Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Ward, Artemas, 1727-1800 to Maria Ward

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01782 Author/Creator: Ward, Artemas, 1727-1800 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 6 1792 Pagination: 2 p. ; 22 x 19 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Massachusetts Congressman Ward to his daughter Maria. Says he should write more often, but he is old and his hand shakes. Remarks that he finds the situation in Philadelphia is not to his liking saying "I can enjoy but little pleasure in this place, it is unhealthy, the people immoral and disagreeable. There is more pleasure to be had in New England by far than in this part of the Union." Complains the common people are ignorant and carry only for money. Says parents in Philadelphia need to be better guides for their children. On recto is a note in a different hand that says "Gen Ward to his sister." This is false, the closing of the letter says "your affectionate father."

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources