[Transcription of an 1851 letter sent to the children of 
Joanna (Stanton) Fish (in Brooklyn, Ohio) from her sister, 
Lydia (Stanton) Spicer of Groton, Connecticut.  We've tried 
to retain the original spelling, but there was no punctuation, 
so that has been added to aid the modern reader. Another 
convention of the time was to capitalize all words that
began a new line, but not necessarily words that began a new
sentence.  The original images may be viewed in the DOCUMENTS
area.]

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Groton
June 2, 1851

Affectionate nieces, I now take penn in hand to wright to you.
All whowm I sincerly regard and esteem and instead off wrighting
I should be glad to have the opportunity of seeing you and your little ones and
conversing with you but I must try to be content thinking the great distance
by sea and land that seperates us, through the blessing and providence of the
Lord.  We enjoy a measure off health at this time which I hope you are now less
favoured.  I received your letter with pleasure.  I was glad you improved (?)
the oppertunity and felt a degree of satisfaction thinking you had knot forgoten your
poor old aunt.  William Ingham caled on me last evening. I was glad to have
the oppertunity off conversing with him a short time but did knot feel
satisfied that he could knot have staid longer.  Dear girls on the 
arival of your letter when I saw the black seal i said has death come again. O
dear Mary I feel to simpathise with you and to say truly it must be a 
heavy stroke when the sound of death comes and the ties of one so near
and dear to be severed, but the Lord does knot willing afflict.  He sees
knot as man seeth.  We feel it is more of times than we can bear up under
but try to feel your trust in the Lord.  O may you receive a drop of hunny as
at the end of the end of the rod. O dear Mary you can claim a
promise that the Lord will be a father to the fatherless, and the wide [wise?]
God and guide, may the Lord help you to train your little ones in his
fear, who in his all wise and just providence has seen fit to afflict you.
I hope you can antisipate the day when you will meet your
companion in heaven where parting [?] sounds will be no more, and
now I say again dear girls, I feel to simphise [sympathize] with you on the loss of your
dear mother.  O how hard it must be to you to part with one so near
and dear who you can never gear speak again nor injoy her company


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again on earth, but I hope you you may heed her councill.  Follow her example.
O may you trust in the same Savour and have Jesus for your friend.
Yes she rests from her labours and her works do follow her.  I hope you have the loss
made up to you in some degree.  Truly she was a dear sister to me. On hearing the sad
news that she had gone from hence to be here no more caused me to mourn.  To think 
that I could never see her again nor have one more letter to read of her 
hand wrighting but I trust she has got the better of me.  She fell assleip [asleep] in the
arms of Jesus.  Her parting words with me are still fresh in my rembence [remembrance?], she
said:  sister, if we never meet again here, I hope we shall meet in heaven.  I trust
I can say through the mercy of God and by his asting [lasting?] grace, I hope to meet her there.
And now I say to you while I have tried to sothe [soothe] and have felt a deep simpathy
for you in the loss of a companion and dear Mother, a thought struck my mind.
O you little know the anguish of my heart.  A tie that has so recently benn
severed with heart rending feelings while the tears flow from my eyes. I
have to tell you that my dear, aged, Father departed this life on the
24 of May, without a sigh or groan or strugle, aded [aged?] 90 years as was marked
upon the plate.  He had a palsey shock. He lived one weeck.  One foot and leg 
was swolen.   I expect it mortified.  He did knot talk much.  He seamed to be
quite dosy.  They had some conversacion with him, he said.  He was willing to
go when the paster of the church talked with him. Asked him about his hope and
views and asked him how Jesus appeared.  He smiled.  Yes your dear aged
grandfather has gone home.  He would wander out about the farm and when
he returned or they found him, he said he wanted to go home. When you all, 
as one, said in your letter give my love to grandfather, O how it struck my
heart.  Yes he was then in the spirit land.  He died that same day, Sattarday
morning, half past 9 o'clock.  Truly I feel the Lord has laid his


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afflicting hand upon me.  Allthough I feel my loos [loss] is his eternal gain
and I trust  he is in heaven.  There he has met his companion. 
His dear children never to be seperated where he will behold Jesus
without a glass between.  With all the saints that has gone before, but O
how hard the thought that I can never see him nor hear him speack [speak] again,
nor heare his blessing when we parted and to think he lies in the cold ground, 
but the words of the poet is some concolation to me.  The graves of all the saints
he blesed and softened every bed.  May we be well prepared to go when
when we the summons hear.  I ______ your prayers
for a reconciliation of the providence of God. Give my love to Hannah.
Tell her to wright to me.  Give love to John.  Tell him I should be glad to
have a letter from him.  Your aunt, Hannah Fish, I saw at the funeral
of your grandfather Stanton. She was well and husband and children.
Elisa, give my love to your husband.   Lydia E, I hope your husband will
return in health.  Your uncle, Eldrege and William and Silas has
gone down eastward a'fishing.  Lydia Ann lives at home.  Hannah is married
to Gardner Willcox.  William is married to Narcissa Ingam.  John Stanton
has gone to calafonna [California] one year las [last] March 15.  I feel very anxous about
him but must give him up, hoping the Lord will protect him and return
him in health.  Give my love to your Father.  Tell him I feel we did knot
do wright in knot answering his letter which I hope he will pardon.  I am a
poor hand as you will see.  I felt then and now feel the loss of a dear sister
but I trust my loss was her eternal gain.  Yes the family circle broken 
once, yea twice, and know the head has gone -- your Father Stanton.  O dear
brother I can not with my penn express the feelings of my heart on
the morning of the departure of my dear, a loving father, allthough
child like yet it was a consolation to look upon him and hear him talk
about religion.  I felt to say, help Lord for the godly man seatheth


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for the faithful fail [?] from among us.  I feel more reconciled than I
did at first.  Brother, pray for me and if we never mee [meet] again in this
world, I hope we may in heaven.  Text taken at Father's funeral:

Deuteronamy, 32 chapt, 29 verce.  O that they were wise that they understand
this that they would concider thier lott in end, come and see us.  So I must
conclude my crocked [crooked] lines and mispelt letter with addition of love to all.
I wish you would come and visit us.  Wright to me.  Mother S. injoys a measure
of health allthough verry lame.  She is there now and the man that we have
hired to take care of Father, he will soon go away.  May the blessings of heaven
abide and rest upon you all.  So farewell.  I thank you for your present this
from your Aunt and well wisher, Lydia Spicer.  Elisa Ann Carbin
Lydia, E B, Marry S,  love to your children.  My children sends thier love.