[Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle, to her daughter Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle, January 22, 1816]

Mentioned in this letter

Education, Religion, Literacy, and Culture: Gender roles
Government, Law, and Military: Currency; Postmaster
Home, Health, and Social Life: Fashion - Dresses; Health; Health - Death; Health - Disease and illness; Home economy; Home expenses; Weather
People: Bancker, Charles Nicoll, 1777-1869; Bancker, Sarah Upshur Teackle, 1783-1843; Bayly, Rachel Revell Upshur, 1777-1816; Gale, Amelia; Grelaud, Marie “Deborah” Claudine D’Espaigne, 1765-1856; Quinby, Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle, 1801-1875; Teackle, Elizabeth Upshur, 1783-1836; Teackle, Esther “Hetty” Maria Fisher, 1795-1840; Teackle, John Justice, 1791-1824; Teackle, John, 1753-1817; Teackle, Littleton Dennis, 1777-1848

About this letter

Description: Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her daughter Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle while she was attending Madam Grelaud's French School in Philadelphia.
Creator: Teackle, Elizabeth Uphsur
Creation Date: January 22, 1816
Subjects: Teackle, Elizabeth Upshur, 1783-1837; Quinby, Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle, 1801-1875; Teackle family.
Item Type: letter
Identifier: MSS 2338, 2338-a, 2338-b Box 1
Institution: Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
Collection: Voices of the Eastern Shore
Place Names: United States - Maryland - Somerset County - Princess Anne; United States - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia County - Philadelphia

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22 Jany. 1816 P.A.

My dearest child

With a stupid head I am undertaking to answer yours' of the 7^th Ins^t.

Like to hear of your affairs "my child." Why yes, what do I live for but to be interested in all your affairs? Nor can you speak of any circumstance, however trivial in itself, which has the least relation to your pursuits and well being, in which I do not feel the liveliest interest. So when you told me of your slipping down in the street, I thought it was highly interesting. And when you tell me that your new frock fits “beautifully” I have you before me with it on in a thought's time. Now, my dear, if these minutia can appear to me of so much importance as being connected with you, how much more anxiety do you suppose I must feel when other and more weighty, concerns of yours' come across my mind. When

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I think of your mental career, when I reflect on the progress of your manners, mind and heart! Let this always be before you my beloved Elizabeth. Your Mother, your mother whose soul is fasten’d to this world by the love she bears you, must feel and deeply too, every action of yours. Every bliss and every calamity which lights your features with joy, or depresses them with pain. Let this stimulate you to a laudable exertions, even if you feel your own emulation relax; rouse it. For your mother’s sake, whose pride she has transferred from her self to her child, who feels in your person ten thousand times more than she wou’d feel for herself.

Your aunt B., whose care of you calls for my warm gratitude, says that you are greatly improved in every thing. Hetty mention’d it to me. Think what a delight it is to me to hear you spoken of with approbation! Gracious God!

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make me worthy of the blessing I have and hope to enjoy in my old age, in a virtuous daughter! Blessed be the day you were born my child, if I can be enabled to say, let my child’s heart be probed, it is pure and uncontaminated.

I wrote you a very short letter by the last mail enclosing $10 for pocket money. I was unable to procure Pennsylvania notes, but your uncle B will negotiate the one sent, better than you can do it with the shop keepers. Pay as you go and avoid petty debts by all means.

Your grandfather, aunt Hetty, and uncle John are here in health and spirits. You will be sorry to hear of Mrs. Rachel Bayly’s death w^h took place about a week since after an illness of only 36 hours. Think what a loss to her daughters' and to society. For she was a woman whom few are equal to.

My health is better than usual and they tell me I look very well. So that I feel well, it dignifies not a great deal