, instead favoring the idea that her sister come to Georgia and potentially meet a husband...

GLC08934.006

to Sarah W. Hale

She spends much of the legible part of the letter waxing poetic to her sister regarding her strong, positive feelings about her family, particularly her brother Horatio, and an overall positive outlook. Part of this letter is crosswritten.

GLC08934.007

to Sarah Woodbridge

Letter to her mother in which she speaks at length about the school she teaches, including about a recent school vacation during which she spent two weeks at the beach and an upcoming examination. She also speaks about her many social engagements and...

GLC08934.008

to Sarah W. Hale

She references a letter she received from Sarah on May 11, and later goes on to speak about the examination at the school she teaches at. She also talks about the death of her friend Harriett, and says that she does not regret her friend's death...

GLC08934.009

to Sarah W. Hale

She spends some times talking family matters, including news about their sister Abigail and brother James, as well as a discussion about names. She also mentions wanting to send her mother, Sarah, and their sister A. (Abigail?) trinkets. The third...

GLC08934.010

to Sarah W. Hale

This letter talks about a Reverend Mr. Webster, who will be visiting Hartford for a short period of time and who she hopes will deliver this letter in person and make Sarah's acquaintanceship.

GLC08934.011

to Sarah W. Hale

She talks extensively about her trip from Washington to White Hall to visit her friend Mary, including the a carriage breakdown and fording creeks with horses. She reports having a "delightful" time visiting Mary. She also mentions a gift for her...

GLC08934.012

to Sarah Worthington

Letter to her mother in which she discusses her job at the school and mentions that their rector has decided to leave to become the superintendent of an academy in Canadogua, NY, which the community seems to be saddened by. She also says that she has...

GLC08934.013

to Sarah W. Hale

In this, she apologizes for not answering her sister's letters in months, but says that she had "indispensable engagements" which kept her too occupied to find the time. It is unclear exactly what Sarah wrote in her letters, but Aurelia references...

GLC08934.014

to Sarah W. Hale

This letter appears to have been written in response to a letter from Sarah notifying her of their mother's death. Aurelia says that she is glad that their mother's "days of sorrow and trouble are ended," and expresses some of her fond memories of...

GLC08934.015

to Sarah W. Hale

She discusses her work in education at the academy, which she describes as "arduous" but also notes that she is "richly compensated" for her services. She also mentions that the number of applicants that her school receives is far greater than the...

GLC08934.017

to Sarah Worthington

She apologizes for her negligence in answering letters but assures her that it is not for lack of affection, but lack of time. She expresses sympathy and concern to her mother regarding both her and Aurelia's sister Sarah's ill health, and hopes that...

GLC08934.018

to Sarah Woodbridge

First letter to her mother upon arriving in Georgia. She briefly mentions her trip from Hartford, which took exactly four weeks, and goes on to discuss her social engagements and upcoming work at the academy as a teacher. She wishes she could write...

GLC08934.020

to Sarah W. Hale

This letter was sent to her sister shortly after their mother's passing. She spends a good deal of time talking about the concept of death in general, saying: "We shall soon, my dear sister, reach the ocean of eternity. A few more days of sorrow and...

GLC08934.021

to James W. Hale

She appears to have received word of their brother's death, and is very upset by the news because she considered herself quite close to him. She also expresses worry that he did not die a Christian, saying that if she was confident that he had, she...

GLC08934.022

to Sarah W. Hale

This is the first letter sent to her sister Sarah since Aurelia's relocation from Washington, GA to Mount Ariel, SC. Sarah's last letter took many weeks to reach her, but has finally arrived. She briefly talks about her experience settling into a new...

GLC08934.024

to Horatio Hale

Letter to her brother Horatio, sent upon docking in New York on her way to Georgia. She talks briefly about life on board the ship, including dining with several men from her hometown of Hartford, and complains that they docked in New York three...

GLC08934.001

to Horatio Hale

This letter to her brother may have gotten wet at some point, because much of the text is blurred and difficult to read. She mentions concerns about "negroes" several times during the letter, saying that an area which she traveled to (the name is...

