Nantucket Aug. 4th 1827

Dear Parents,

Your very acceptable letter of the 8th ultimo has been joyfully recd as we had begun to be a little anxious – we have followed the routine of duties attendant upon the season in our imaginations, and not a meal time passes abut we endeavor to imagine what in all probability is going on. (we were) the men not without apprehensions that during the harvest was so good and the day so fine for haying – Our new Mother was delighted with Father’s style of writing, but I told her he was not half so explicit as he would have been, did we not know what was doing at home. – Father was taken quite unwell while on a visit to Beverly, and I was compelled so go and bring them home, he does not enjoy good health, and does what little business except to reel twine and manage the concerns of the factory. I regret that I had not the opportunity when I passed through Salem of enquiring for Mr. Rope’s friends. – On the 4 of July I was invited to a dinner with a select party at a Public house, near the Hummock Pond. At the general request I took the sole management of the gun fully determined that no accident should happen. I had two sailors to assist and all was performed (as it always might be with care) with safety. – We broke up at sunset – Each one gave his toast upon which the citizens have had the privilege of ---------verting - I gave them Systems of Public Education, Formidable barriers to the introduction of Priestcraft and Superstition! That evening I told them (the family) that if the wheat was not reaped in it would be in 3 days! Chas. has been here, but sailed from N. York on the 10th. He has a prospect of a Ship soon. Business is very dull and wages low, he gets the best $35 pr. mo. A number of the Lieuts. of my date have been importuning the Secretary for orders, and some to whom he has deigned a reply he has told to “sit still”. I shall keep mighty quiet for I don’t like the W. India Station – Aaron Mitchell and Paul Gardner are at law about some oil People have generally taken sides - . Paul is the same mean cold hearted, cheating, shadbellied scoundrel that he ever was, and Aaron is the same headlong “self willed dog” that he ever was - . At the Supreme court I had an opportunity of hearing the justly celebrated Mr. Webster - . He looks much like Mr. John Leeds! Being an Honorary member I attended the other evening a meeting of Philosophical Society – Walter Folger held forth, and knocked the System of the general deluge all to pieces – Parson Swift and some shad bellies were present. But he did not care for that. The Journal establishment is declining or in other words the 10 editors find that the task of writing down the Enquirer is by far too mighty for them - . The course which has been pursued although in most respect puerile, has not been unattended, with a malignancy of purpose which would disgrace an African kidnapper - . Knowing that Mr. Jenks entertains and claims the hallowed right of enjoying certain opinions, which with all their sophistry they cannot refute, and not daring to run with him for any literary prize, they resorted lately for the purchase (purpose?) of snatching from his mouth his bread to the dastardly course of attacking his religious opinions, calling him Infidel, &c. -. For particulars I refer Father to the Journal which I shall send with this. In a communication under the Editorial

he is charged with privately disseminating opinions &c &c. – which all his friends know to be false. He then calls the Communicator a Liar - . and gives to the world that lucid and cutting essay upon Truth and Falsehood - . The sapheaded Editor of Journal tells his sweetheart the name of his correspondent, and who but Parson Swift, the hell roasting Lord loving scoundrel appears was the author!! Mr. Jenks has too much sense, while he Edits a paper for Christian readers, to endeavor even if he had a wish to make converts, and Father sees by the Inquirer that he has rammed the lie back into the threat of orthodoxy from whence it emanated, not in small type but on large sharp cornered Capitals - . Alas! poor Priest! “Alas, poor Yorick”. I sometimes amuse myself by sometimes scribbling for the Inquirer and I see that the Spider Chas has copied into several papers - I see a piece of mine in today’s paper headed MAN. ------ Business is now very dull, oil being worth but 50 cents ---. Real estate is very low, and no buildings going up – In fact all the business is done below the Public Square, and the upper part of the town is still at night ---.  ---mould --with the blues to come here. --- It is only within a few weeks that we could get any vegetables --   People licked their chops over barrels of peas, brought here from Boston, which had wilted before they were shipped ---. We have plenty of squashes, cucumbers and beans now, and Lydia often mentions the nice pod salt we us’d to have ---. We had some pease for supper and they said, “why I thought you was fond of pease”. “Why”, said Lydia, “if they were such as he us’d to gather, there would not be enough on the table for him”! A fellow came here the other day with about 40 bushels of sysentery alias green apples & pears, and sold them directly. --- The boys were distracted, and as I stood and gazed upon the little fellows, as they clustered round the hatchway, and observed minutely the working of ones countenance, as Mr. counted with unerring scrupulosity the apples into the hat of the more wealthy boy, I felt the remembrance of my once anxious feelings rush so forcibly through me, and such a sudden awakening of my sympathies that I wanted to turn the vessel upside down and shower the cargo upon their heads! ---. Fish we have in abundance, and a great variety, particularly swordfish ---.  If there does not happen to be any eels in market, I can go off in front of the house with a lantern upon the head of a boat, and soon stick up a mess, and they are better now than in Winter. Harriet begins to walk a little, and in every other respect is very forward ---. Father bought a small dog which we call trip which she is very fond of. The nighest she comes to saying trip is calling him che! che! che! --- but she says, hack!  very plain, and nothing moves but it is hack, hack! ---   People say she is very handsome, and Deborah would be delighted to see her with an old book held up before her and hear (her) pretend to read, and then cover her face up and scream & laugh ---. When Father comes in she will will run to him as soon as he says “come now old Ball”, that is

