[Letter to from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her sister Ann Upshur Eyre, announcing the birth of her daughter, Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle - February of 1801]
Mentioned in this letter
- Education, Religion, Literacy, and Culture
Christianity- Historic Homes and Places
Eyre Hall- Home, Health, and Social Life
- Breastfeeding
Fashion - Bonnets and Hats
Fashion - Dresses- Health - Birth
Health - Disease and illness
Marriage- People
- Eyre, Ann Upshur, 1780-1829
- Eyre, John, 1768-1855
- Eyre, Margaret Taylor, 1739-1812
- Kendall, Susannah Gore, 1750-1806
- Quinby, Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle, 1801-1875
- Quinby, Upshur Balderstone, 1841-1898
- Teackle, Elizabeth Dennis, 1760-1811
Teackle, Elizabeth Upshur, 1783-1837
Teackle, Littleton Dennis, 1777-1848
Somerset County
Princess Anne1 1801.
Let me thank my dear sister for the interest she expresses in my welfare, and above all let me return thanks to my Gracious God that he permits me still to remain with my dear friends after the peril I have had to encounter. Yes, my dear Ann, can I ever be sufficiently grateful for the numberless mercies He has shewn me? No, never. When ever I look on my sweet infant I feel my heart expand with sensations of the liveliest gratitude and I pray to Heaven that I may never be less sensible of its favours.
As my all beautiful daughter is to be the theme of this letter, I must begin with her name as you requested to know it — Miss Elizabeth Ann Upshur sends
her most affectionate love to her aunt Eyre thanking her for her kindness in making the frock and cap, which she will certainly wear provided they happen to be small enough.
I know you will laugh to see me in the capacity of a mother and at my child too. I am the most awkward thing you ever saw and she the most diminutive baby. She has grown lately but when she was first born her head was very little bigger than one’s fist. Her eyes are blue I believe, though her extreme youth renders it difficult to determine. Although she cannot boast of her father’s long nose, yet that deficiency is amply compensated for by her aunt’s wide mouth. They all say she is like you, sister. You may be sure, I think her a perfect beauty. Her arms, hands, legs, and feet are the very images of mine, I’ll leave you to say how well proportion’d they are.
I am sitting up beyond my usual
time to write this letter. Tomorrow morning an opportunity offers by which I can send
it. Miss Elizabeth must answer for the blots and scribbling in it, for she had taken it in her head to be remarkable hungry and will [lay?] on my arm to suck all the time I am writing. She is mostly very quiet.
I did not dream of writing half as much when I began. I thought if I only [wrote?] 6 lines twou’d serve to shew [you?] [hole in page] well I am. I have much to say, [how?] it would be imprudent for me to do it now, as my head is a good deal desorder’d with the old swimming which used to attend me.
Give my affectionate love to my Aunt K___, tell her how I am. Also present my thanks to Mrs. Eyre and cousin John for their kind congratulations.
Mr. T., Mama and the girls1 present you their warmest regard.
I am your affectionate sister
N.B.2 I have enclosed you some of your niece’s hair.
From my grand-mother to aunt Eyre, announcing the birth of my mother.
Also letter from my grandmother to aunt Eyre announcing her coming marriage.3
U.B.Q.
Mrs. Ann Eyre
Eyre Hall
Northampton
Virginia