Blackwell Family
Lucy Stone
Sister-In-Law
Stone, HarrietWest Brookfield Jan. 3d 1847

Very dear sister
you will excuse me
for not writing before, as you know my time
is pretty much ocupied and it is no small job for me
to write when there is time, so I shall make no more
excuses.  Father and mother are well and have just gone
to meeting; it is communion with them today.
Harriet and I are at home taking care of the baby as
usual, since Luther left we have had a 'sorry time'
with her, she was some unwell then, and continued to
grow worse for two or three weeks, untill it seamed as though
she would not live frome one hour to another, her complaint
was a diarrhea, we had doctor minick two or three 
times, at first his medicine did not seam to check the
diarrhea,  Finaly he gave a new medicine that he had
never given before to any one, He called it, Mack-muns
Elixir of opium. It checked the disease at wonce, yet he
thought she would not live, and so we all thought, But
a kind Providence ordered otherwise, and she is still alive, 
for which we ought to be thankful, we think she
is doing pretty well now, though she is the poorest little thing
you ever saw. When she was born she weighed 7 lbs & 7 oz.
The first day of Jan. she was six months old, and weighed
just five lbs & ten ounces. But she is gaining now about
two or three ounces a week. The least that she has weighed
was 5 lbs and 4 oz. Since she was sick she has been troubled with

Uncle Frank & Aunt Harriet
Jan. 3   1847a humor. But that is better than it has been. Her feet and
hands bloat some in consequence of the humor. She has had sores
in her head some, but none very lately, we don't think it has
made a fool of her yet, she begins to laugh again when we
talk to her, she was a case to laugh before she was sick,
we don't want to brag but we think she was about as likely an
one as could be scared up, and she is not to be sneezed at now,
Father tels the neighbors that before she was sick she was about
the prettiest little thing he ever saw. Well this is all nothing
after-all and I am taking up too much of this sheet about that
which you may not be so much interested in, so I will turn to
some thing else. It is some time since we have heard from Bo and Sarah
we some expect him down this week to attend some Peace conventions
to be held here and at Warren and Ware Walker told me the
other day that he had written him to come. Many
of us here are becoming peace men & women and are joining
the Lague of universal Brotherhood, we have looked
as yet, in vain for your name. Hope you have not become
a war man. Don't believe you have, but think you ought
to give your name. We recieved your papers. Thought the
piece why do we rejoice today pretty well got up.
If you think you have got brags enough and can do more good
by giving public lectures than any other way, I say go
into it, but mother don't like the idea, we want you should
come home after you get through at Oberlin, Think it is
hardly fair if you don't you spoke of W Philips review
of Govell. I have not seen g- argument nor Philips review
but I have seen Spooner's argument, which Philips


promised to review but never has, and probably never
will. My motto is moral & political action for the overthrow
of slavery. It was once the motto of old organizations.
Sunday the 10th you asked some questions in your's.
I don't now as I can remember them all, and the letter
the folks have sent to Gardner so I can't look at that.
You asked if I remember if the Liberty Party would not
join the Young Whighs of Boston; Liberty Party does
not join Old Whigs, nor Young Whigs nor Lords, nor
any thing else that is not true to the slave. The Liberty
Party is going down to an aweful rate in Brookfield
casting only 69 last fall being not quite double the
vote a year ago. But enough of this. Bo did not come down
to attend the Peace meetings. The meetings were
quite interesting. Walker went into it like a man
to a days work. He went nonresistance under all
sircumstances. Our little Harriet Frances gets along
nicely now. She has gained six oz since the first
day of Jan. Sleeps 2 & 3 & sometimes 4 & 5 hours at
a time. We mean to feed her about once in 3 hours
night & day. Her humor is out more now than it
sometimes is. We do nothing for it except to give her
some safron and anoint the places with Dalley's magical
pain extraction. 
Yours, Frank

