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- GLC#
- GLC01220
- Type
- Letters
- Date
- March 1776
- Author/Creator
- Jay, John, 1745-1829
- Title
- to Sarah Livingston Jay
- Place Written
- s.l.
- Pagination
- 4 p. : docket ; Height: 33.4 cm, Width: 20.4 cm
- Language
- English
- Primary time period
- American Revolution, 1763-1783
- Sub-Era
- The War for Independence
Written by Jay as a member of the Continental Congress to his wife Sarah, who he refers to as "Sally." References Sarah's letter from March 17, 1776 (date of creation inferred from this reference), which gave news of her and their son's improved health. Tells the story of the "Conch Shell Beauty" - a beautiful young woman he met in November 1775. Said he was traveling with Lewis Morris and that the good weather and roads induced them to walk to Gray's Ferry to dine. As they were having a fire made in a private room, they sat in the common room and spoke to people coming back from the market. They were talking when a beautiful 17-year-old girl in a coarse dress arrived to warm herself. She was "tall, extremely well made, and of most delicate and well proportioned features." He goes on to praise her features and personality further. They proceeded to have a flirtatious conversation in which she blushed repeatedly. Morris told the girl that he had a son close to her age and that he would like to send him to her for a visit, if she approved. She said it couldn't be true because she had no fortune. Jay replied by saying "that Industry, Beauty, and Innocence composed a Fortune more valuable than money, and that in those she was far from being poor." They then went to dinner, but could not convince her to join them. Then they left on good terms, very pleased with her. After they made a pact to not tell the name of the girl when they told the story because they feared others would seek her out to steal her virtue. So they nicknamed her the Conch Shell Beauty because her complexion was as beautiful as the inside of a conch shell.
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