BLACKWELL FAMILY Emily Blackwell Sept 15, 1840 - Apr 7, 1869 Henry B. Blackwell Cincinnati Sept 15th 1840 Dear Henry I suppose by the time you get this you will be safe in St Louis. How do you like the city is it as large as Cincinnati. Mind and write to me and tell me all about it I expect that when you come home you will have taken a start and grown taller than me. You say that when your rifle comes down that have grand times shooting. I wish you would shoot a little raccoon and stuff it send it up here and we will put it in our museum you remember that you promised to send a little stuffed alligator I wonder wether you will study as hard as you said you would Do you remember the night we went to Mr Elis's before we went we were sitting down in the basement in the dark and you were saying what you should do if you went to St Louis how you were going to study day and night and be so learned and then you were going to do such wonderful things. Take care and study your latin or else I shall beat you. Sam is very busy packing your box I hope you will have letters enough for we are all writing even Washy has got a piece of paper and is telling Mys Elizabeth what to write. I hope you will have latin and greek books enough for Sam has put in an immense pile. Today is Howard's birthday and he is nine years old but he is going to write you and so I suppose he will tell you all about it. What a shame it is that you will not have holy days at Christmas it will be the first one you have ever spent away from home I suppose we shall have to send you all our presents down in a parcel I hope they wont get lost likethe parcel we sent to Sister. In a little more than a fortnight I shall be fourteen don’t you think I am growing quite old. When you come back again I expect we shall be pretty different I shall be 16 or 17 and you will be a young gentleman of 18 or 19 I hope your beard will be a little more than it is now. When you write to me mind and tell all about St. Louis and how many raccoons you have shot And every thing wonderful and mind and mind that it is a good long letter. I remain your affectionate sister Emily Blackwell Henry Blackwell St. Louis MissouriCincinnati March 18th 1841 Dear Henry I am going to write you as long a letter as I can get news to fill. I hope before long you will come back and then I shall have plenty to say to you. You asked how many boarders we have, we have only one now and she is going at the end of her quarter; we had three at first Emily Scott, Elizabeth Miller, and Lucy Grandin but Emily and Mrs[?] Miller have left. I do not think I ever told you of our class and Mr. Perkins. Mr. Perkins has a class of 7 young ladies we go twice a week in the afternoon to read and talk with him; we have just finished studying Abercrombie on the intellectual powers. I have gone ever since last January but I do not think I ever told you of it. Have you made any speeches since you wrote last. I think it is too bad that you were cheated out of your marks. Sister and a number of the girls and Ellen and I went the other day to hear a lecture about modern Jerusalem the gentleman who lectured had a large magic lantern and he showed us a number of most beautiful views of the city of Jerusalem and the country around it. When you come home I shall claim your promise of making me an eolian harp for the wind blow past my window so much that it would be singing the whole time. "Master Humphrey's clock" is finished I got the last numbers[?] of it from Catherine Greene it is a beautiful story. I am reading Scott's novels I have read the "Heart of MidLothian", Waverly, The Black Dwarf and yesterday I read Guy Mannering; one of the volumes Mrs. Scott borrowed and never returned and I want to know whether the volume you have has got theAbbot in it. Mind you take care of my Robinson Crusoe and do not exchange it away like your have your [pen?], pray did the exquisite red flannel case I made for it go along with it. You say you are sprouting like an onion do you mean that you are growing so fat I hope you are growing taller too for I am sure it is time you do and so when you come back I shant be thought the oldest of the two I believe I have sprouted a good deal but I hope you have sprouted still more; pray has your beard grown any or does it still look like a streak of dirt upon your chin as it used to. Do you know that all the people in Carthage have joined into an association to join their labor and so on, but I suppose you know what an association is so I need not describe it. I am getting along very well with my french, latin, and other studies I hope you are doing the same. Ellen is in her teens but I dont believe she has grown more than an inch since you saw her last. Mamma has taken to wearing specs whenever she reads and Washy hangs on to her tail and squalls more than ever. I believe I have told you all the news except that I have not gone to any parties, nor had any nice walks since you went. I have no one to walk with me now but when you come back we can have some good ones. Are there any pretty walks near college. Mind and bring us plenty of dried flowers with their names I remain your affectionate sister Emily BlackwellHenry Blackwell St LouisCincinnati June 14th 1841 Dear Henry I suppose this is the last time I shall write to you for you will be coming up here soon, and then I shall have plenty