Letter from Anne Warren Weston, Poplar St., [Boston], to Caroline Weston, Jan. 1, 1849

Item Information

Place of origin:
Poplar St., [Boston]
Language:
English
Notes:
Holograph, signed with initials.
Anne Warren Weston writes: "The Fair is over! The receipts are $3151.32. ...We are living, but just living. We have had so hard, I may say dangerous a time that we have unanimously resolved that we would never hold another. I mean under these circumstances..." The boxes from British cities arrived on December 6th, and were worked over on Sunday at the store of Samuel May's father. Anne was so exhausted from this work and from being drenched in the rain that Deborah was frightened at the sight of her. Anne and Mr. Samuel May were obliged to attend (the latter as speaker) the funeral of Mrs. Ford. She describes the preparatory work for the fair at Faneuil Hall. "Mrs. [Samuel] May fought ever step about the marking. She struggled to give away everything..." Anne describes in detail her illness acquired from overwork, which obliged her to miss the first three days of the fair. She explains why less was taken in than last year. The non-arrival of the French boxes was injurious; the weather was bad; Anne's sickness cast the burden of the general oversight on Deborah, preventing her from selling; they were terribly short-handed. The speaking "was all as poor as it could be," except for Garrison and Willy (William Ingersoll) Bowditch. James Freeman Clarke addressed both the fair and a Free Soil tea party arranged by the Female Emancipaton Society. Anne suggests that the (next) fair be held in Glasgow or Edinburgh. She describes the ill effects of the fair on her and her sisters. She discusses the possibility of Mme May's offering to hold the next fair. She gives news of the family at Weymouth and of various acquaintances.
There is cross writing on pages 1, 5, 6, and 8 of this letter.
Identifier:
3132392
Call #:
Ms.A.9.2 v.24, p.57
Barcode:
39999064321597
mq8390849