Sarah Ann
Moore
Boston
Novr. 1849
Mr. John O.
Dominis
Honolulu
Sandwich
Islands
----------------
Boston,
Novr. 1849
My Dear
Cousin
Not wishing
to lose the correspondence
of so “nice
a young man” as yourself – I hasten to
improve this
opportunity of answering your kind
letter,
which owing to the press of – not business
but domestic
cares have been suffered to remain
unanswered
for a while. The last I heard of
you, was
that you was making preparations
to go to San
Francisco. I understand since
that you
have returned to the Islands. Thinking
probably
that there is “no place like home”
The next
time you start I hope you will be
bound
towards this part of the world. It
would do
good to our eyes to see you. I im-
agine you to
be grown ever so tall and handsome
don’t be
flattered. Do send us a daguerreotype
of yourself-
and I will hang it in my best
parlor. You probably will wish to know how
many little
responsibilities I have, to keep me
so much
engaged all the time. They number
three,
their names are Sarah Ann, Ella Frances and
Helen
Augusta, perfect beauties of course.
Father
and Augustus
are in business together, the
dying
business. They have a great deal of
work more
than they can cleverly manage.
----------------
They have
two Dye Houses and two offices.
The idea was
suggested at the time, the Cochituate
Water was
introduced into the city- and being
the first
and only thing of the kind here- they
have an
abundance to do. The girls Annie and
Lizzie, and
Charlotte are still boarding at Fathers
and are
waiting anxiously to hear which way
their Father
has decided upon sending for them
or having
them remain where they are. A and E.
have
finished their education and left school
quite young
ladies I assure you. I long to hear
how you made
out with that charming young lady
Miss Mott
that you wrote of. Did she refuse
or
accept if
the former don’t lay it to heart mustn’t
for there is
some beautiful girls in these parts
which are
patiently waiting for offers and they
are ready
and willing to accept. But seriously
Time travels
fast and those most beautiful
are the
soonest to fade. I must not forget to
tell
you of the
death of our Cousin Lawrence Younger
a young man
of great promise. He died in
the Hospital
of this City of hip complaint. He has
been
wasting away
for a long time. And Aunt Agnes has
also lost a
little boy – he died with the summer
complaint
which has been quite prevalent here this
past summer. Grandfather was quite sick with the
same, but
has recovered and takes his usual
walks
occasionally from Boston to South Boston. But
I must now
close, by hoping to hear from you soon
---------------------
And don’t
forget the daguerreotype. Give my love
to your Mother. I will endeavor to write to her
soon. Augs and myself join in wishing to be
remembered
to all.
Your
affectionate Cousin
Sara Ann
Moore
Sarah mentions her own daughters, but not her sons. This may have been a sensitive subject since in September 1849 she lost two of her little boys. In fact by December Sarah herself will be dead at age 31, and her little daughter Ella will be dead the following year. She mentions the death of a cousin, Lawrence Younger, which made me jump up and down with excitement. My 4x great grandmother was her aunt, Catherine (Jones) Younger. I found Lawrence's death record in Boston, age 25, on 23 October 1849, of an abcess (a hip complaint "wasting away for a long time" in the letter). Lawrence was the brother of my 3x great grandmother, Mary Esther (Younger) Emerson. I didn't know he existed until I read this letter.
The grandfather Sarah mentions, who was ill, is Owen Jones, who died 22 April 1850, just a few months after this letter was mailed to Hawaii. And what was a "summer complaint"?
The historical part of this letter was the mention of the Cochituate Aqueduct which brought water to Boston between 1848 to 1951. It must have been brand new when the letter was written.
Although I was able to answer a few genealogy questions with this letter, I found another mystery. I don't know the three young ladies, Annie, Lizzie and Charlotte, and I searched through the family tree for three sisters with these names. I wasn't able to find who they are. They were living with Sarah's father, Enoch Howes Snelling. I also don't know the child lost by my great aunt Agnes (Jones) Hart, but he must have died before the letter was written. I haven't found this Hart child in the Boston records.
M-93, Box 11, Folder 105,
Letter from Sarah Ann Moore to John O. Dominis, November 1849
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