This week we have a letter to Virginia from her mother, Lucy Kyle. Lucy was a Quaker and an abolitionist, and this note features some discussion about how Robert helped transport the three slaves she received from her husband’s estate to freedom. (It looks like a lot of text; it is. Lucy has a rambling, chatty style of writing and she was not fond of paragraphs or wasting a bit of blank paper.….see the images of the original below the transcription.)
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Raleigh February 25th 1842
My dear Virginia,
I regretted very much that I had not time to write you by Caroline and still more that I had nothing pretty to send you. I sent about a hundred messages by her. I told her she was to take a week to deliver them all. The cause of my being so busy was to prepare Ben & Linda for their removal. I could not let them go from under my hands without being well clothed and well fixed, and they had all their little arrangements to make after we received Mr. Campbell’s last letters. They had to sell off all their furniture and old things, which was as valuable to them as ours is to us. Say to Mr. Campbell this was the principle reason why I could not get them off sooner. And then I had two or three letters to write about them which was obliged to be written. Did Caroline tell you I wrote two letters after nine o’clock? My dear Virginia you certainly have one of the best husbands in the world and I now think more of him than ever for his kindness in taking charge of them from Baltimore to Wheeling etc. I have not heard from them yet but expect sister Mary [Lucy’s older sister and wife to Thomas Terrell] will write soon after their arrival. My mind is relieved of a great burden since they have left and I do rejoice that they are in a country where they can enjoy religious & civil liberty and I have placed them among those who I know will befriend them in case of necessity. It really did my heart good to hear Mr. Litchford tell how happy they all were on the road. He says it was remarked by many of the passengers that they were the happiest coloured family they had ever seen, I received your letter of the 13th inst. this morning I am glad to hear you were so happy and contented with your friends during Mr. C’s absence, though I always knew that you are perfectly at home anywhere, you are very different from me in this respect, I hope I shall hear of your boarding in some retired pleasant boarding house and that you will not remain at the Planters hotel, Raleigh seems to be in the greatest state of excitement I have ever known in, revivals of religion in the different churches, the temperance cause is still going ahead, the 22 inst. was celebrated by the temperance society and a more glorious day Raleigh never saw. 300 members marched in procession through the town, had a meeting in the morning, one in the afternoon and at night, I attended in the afternoon and at night heard many interesting addresses, one from Mr. McQueen with his experience, the good that this society is doing even in this little town no tongue can tell, there is a temperance paper published here, several marriages on corpet, James McPheeters is expected with his bride, the 5th of March, they are to be married at six in the morning proceed directly to Petersburg remain there one day and then on to Raleigh
Dr. McKee & Susan battle are to be married Tuesday week and report says + I have no doubt but it is true, that Emma Snow and Mr. Peter Hines are to be married on the 15th of March it is said that he has only been courting her one week I had it from good authority, he is cousin or uncle of Susan Hines, he is said to be a first rate man in every respect very pious very wealth has settled $50,000 on his little son about five years old is a young widower lives down the country somewhere but spends a great deal of his time in Raleigh. Susan Hines’ father has bought Edmond Freemans house, Susan + her sister + Susan Polk + Mordacai and others were confirmed a week or two since. Sister Elizabeth is still in Richmond. Mother’s health is very delicate and feeble she has been very sick is getting a little better, in consequence of which it is uncertain when she will visit us. I must write a few lines to Mr. C. so will conclude.
As ever your affectionate mother,
L A Kyle
My dear Son,
I assure you that your last letter from Baltimore afforded me the greatest pleasure. Your kindness and attention to Ben, Linda & Robert will ever be remembered with gratitude, I am sorry that you do not seem to understand my letters instead of me not understanding you, I think I thanked you for your good advice to me in regard to Eleanor and yet you say that you offended me, I think this was a wrong interpretation, and what you said about brothers + sisters I laughed heartily and took it as a joke and returned it in the same spirit. You need not be afraid to write to me on that score for I can read your heart in your letters, and perhaps I am not so dull of apprehension as you think, however I am very willing to try the test of a more personal acquaintance and hope to do so yet, I think I shall be the gainer and you the loser, Mr. Campbell. Will you do me the favour to inform me of the exact amount of Ben, Linda & Roberts expenses from Baltimore to Mount Pleasant. Mr. Litchford’s accounts as rendered to Mr. McKimmon for the whole expense of journey and his $2 per day for six days amounted to $136. I handed it to Mr. McKimmon exactly half of the whole, $68 being as near my part as I could well come at.
Your sincere friend + mother LA Kyle
Mr. Campbell the reason I sent you Via money was there cold be no checks yet on the north, and I thought that would pass at your par in Baltimore in preference to N.C. but I have heard since that Via money was at a large discount. Did you have to lose much on it. I am going to write you a long letter entirely on business some of these days. Virginia I want you to tell Caroline that I keep my room in private. I do not allow anyone to come into it except little Virginia, only on a visit. It is a pleasure and amusement to me to attend to V. and my own room. You must tell them all three they must try to do all that I told them. I think if you are strict with little Hasz or put him with someone who will attend to him that he will be more valuable than Simeon. Simeon has contracted many bad faults. Caroline’s greatest faults are slothfulness & slovenny.
