Tag Archives: Elizabeth Boyle Campbell

This week in history: February 28-March 5

This week we post a let­ter from Robert’s sis­ter Ann Camp­bell.  Ann is in Ire­land and has appar­ent­ly not been feel­ing well.  The let­ter almost makes it sound like she may be on her deathbed, but she would in fact live till 1876.  Ann tells Robert how much she thinks of him and how often he and his fam­i­ly are in her prayers.  Ann Camp­bell lived in Augh­a­lane House, which is now part of the Ulster Amer­i­can Folk Park.  Enjoy get­ting all the news from Ireland.

Augh­a­lane March 5th 1856

My Beloved Broth­er Robert
Your affec­tion­ate let­ter did me so much good, it was more to me  than all the med­i­cine in Europe, it real­ly did exhil­a­rate me and  made me so hap­py that I am sure your kind heart would rejoice to  see me.

It is a year since I wrote you and fin­ished my farewell let­ter  that I began the pre­vi­ous Jan­u­ary.  The doc­tors ordered me as  soon as sum­mer would com­mence to go to the shore but on the first week in July I was faint­ing from extreme weak­ness.  I had to  leave the house to get two floors that were bad­ly laid made  right, as I could not endure the noise of the ham­mers; so I went  to Jane McHar­lands’ [McFar­lands?] with Annie’s atten­tion and kind­ness (for her  dis­po­si­tion is like yours) thank God I felt stronger although I  was with her but ten days on 16th Aug I went to Hugh McCul­lough  Margt was also very atten­tive and I was enabled through divine  assis­tance to pro­ceed to [?]_______.  I returned home on 16th  Sept and the day pre­vi­ous to my return

[Pg. Break] I walked six miles with­out much fatigue.  Thank God I have been pret­ty well through the win­ter.  I was not in bed an  hour out of my usu­al time since I came from [?]______ ______ I  had the house [?]________ in March last and paint­ed in Sep­tem­ber  both doors and win­dows are paint­ed white: I thought all my dear  rel­a­tives would have been here before this; that we might meet  again under the roof in which we first breathed and may God grant with bless­ing I may not be dis­ap­point­ed yet I think He will  real­ize this favor to me and should I not be here the thought  that my dear broth­er would [?]_____ on my grave would be a  con­so­la­tion to me now for to what pur­pose was all the expense the pre­pare the house the fine apart­ments that were always neat were enough for me but the hope of see­ing you all did stim­u­late me to every­thing I did and made any lit­tle care I had only delight;  write me on receipt of this and say you will with the Almighty’s  help be here next sum­mer; it might renew sis­ter Vir­gini­a’s health that God may long spare her to you and give her per­ma­nent health is my fer­vent prayer.  I hope the sweet boy Hugh [Hugh Camp­bell, lived to 81] is well and also lit­tle Hazlett [spelled Haslett,  the first Hazlett Kyle Camp­bell, died at the age of 3] and the  oth­er lit­tle fel­low.  I trust he will be as healthy as the oth­er  two are and God grant they may be as great a com­fort to you

[Pg. Break] and their dear moth­er as you have been to me.  I hope I nev­er do go to bed with­out wish­ing a bless­ing on you and yours and I trust I nev­er will and that the hours of prayer will grant any requests for you and your family.

I was look­ing over a let­ter of yours the oth­er day dat­ed 11th May 1833 and the affec­tion and love in it caused tears of grat­i­tude  that you are still unchanged for the same kind­ness that breathed  through it per­vades your last; Oh! that I may be grate­ful to the  great first cause for tis’ pater­nal care to an aged orphan in  giv­ing such broth­ers as He has giv­en me.  In the let­ter I am  speak­ing of Broth­er Hugh in a post­script [?]____ the decease of  your father in law on 5th of same month and adds I have sel­dom  met with a more ami­able lady than his wid­ow; nor more inter­est­ing chil­dren than his daugh­ters; I am sure if there had been ten  daugh­ters there could be none more ami­able than sis­ter Vir­ginia  thank God she  is yours.  I trust her health is restored.

Andrew and his numer­ous fam­i­ly are well; both he and sis­ter Bet­ty are youth­ful look­ing for their age, his sons assist on the farm; they are like their moth­er’s broth­ers, gen­teel look­ing and tall  of their age; Bessie lives with me since I was ill she nev­er  looked bet­ter in her life than she does at present; Vir­ginia is  grow­ing tall and is an ami­able child.

[Pg. Break] Annie has a fam­i­ly of five sons and one daugh­ter all  health a love­ly baby died from her in Autumn; her hus­band is a  decent per­son and doing well the for­mer has fours on and the  lat­ter two daugh­ters and one son; both their hus­bands have a fine share of busi­ness at [?]_____ ______.  Mar­garet is also doing  well and has three sons and one daugh­ter; she is much beloved by  her neigh­bors.  Mary wrote of your kind­ness in reliev­ing her from her dif­fi­cul­ties; poor dear she was a stranger and in debt; the  Lord reward you for what you have done for her and though last  not least dear Char­lotte.  She wrote me late­ly and John nev­er  wrote a let­ter home but he was so good as to men­tion me; he was  always a favorite with his moth­er and I’ve thought there was  some­thing very noble in John even when a lit­tle boy.  Give my  kind love to Mr. Camp­bell [?]_____ & Char­lotte; I am so hap­py to  hear that she has a fine lit­tle child.  I hope it will live for a bless­ing to them, Joseph and Mrs. Camp­bell are well, she does  not vis­it much in Win­ter as she is sus­cep­ti­ble of cold but her  health is good.  I do not know when I shall write my good  Char­lotte, for I have not [?]_____ to do any­thing as before I was sick but she is devare she has my prayers, for her wel­fare.  May every hap­pi­ness be sis­ter Vir­gini­a’s and yours here and  here­after is the prayer of your grate­ful sister
Ann Campbell