he lays her down on her back, and then up goes her hands and feet and over she goes ---. It is some time since we learnt to go upstairs to bed, and as soon as it is daylight she begins to pick and gouge our eyes and say hark! pretending to hear something, to get us awake. People who have eaten with us have been astonished when she has been se to the table, to see how she behaved. – She has her own plate, and if by accident she jostles something near her, she is in trouble until I say it is no matter - She has only 4 teeth, and I’m told the older one is when they cut them the longer they will last them. ---   She has never been sick, and when she is not asleep or stuffing her little stomach she is playing ---. She’d rather have a junk of wood than a piece of cake, but a junk of beef or sword fish is her hobby - . Lydia is in good health, but has transferred her flesh to Harriet --- Eliza has a son 3 weeks old. Priscilla keeps a shop with beer, cakes, &c. to sell, and Benjamin’s wife is there also --- Aunt Hussey hobbles about (the) house and is quite smart ---.  We hope what when we have letters from home it will not be forgotten to mention more of Deborah --- We take great pleasure in relating little anecdotes illustrative of her superior intelligence. We want to know all about her, and feel proud that she is attentive to her studies, and she is no doubt by this time sensible of the importance of learning --- Do stick to it my dear Daughter and when you are a woman you will be proud to hear it said that you can read well and write well, and speak well! --- Another great source of gratification contained in Father’s letter is that Thomas is perservering cheerily, and I think of him very often when I am conversing with graduates of Colleges, or who appear to me to be learned fools. Wm.’s disposition will always enable (him) to husband a good share of contentment. George Swain has (----) given $5,000 for a farm in New Y., but people seem to think (he is) a great fool to take care of it. – I must again advert to the Town and cannot but say that for the most part it presents a gloomy appearance - . In passing about chicken Hill I have been struck with the lonely appearance of the houses - . Curtains of the front windows down, a few vegetables in a little garden, with a deathly paleness, gasping for breath, or nourishment, and no hum of business to drown the hollow clucking of an old hen with one chicken--- apropos – I planted six hills of potatoes under the south window of the porch, they grow well until ours hens became so hungry for vegetation that they devoured them, even to the ground! ! When I’m going along the street, and it is windy, and no one is seen to add to may loneliness, I’m sure to pop upon an old Aunt Heppy, as she is trying to souble some windy corner, now all aback as though she was going down stern foremost, then full again with a rank sheer (?), the very rustling of whose cambrelet (?) gives me the horrors! ---- I see I have nearly used up my paper and while I have room I will request that some of the

family will write at least once a month -- .   We shall expect much talk from Reuben Coffin when he returns --   Mary Gardner is in N. Bedford and will return in the fall to Cincinnati. -- All the family send their love, and our friends generally say give my love when you write ---.  We wish to be remembered to our friends, particularly to Mr. Ross’ family, and Mr. Litlers(?) & Mr. Cookes ---. We are much rejoiced that Mother is about to obtain such good help as Nancy --- Give our respects to her, love to Thomas, Wm. and Deborah,

And Believe us your affectionate Children
Reuben & Lydia

Addressed to Andrew Pinkham
Bethel
Clermont County
Ohio