news to tell you. I think I get along pretty well with my [Latin?] I have got through the grammar and Eutropius and now I am in Caesar, you know I only just began grammar, when you went down so I have been learning between 8 and 9 months. I should like to learn Greek very much, and I mean to do so some time. I go to Mr Perkins still, we went through Abercrombie first, we had to read a chapter one afternoon, and write an abstract of it the next; next we went through "Guizos's history of Civilization" and now we have been going through some part of "Scheighle's History of the civilization Modern Europe" I do not know what we shall read next. Mr Channing is gone on East and is going to see about our land. He is going to Newton. I have discovered (or rather Catharine Greene showed me) a beautiful hill behind Mrs Stetson's cottage on the river, so when you come I will show it you but I am afraid all the flowers will be gone by that time. I am glad you have got me some flowers I hope you will remember all the names. Our museum is snugly packed up in a prune box, we have got some funny things such as a petrified fish, a petrified maggot and so on. I have cut all my wisdom teeth and you cannot think how wise I have grown, you will be utterly amazed to see it when you come up. I have read six of Sir Water Scott's novels namely Waverly, The Heart of Mid Lothian. The Black Dwarf, The Antiquary, Guy Mannering, and Rob Roy. Mariangave me leave to read one and I looked the others but now she has put an end to my reading novels for the present. Pray do you like them as well as ever or have you got too wise for them I shall not like you half as well if you have. It is between 9 and 10 o'clock and I am getting sleepy so I remain your affectionate sister Emily Blackwell Henry Blackwell St Louis 79 E. 15th St Jan 31st [*1859*] Dear Henry I have recd a note from England with regard to E's books. Bessie Parkes [?] quite a number of orders for them, and a standing advertisement of them in her journal. She is very desirous to receive the books. E wrote a note about it some time ago to you wh I forwarded Please write me how I can have some sent. E spoke to Augustus when she was here and he said he knew nothing about them but referred her to you. I wish you wd write me a line at once for it is the second note I have had. Also please tell me if the money for E's books in the Illinois Libraries will be pd at any given time. Her mortgage expires next July but the owner is willing to renew-he wd be very glad however to anticipate a couple of hundred upon it-E wished it pd out of the proceeds of Illinois land as that seems not to be forthcoming I wd like to know if the money from her books will be pd soon as I wd put that toward it. So much for business-how are you getting on. George reported you comfortably established wh I was glad to hear of. Everything here goes on quietly-business comes in slowly-Hospital goes on [so?] -we are very quiet-the little garret is comfortable & our board costs us $[?],25 a week apiece. [There?] is a brilliant picture of domestic life-but it might be worse for the people in the house are quiet & obliging-and our stove keeps us as warm as toast. Mother & M have had a forlorn winter-their house is more comfortable, but very dull- & M has only partially recovered the use of her feet-Still they are better than they were. Sam Nettie & Florence are well. Nettie just returned. I haven't seen anything of them since Christmas. When do you expect to return Do your plans take definite shape-how is business going on Give my love to Lucy & Baby Yours afftly EmilyEmily Blackwell Jany 31/59 Rec Feby 4 " Ans " 4 " Jany 15-1000 15 1000 12 100 8 33 30 12. 100.00 $8.33 [*Emily Blackwell*] 79 E. 15th St. Feby 18th 1859 Rec " 18 Ans " 18 Dear Harry As George is writing I send you a few lines in consideration of your state of widowhood, though very probably that has ended by this time. I received $46,00 from Mr Moore for E's books, and he promised to send some to England, but whether I shall ever really get them sent I dont know for he said he was afraid "he should forget it." I sent a scrap from E on its rounds last week and suppose it must have reached you by this time. I have not heard from her so frequently lately and the steamers make such slow passages now a days that the letters are a month on the way. No special news here-everythinggoes on very quietly. I get up in the morning and make the fire & put on the coffee-I make it pretty strong & by the time the smell becomes fragrant then George sniff in his little garret, & then slowly tumble out of bed to get his share. In fact looking after my fire forms quite [?] in my day's occupation Practice goes on in the same quiet way & Hospital ditto. I am busy now getting out the annual Report. Mother & Marian have settled down in their little house. I sent them out all of their furniture which was left with us and they have quite a little establishment-it is certainly much more comfortable than their former cabin but I fear, in summer they will find it [steeped?] in a little Roseville street "under the very dropping of the sanctuary" as Mr Pingree remarked when he called upon them. Marian is not well yet, & has only partially recovered the use of her feet, it is a great privation to her as it confines her to the house. Mother is pretty well, but rather lonely & [suffers?] melancholy fits sometimes However they are pretty comfortable and Mother is always highly gratified by your irreverent letters. E wrote her a very kind & filial little note a while ago which greatly pleased her. Sam Nettie & Florence are well or [wh] were when I last saw them which was I believe on Christmas day. However they are reported to be flourishing as usual. I am glad you think of settling on yr Bloomfield Place-I wish you dc get your affairs into such order that you cd settledown like a [??rishan] & take things easy. Give my love to Lucy & Baby who appears in your letters under so many different names that I dont know which may be the one in use at present. Take care of yourself & dont be bothered with business more than you can help. Your's Afty Emily 126 Second Avenue Ap 7th 1869 Dear Harry I write you a few lines though I don't know if they will reach you, for I am not sure of yr address, nor how long you mean to be in Florida. I saw yr first letter, but as Lucy has been absent yr others have not been sent round, and I know thereof nothing of yr movements. Lucy left ten days ago, and has not yet returned. Kitty has been out with mother, and things seem to go on comfortably out there. Eliz George & myself have made a point of visiting them so they have not been deserted. Mother is just as usual, and is devouring all the religious stories she can get with great voracity. [*Lucy is supposed to be doing very well, but of course you hear from her direct.*] [*Alice is flourishing, and enjoys Kitty greatly but*]thinks her rights in her papa & mama are not sufficiently regarded. Ellen went out there today for the first time. She is still very lame, though slowly getting on. The great event with us since you left has been the closing of the school, and all the bustle connected with it. We got up a public commencement at the theatre of the Union League Club, Cor. 26th & Madison Av. It is a very handsome little hall and it was crowded, quantities of people went away, to the great delight of our Trustees who never cd believe we shd have an audience-[I made?] a little address- Geo Curtis made a short but very brilliant speech, and Drs Wynthorp & Parker [represented] spoke for the faculty and the profession. We had very good [music?], and altogether the affair was quite a success, to the delight of all those concerned, who were thoroughly faithful. As for our grants they are still unsettled - prospects pretty good, but uncertain. In the house we have been getting on peaceably, but we are very crowded with work. I have not spent a Sunday at Roseville since you left, & have not been able to go out. I have missed my Sunday walk and gossip. When you come back I shall come out and hear all the Florida experiences. We are not having such pleasant weather, it is still cold, and has been windy & showery. Today there have been two wild drifts of rain & hail, blowing Goodbye yrs affectly Emilyup quite unexpectedly. But the grass is beginning to get green, and the long days make it cheerful. I suppose however you will shiver where you come back. Sam was in to day, looking well, and reporting all well at Somerville. The children are out of doors a great deal, and seem to flourish. I have wished frequently I cd transport myself for an hour or two out of the cold & bustle a press of New York, to the lazy warm, surroundings you describe, and have paid you a visit, but as that can not be I hope you will have a good time without us. Eliz met Mr Browning who enquired often Your adventures with much interest. We have had two letters fror Marion. They are [*well — the arrangements still work [I eles?a?lonly]. She is much interested in A [??structional] down, but talks of coming home next fall.*]New York Jan 14th? Dear Harry, Wrote you a letter three days ago, and lost it, so I am obliged to write again. I wrote specially to beg you to remember Anna in your visits to Cin & Columbus You thought Victor [???cth] might do something among the Am papers. If you get any opportunity of helping her to [?] paper dont forget it for it is the only way in which we can help her. I send some of her letters as specimens — they are just what I happen to have. I wish too you wd make a point of meetingGeorge — It is a matter of importance to him to decide wisely in regard to his movements now and if you cd see know just what he is doing — what his views are and give him information with reference to N Y it cd aid him to decide wisely. You need not be afraid of using influence for if after his hints & suggestions nothing is done or said more, with a shy fellow like George that is exerting an influence, he will think it is because you think there is no opening — The only good way wd be to see him & talk the matter fully over, and I hope you will make a point of doing so. Everything here goes on as usual. Nettie's sister is paying her a visit. We are busy seeing people and preparing matters for the trustee meeting on the last Monday of this month. R & I are getting off the circulars. I heard from Eng lately all are well. We are desirous to hear from you to know what your movements will be your plans — success — length of absence — anything you can tell. Get goodfur shoes - don't get frozen. Missed you don't forget George & Ariana if possible. How is Lucy getting on? We have heard nothing from her. Write Soon Yours affectionately, Emily