[Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton Dennis Teackle, December 9, 1811]

Mentioned in this letter

Business, Economy, and Travel: Finances - Debt; Hotels - Fountain Inn
Home, Health, and Social Life: Fashion - Cloth; Fashion - Shoes; Food; Food - Dairy; Food - Grains; Food - Meat; Health; Health - Death; Health - Disease and illness; Home economy; Marriage; Weather
People: Bancker, Sarah Upshur Teackle, 1783-1843; Laird, James, 1771-1816; Louther; Lyon, James, 1756-1811; Lyon, Sarah Eyre, 1770-1813; Quinby, Elizabeth Ann Upshur Teackle, 1801-1875; Teackle, Elizabeth Upshur, 1783-1836; Teackle, James Henry Dennis, 1796-1840; Teackle, Littleton Dennis, 1777-1848; Teackle, Rachel Birckhead, 1788-1828; Walston, Anne M. Done; Winder, Levin, 1757-1819; Wise, Anne Craig Wilson, 1784-1836; Wise, William, 1785-1825
Places: United States - Maryland - Baltimore City; United States - Maryland - Somerset County - Princess Anne; United States - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia County - Philadelphia; United States - Virginia; United States - Virginia - Accomack County - Kegotank

About this letter

Description: Letter from Elizabeth Upshur Teackle to her husband, Littleton D. Teackle, discussing their finances and purchases, and her attempts to stay frugal. She also mentions the death of Dr. James Lyon, and the weddings of William Wise to Ann C. Wilson, and Tubman Walston to Anne Done.
Creator: Teackle, Elizabeth Uphsur
Creation Date: December 9, 1811
Subjects: Teackle, Elizabeth Upshur, 1783-1837; Teackle, Littleton Dennis, 1777-1848
Item Type: letter
Identifier: MSS 2338, 2338-a, 2338-b Box 1
Publication Information: Papers of the Quinby, Teackle, and Upshur families, 1759-1968, Accession #2338, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
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 - Maryland - Baltimore County - Baltimore

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9^th Dec. 1811 P.A.

My dear husband

3 days ago I return’d home from V-a, finding all well and things in a pretty good way, a plenty of wood, some few fat turkies and now a thousand weight of pork from Ross, all of which will I hope tend to make home comfortable to you when the fates choose to suffer your return. As to my health, and Eliza^th’s, we are improving in that particular; I am better than when you left me, but altho’ I look as well as I have done for two years past, yet my back is very often painful to me: This I hope it may please God, finally, to relieve me from.

Since your absence you may be assured I have endeavor’d to manage my family expenses to the best advantage, nevertheless I have been oblig’d from absolute want of money to run in debt, viz. to

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Talbot for our people’s linen and a few other cheap articles, to the amount of about 30 doll,

To Sudler - somewhere to - 14
For 12 turkies a 3/9 - 6
For chickens & ducks - 4

Also I bought of Gen^lWinder 7 ½ bus. of wheat to sow our two lots and the garden at Mrs. Dignon’s, three bushels are left w^h I intend to have ground into flour. I shall want 12 turkies more which, if it is convenient for you to send me the money to pay for, and delete the above bills, I shall feel easy and happy. I am determin’d to save every penny I can to the best of my knowledge, and endeavor to become a good and frugal wife; the readiest means of which is to pay as I go. I wou’d have omitted buying the articles above, but that they were really necessary and your not being at home, I cou’d not consult you about. The wheat I bo^t. I thought better than to let the ground lie idle, which may produce, Louther thinks, somewhere to near an hundred bus. of wheat, which will sell for something clever and be so much saved. I intend to sow

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clover on it in the right season. I made 100 bushels of Irish potatoes at least, 3 bushels of which I sold at 5/7 ½ to Mr. Laird, who sent me a 10$ note requesting me to keep the ballance, which he wou’d settle with you. I have spoken to Shepherd to make the peoples' shoes, as they want them this cold weather.

I think the family expenses have been less this year than they have been for several years past. I have economized every article of provision to the best advantage. I have not bought an ounce of butter since you went to Balt. in June, having made all I have used; however, it will be necessary to get a firkin for the winter w^h I must endeavor to make hold out, with what is made in the family, ‘till the winter is over. Be satisfied my dear Mr. Teackle that I feel the full force of your exigencies and shall try every effort to accustom myself to the frugality I think so consistent with your circumstances. If I err it will be through ignorance and incapacity. The habit