GLC08934.019

to Sarah W. Hale

This appears to be the first letter to her sister in many months. She speaks at length about matrimony and says that she has spent eighteen months deliberating on it. She says that she has been reflecting on whether to "marry a respectable, pious and...

GLC08934.025

to Sarah W. Hale

She expresses that she is deeply unhappy with their move to Mount Meigs following her husband buying land in the area, saying that although being a planter in the area can be very lucrative (which she measures in money and in number of slaves), it is...

GLC08934.026

to Sarah W. Hale

She is sad that she is separated from her friends and family, and urges her sister to come visit if her physcians will permit it, and asks if their brother James can loan them the money for travel or if she will have to borrow it. She also suggests...

GLC08934.027

to Sarah W. Hale

She addresses the logistics of her sister Sarah's planned visit and promises to pay the full cost. She enclosed $50 with the letter and promises to send another $50 soon. She expresses concern for Sarah's health, writing that she hopes it will...

GLC08934.028

to Sarah W. Hale

She encloses another $50 in this letter as promised, and continues to plan for her sister's arrival. She also speaks at length about the comforts of their home, including a "very valuable negro woman" who keeps the house "well attended to." She hopes...

GLC08934.029

to Sarah W. Hale

She continues to plan for her sister's arrival. She is very excited that they can "meet on this side of the grave again." A drought has made the river low, so Aurelia suggests her sister remain in Mobile until the steamboats start to run again. She...

GLC08934.030

to Sarah W. Hale

This letter was written shortly after Sarah departed from Alabama. In it, Aurelia says that she hopes Sarah was able to avoid the storm that came about a week after she left, which appears to have destroyed much of her property. She describes several...

GLC08934.031

to Sarah W. Hale

Aurelia is very glad to hear that Sarah managed to avoid the storm. It was followed by a drought, and they were afraid the crops would fail, but there has been rain this week. Her husband, Jefferson, has been trying to find work for Horatio, who has...

GLC08934.032

to Sarah W. Hale

The letter is dated August 26, but there is a notation halfway down the first page that much of it was written August 30. In the first part, she writes that there has been a good deal of rain and wind. In the second part, she writes that the cotton...

GLC08934.034

to Sarah W. Hale

This letter is dated September 2, but on the third page a notation indicates that several paragraphs were added on September 16. In the part of the letter dated September 2, Aurelia says that the Sabbath is often the only day she has time to write...

GLC08934.035

to Sarah W. Hale

This letter is dated November 18, but on the third page a notation indicates that a paragraph was added on November 24. In the part dated November 18, she apologizes for not answering Sarah's letters, and says that the reason for her silence was...

GLC08934.036

to Sarah W. Hale

She begins by apologizing for not writing sooner, but says that shortly after she started a letter, she was called away to see her cousin Frank, who appeared to be on his deathbed. He became delirious and spoke about God and the Devil, but appears to...

GLC08934.038

to Sarah W. Hale

She is sending the letter along with one she has written to Horatio. She is planning to visit the North, and will be bringing as little as possible because the fashions might be different. She says that she is not dreading the "fatigues of the...

GLC08934.039

to Sarah W. Nichols

She apologizes for not writing, but says that she lacked the energy to do so over the hot summer months. She continues to talk about going North, and believes that her husband will send both her and their daughter Sarah next year. She responds to...

GLC08934.040

to Sarah W. Nichols

She and Thomas are still trying to save money for the trip up North, which she hopes he will join her on. In the meantime, he is often away in Mobile, where he has bought two building lots, while she oversees the plantation. Their son Thomas is...

GLC08934.043

to Sarah W. Nichols

They will not be going North this spring after all, because Thomas has to go to New Orleans to buy property and pursue business, and rather than go alone, Aurelia wants to accompany him. They also hope to visit his brother while they are traveling.

GLC08934.044

to Sarah W. Nichols

Aurelia is having trouble with her "domestic affairs," including two slaves running away. She also speaks about her husband's business and their brother James.

GLC08934.046

to Sarah W. Nichols

This is apparently the first time Aurelia has written to Sarah in about eighteen months, though she thinks her husband has written more recently. She reports that she and her husband lost two more babies: John Joseph and Aurelia Ada, and that he was...

GLC08934.048