11th Dear Sister Lucy, You don't know how good it
seems to get time to write a word or do any thing besides to take
care of my babe. Not but what I love to take care of it
but it is so tiresome to sit from morning till night &
perhaps till nearly morning again, holding a little worrisome
 sick baby and see every thing around that needs doing and
 not one moment of time to do it in and no one to call upon
 to do it for you. I think I know how to feel truly thankful
 for her being so quiet. She sleeps as much as I want her to sleep.
and I never have to rock her to sleep now. I take her up and
feed her & do whatever is necessary & lay her down again & she will
lay as quiet as can be, some of the time awake & some of the
time asleep until I take her up again, She is paying doubly 
I assure you for all the trouble she has made. 
Mother was sick yesterday with a diarrhea. She has had a 
good many such turns since last spring. You know she
had to work very hard the last year, & she is in a good
deal of trouble for fear that she may have to work as
hard the next year. She wont be obliged to if we take
the farm for I can have all the hope I need. I have two sisters 
one of whom will be seventeen years old & the other
fifteen & I can have one or even both of them if I
should need [them]. The one that will be seventeen is a
very good hand to do house work & a first rate hand
to take care of children, so you see that I shall be very 
well provided for with help if I have hers.
But I suppose mother will worry some until the work
comes on and she finds that she dont have it to do, 
Francis forgot to tell you that Mr. Estes Gilbert was dead. Did
Phebe tell you about their little son being drowned the 
fourth of last July. That was a greater trial to the family than
it was to bury the husband and father. There were nineteen
deaths in town the last year, some of them persons
whom I presume you never knew. Mary Barnes has lately
had a cancer cut out of her breast & is not likely to
live long. Ira's family are all well. Clarinda you will be 
happy to know is a very good girl indeed. Lucy if there
should be any probability of your changing your mind in 
regard to public speaking I hope will let mother
know it the first thing, for she feels dreadfully about it,
but Francis says you must not be frightened, Mother wants
to have you think of it & see if you dont think that you
can do more good teaching than by lecturing. And if you
think you must lecture, she wants to know if you dont
think you could do more good by going from house to house
as Harlan Page did. Mother says she believes you used to
think that that was the way to accomplish the greatest
amount of good, Do you hear anything from Luther & Phebe?
I think it is rather hard that we cant have [at] a letter from them
The invitation to attend the jubilee at Warren, came to our P.O
in a letter addressed to you. We thought we could not
send the whole [letter] sheet it it would make this so heavy. 
Harriet,West Brookfield, Jan 3, 1847
Very Dear Sister:
- - - - We received your papers.
Thought the piece "Why do we Rejoice Today,"
pretty well got up. If you think you
have got brass enough, and can do more
good by going publick lectures than any
other way, I say go into it. But Mother
don't like the idea; we want you should
come home after you get through at 
Oberline. - - - -
Yours Frank.
Lucy, if there should be any probability of you
changing your mind in regard to public
speaking, I hope you will let Mother know
it the first thing, for she feels dreadfully
about it, but Francis says you must not
be frightened. Mother wants to have you
think of it and see if you dont think that
you can do more good teaching than
by lecturing. And if you think you must
lecture, she wants to know if you dont
think you could do more good by going
from house to house as Harlan Page did.
Mother says she believes you used to think that
was the way to accomplish the greatest amount
of good. - - - -
Harriet.[*Stone Geneology*]
Pope's Hill, Apr. 17, 1893
Dear Harriet:
Thanks for your letter telling us
of the arrangement made with the young people.
I think it is very good for all concerned, but
you are rather too old and lame to take so
much of the hard work as will be inevitable,
with butter, cheese, and a baby. But Alice
is young and active, and she will take the
largest part of it. - - - - -
I want to know what office our grandfather
Stone held in the War of the Revolution
and what in Shays Rebellion. You have told
me once but I have lost the (memorandum)
There is no news here. We are all well,
and all very busy. The cause of Women's
Rights grows, and the women of Kansas have
set it spinning. By the time baby Robert
is a man all the women will be voting,
and helping, we hope, to make the world

better.
I was very much vexed when I found
Alice had put me into the Woman's Journal.
I have not forgiven her. We expect to be
in Chicago May 15th, and to be there at least
a week.
With best wishes for all, but especially for
my dear brother Frank.
L.S.
Pope's Hill, June 30, 1893
(Letter to Harriet & Frank)
- - - - I am not very well. For
the first time in my life my stomach seems
to give out, but I am better. - - - - 
(L.S.)