BLACKWELL FAMILY Antoinette B. Blackwell 1869 — 1877 Blackwell, Lucy StoneCOPY (From Suffrage Archives to be deposited in Library of Congress) Eastport, Me., Oct. 31, 1869 Dear Nettie: .....We shall set to raise $10,000 to start a paper. I suppose you know the New England Woman Suffrage Association propose to take the "Agitator," call it the "Woman's Journal,"with Mrs. Livermore, Mrs. Howe, T. W. Higginson and Mr. Garrison as editors, if we can raise the money. If we do, I shall try and work through the paper for the future and quit the lecture field nearly altogether. It is not consistent with any home life or any proper care of my family. I feel it more and more, and shall certainly not continue this mode of work, tho' it is my natural way. But I long for a snug home by myself from which I can send out what I think, in some shape, not so effective for me perhaps, but on the whole better under the circumstances. If I were only a ready writer I should be so glad! LucyApr 1869 Monday Dear Lucy Alice came safely and is evidently happy. For the present we will keep her! The [?] [?] will remain till she begins to think of home. It must do her good on such a day as this. They are all out at least half the time. I will send the Revolution. Please keep the book notice for the Aug thing so complements should be preserved. Does mother hunger for the country on a day like! When she does her room shall be made ready for her on the briefestnotice and she will be affectionately welcome to enjoy it. Affectionately A. L. B. B. Antoinette B. Blackwell Apl. 69 n/aALBBl - Apr 1861 WLS Alice visit Somerville Sept 13th 1875 Dear Lucy Will it trouble you too much to put two or three Woman's Journals in your satchel and bring them to me in New York. Or if you have no room for them, then will you mail to me four numbers containing the first and second No's of Congress Papers, two of each. As we send our copy to the library, I have no paper with my own essay, and would like also to send one away elsewhere. If you will consider me a member of the Suffrage Association from this time on (I forget that the terms of admission are) I will payyour the admission fee in N York. Then if I remember right, I can be a speaking member, though perhaps that is a mistake and if so I must either get appointed as delegate or speak by courtesy. I never withdrew through intention, but I simply from neglect to pay the annual dues at a time when I was not present at an annual meeting; and if any one had dunned me for the fee, as they did in the Congress, I should have paid it. But finding myself out and dropped, I simply staid there. Now let me in again, as I shall have to desire to be counted out from the suffrage movement when the papers are saying that the women of the Congress are giving up suffrage. I hate the machinery of both the A. Association and the Congress, but have included that those who run societies must have their own way about that. I shall work with them "under protest" not public protest, only to you privately. I should really like to make a 15 minutes suffrage speech if my voice will make itself heard, and if I can speak when fresh from home, it ought to be as loud as in the old days. It was at Henrietta apparently, but at Syracuse I was tired from visiting and over excitement. If you can sandwich me in on the first evening, I will try, and if my voice will but make itself heard, I will stop in 8 minutes. Will that do? The Centennial sparring can come on next day, as I have not much to say on that subject and can reply easily enough on the spur of the moment. Affectionately always, or till we meet in N York AntoinetteNettee Somerville Oct 20 1875 Nettee Dear Henry and Lucy Ian must speak for himself, but I cannot go on to the marriage of George and Emma. I should like to though much more than you will think. It is not half so much time as means which must prevail, but both are at rather a low ebb. But I will be in New York at your suffrage meetings--ready to pick a mill with Lucy if that seems best to be done, to speak or not to speak there if that seems desirable. But not being a member of your organisation how can I be a delegate or ask to be sent as one. No I will be there ready for whatever turns up. New York is a hateful place to speak in for me at present with my deficient voice and the disuse of extemporaneous speaking. But in our smallish church at home I spoke wholly without notes and with as much ease [*I have never seen my driacase paper since it was published and don't know if it was printed correctly. You must judge, if I do not get sera papers with it. It was 2 be sent me but has not just comeas ever before in my life. At Syracuse once trying to make extemporaneous remarks I couldnt get the hang of it but once I could fairly well. So in that line I am at present very unreliable. If you have an ample force I don't care to speak But Miss Eastman has probably told that Mrs Livermore will not be present and there will be many counter currents to meet in New York. So get all the force you can. I like Mrs. Churchill! Mrs [Howe] of course will be present etc Jane