Letter from Sarah Forrer, Dayton, OH to Augusta Bruen, 1861-11-24
Dayton Nov 24th 1861
My dear Augusta I have been writing to aunt Mary and Mrs Murray today, and am going to finish by wrting to thee,
Mary says thee owes her a letter and she is going to wait till thee answers her, So she is going to write to Robie, Howie says he is going to wait till he receives an answer to his last, and Father never writes when he can help it So I would have been obliged to write whether I wished to or not, It is however a pleasure instead of a task, for it seems to bring me near to you, for the time at least,
We are in usual health excepting Father who is threatened with rheumatism,
We have had a visit from Mr Follett and Mannie They came tuesday evening, went to Cincinnati, and returned wednesday evening they spent Thrusday evening with Mr Pierce, We were all invited, Mary and I went to tea, and Howard came after us at nine, Father had just returned from the north and was too much fatigued to go, but insisted that I should, I thought at first that I would not, but finally concluded to go, Jerrie and Lib came too, and we had quite a pleasant evening, Eliza Peirce was there, and as usual with her took the care of the supper upon herself, They had Oysters cooked so nicely that every body wondered how they were done, I thought nothing of it, till Mrs F, wondered about it, I supposed they were broiled, Afterwards, Elizabeth said Eliza told her, she had but lately learned to cook them so, and had been wishing to tell every body since, it is so much easier, It is, to drain them dry as you can, season them, and put them on a hot griddle greased as for baking cakes, They are turned, and will be done in a minute, I thought thee might like to know it, It is so much easier than broiling, But to return to our visiters, They passed Friday with Elizabeth, and returned home saturday morning, Maurice says she will write to thee. She is a sweet pleasant little woman, We all wished for thee, I have lost the little advertisement thee sent, but I believe thee were promised needles, and I cannot remember what else it was that we had to choose from, I think I will take it this year, or rather for a year, beginning at the number we need for winter outfit, I will send $1.00 with this letter, if thee will be so kind as to have it sent to me, A postage stamp too I will send, I will wait with Mary's things till it comes,
That grand rascal Bob Schenck has returned to Dayton to recruit his health, his physician, at his request I presume, having ordered it, I hear he has a furlong of 31 days, something like Nettie's saying she thought her mother would be well about Christmas, I suppose he finds the tasks and need of western Virginia not quite so pleasant, as the receptions and dinners at Washington. And has come to "pull some wires" with a view to the Senatorship, but I am sorry I mentioned the *rascal*
How is Luther getting on? Howard seems to have made up his mind and is studying and exercising with a view to a change of employment, Of course I am sorry, but I say nothing, The fools school must do its part.
The December Atlantic is worth reading, Howard takes it now, and seems to enjoy the reading of it greatly, there is a book we have been enjoying lately, "Recreations of a country Parson" Has thee seen it? It is good, very good, Excepting one paper, And that too with exception of a few remarks about the Friends which show, that he sometimes writes about things of which he knows nothing. I hope thy new girl continues good, There are few things more desirable than in house keeping than a good servant, and very few there are, Can thee get Silk Canvis of a width sufficient to work a fire screen on? And what will it cost if thee can get it? I have some thought of working on, but we cannot get it here wider than for suspenders, Tell Sella little Mary Thornton would have come with her Mother if she had been here, Mary has pieced a quilt, for her baby, and her father is making her a bedstead for it, Mannie says Mary does not like to sew but she requires her to sew a little every day, Your father would not make the bedstead till the quilt was finished, Now it is done, and her Mother will quilt it, and the bedstead will be ready by Christmas, Is that not nice, I hope Sella will do something too by that time. Love to them all from from Grand papa and Grand Momma and Mary and Uncle Howard
Father says tell them taht Joe Crane and *Loury* have furloughs too, Mannie says Ralph pulled up a Fuschia five or six times, She then planted it in another place but he found it there too, So our little ones are not worse than others, But Grand mamma wants them to be better, Love to Luther and the children
Ever affectionately thy Mother
Augusta Bruen
Fort Hamilton N.Y. Harbor
[written in different pen at top of letter: with the ** Your mother says I am threatened. It is true your mother has threatened me, but that any one else has is mere slandor. S. F. ]
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November 24, 1861
Forrer, Sarah Hastings Howard
Dayton, OH
4 pages; note from Samuel Forrer added in margin
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Forrer, Sarah Hastings Howard -- Correspondence
Catharine Mitchill '31 Collection of Family Letters, Wellesley College Library, Special Collections
MSS.6.342
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/342
