quarto, three pages, plus stamp less address leaf, formerly folded, written neatly in pencil, very good, clean, and legible condition.
Mrs. Anderson had been staying in
Hampton, at a seaside boarding house trying to recuperate her health and
describes her stay in Hampton, Rockingham County, New Hampshire to her husband,
including an account of Native Americans camped in Hampton making and selling
baskets:
“My dear husband,
Yesterday afternoon &
evening we had a heavy rain accompanied with considerable wind. This has been a
lovely morning, the sun rose clean & the farmers teams were on the beach
quite early carting away the sea weed which had been thrown there during the
storm in great quantities. I made a little way on the beach & witnessed
with mingled emotions of delight & awe the violent waves as they dashed
against the shore eliciting their spray their usual accompanients after a
storm. Mrs. Watson & her two daughters left last Saturday. She is from
Lawrence. Mr & Mrs Wheelwrights left today. So we have arrivals &
departures. Mr. Warner came today for his wife who has been here since the
first of July, she is an invalid keeps her bed the most of the time, was
educated at Miss Grants school Ipswich, her husband has been Treasurer of the
Vermont Central Rail Road.
My time passes pleasantly here. My
room is on the second floor, We have good board, have had good society &
less pain than formerly. You would be surprised to see how long a stroll I take
on the beach. I walk slow so very slow, that I ask no one to wait for me.
Wednes. Mr & Mrs Warner &
Miss Pratt left last evening. They would go as far as Salem last night. It will
take them four or five days to reach home a long journey for one to perform who
is so very feeble. Their home is at Burlington, V.T. Miss Pratt the cross eyed
maiden lady that you saw here took care of her.
Miss Purbeck the great sufferer of
whom you saw some account in the Boston Recorder some years since died at her
home in Salem last week. Her father who was the oldest man in Salem 93 years of
age died last week.
Perhaps you had better come for me as
soon as Thursday next week. I still think I can ride to Exeter in a stage
coach.
There has been a party of Indians
about twenty in number camping in Hampton. Their employment was making &
selling baskets. Mr. Wheelwright asked one of them who had a papoose fastened
to a board what she would take for it. Just the same you would take for your
wife was the prompt reply.
Three new boarders to day they are from Deerfield. This morning at the breakfast table there were but four of us Mr. Stone, Eld Hutchins a free will Baptist minister from V.T. Miss Prescott & myself. … J. D. Anderson”