O Deforest writes asking, me to have a meeting there, enroute to your Convention. Well make it a success I want to have a long talk with you when we meet. You know that there is a yet inchoate project for getting up a woman's daily paper in New York, Mrs Croly a practical Journalist as principal Editor That is what has taken Mrs Livermore off but dont quote me as authority for it is with only surmise Most affectionately Nette I vas so busy at the time and the papers vere all sold before I could get one; but understand they would all be sent to the Journal, and published there Ant Brown to Lucy Sept 13 1875 on membership in Suff Assn. and lecturing for suffrage [&BYS*] Nellie to Lucy Sept. 24, 1877 Congress at Cleveland Lucy to report on Colorado family matters-- Edith & Florence [*BYS*] Antoinette to Lucy Oct 15 1877 plans for Florence Mrs Churchill Mrs Wm Southworth Cleveland O [*BYS*] BMS [check mark]FROM THE DESK OF MRS. STANTIAL (?) Notice 1877? Somerville Dept. (?) Dear Lucy, We hope you are planning to be at the Congress at Cleveland. This May has especially (?) (?) if you can (?) stop (?) on return from (?) Your Mass suffrage meeting (?) (?) is to be on the 4th July (?) impact just then? However, (?) can go (?) to (?) and you remain at Cleveland can you not! This is to be a good deal of dis(??????) Mrs. (?) has many rooms for staying (?) and still (?) at (B?????)doubtless, as you can be excused I am sure and help us. We have some good papers but must depend much more than last year on the Speakers. And we wish to hear about Colorado! Will you give or send the enclosed card to Miss P. I hope you are having a glorious time. It is hard of course; but there are many compensations. We have read your and Harrys letters and pronounced them capital. Edie is studying with her father and me till January, when she will go to Swarthmore if all is well. The younger children are all in school. If I did not thank you for your kind invitation to Edith, then I do so now very cordially. She is so silent and shy she would not be a very pleasant inmate of your home I fear. She is a nice girl, but peculiar and in the green uncompromising age. She had better go quite away strangers for a time. Sam is still trying to sell or rent, and we are all working at the scores of things which occupy people over much. Florence has quite given up her Scotchman Sam wrote and received some letters praising himextremely: but one quite unsatisfactory and Floren felt it, as ve all did, to be best to know a man thoroughly for good before accepting him as a husband. She vas not very much enlisted in him, I think, and to some of us he never could have been satisfactory. So it is for the best. The child is just now spending a few days at Plainfield with some young friends. Send me an air or a postal if very busy, to say you vill be at Cleveland Affectionately, A. B. B. Antoinette L B Blackwell Somerville N Jersey Somerville Oct. 25/ 77 Dear Lucy, Florence is steadily getting better thinks she shall be able to sit up all day today. I sent you a card the other day: but directed it to 101 Milk St. thinking the Journal had moved there. Possibly you vill not get it, or it may be only delayed. Flo. has been quite sick. She has threadened vith inflamation of the bowels and had a low lingering fever vith it and aftervards, but is nov all right again or nealy as yet it vill take a fev veeks to bring her back to usual health. She vas to read Miss Malory on the Chinese question for thebenefit of the Library and though she felt sick when the evening came, she went with the rest to the entertainment and read- next days she was in bed and the next had the Dr. who came several times. They sent me a telegram which missed me, but a letter previously forwarded reached me, and I hastened home. This will delay Flo's visit to Boston: and I think if you need someone to do the little care taking things which she will do for you as well as she can, that you might best make other arrangements for the present. Later on if you still desire it, we will send you the child and you can see how she fits with your household. I should like her to take lessons in elocution in Boston. We used to think of Kindergartening: but there are so many teachers in that line it would be a doubtful profession. But reading is in place every where. Now about a matter of business A Mrs Wm or Louisa Southourth 521 Euclid Ave Cleveland - I forget which name she gave - subscribed through me for the Womans Journal $2.50. I gave the same to Mrs. Churchill who doubtless sent it in correctly. But afterwards Mrs. S. thought she would add 60 cts which would give the Journal to the end of the year and would let the first sum carry it through the next year. I did not see Mrs C. again and have been too busy to straighten itBefore - enclosed is the 60 cts. Please see that it is made right. She is a nice woman. my hostess at C - about whom I shall write in Journal when there is time. My mss [??} shall be - not copaid -but I could not help that. The Congress was not a failure. under the circumstances was a success. With much love, A.B. Blackwell