Hayes Collection

Copy of Letter to the Committee in N Carolina

Hewes

Joseph Hewes

Samuel Johnston 27th June 1775

Joseph Hewes Esquire

at

Philadelphia

[ca. October- 1807]

My Dear Madam Madam You will no doubt think me a very Strange fellow not to have answered your affect. to ( affectionate)letter of the 4th of July before this late hour - but I must inform you the letter was mispent and instead of coming to this place it went to Wilmmington X god knows where before it reach me - which thro' some mis=management in the Post Office very frequent=ly happens - since I rec'd it I have been from home X the family has been so unable that I could not find time to write you a line further it occurred to me that you had probably left New York to spend the summer in someof the Eastern States - but why (word crossed out) multiply apologies is nor not writing I should rather seek an excuse for intruding on you at all when I can afford you no amendment nor any other satidfaction but that of being informing of your friend & their health - Our situation is so retired & so much secluded from the busy world that we neither hear nor see nor heardly know what is going on in it so that you can expect nothing new from us and I should be very glad if could give information of the health of your friends.

The summer nd fall have remarkably unhealthy in this country & your friends here & at Edenton have had their share of ill health but we are thankful to providence that it have not been worse - My father is in tolerable health at present but has been a good deal unwell this last summer - in addition to the native dis-order of our climate this ague & fever we have had the influenza, a very prevalent thou slight.

I observe by the papers that it has visited your city (crossed out - I hope ) I believe invoiced in has paper through the whole continent - I hope you have not suffer by it - I trouble myself very little with poleticks. I only read enough of the newspapers to know what is going forward in the world indeed things go so contrary to my wishes in the line of politicks that I care not how little I know about them

(crossed out: I think that ) Europe seems at present on the way of some great revolution. God Almighty knows what will be the fate of - My (crossed out:whole) times attention & study is at present devoted to my fathers plantation which he's not able to attend to himself. The prospects of crops are remarkably flattering this year and the farmers seem to have no other apprehensions but that of being able to get clear of them - last it was quite the reverse perk up, there never was a year that

Memo for W S, Johnson in New York

75 blankets, large for Negroes 140 yds- ? ? on Welsh Plains 3 1/2 doz Nepoc- Stock ? 12 yards flannel 3 pair worked gauze ?? 1 bushel fresh Timothy seed 3 lbs pepper, 1 lb ? 1 pair sugar nippers, 2 doz wine glasses Thread No. 14, 23, 32, 3 ozs of each Old annual register for 1805, 1806 3 hamper pay 4 doz. } ?? powder brown ?? 1 Chasine? Cheese 12 Qt Sherry Elixor paragoric

Edenton Nov. 2nd 1807

My dear cousin,

I arrived here the evening of the day on which I left you after a very pleasant time - I found my mother and sister Annie not so well as I had hoped - Mamma has been attacked by the ague & fever. of which she still has returns tho' I think they become every day more moderate Annie has a slight ague every evening but I am in hopes the Bark she is taking will soon remove it - Helen continues pretty well -

Mamma has sent over to the care of W. Clark a few pickled oysters for Uncle which she hopes will prove palatable to him - She is sorry they are so few but the people here are so eager after oysters when they arrive that it was with great difficulty she could procure those she has sent -

Give my love to my Uncle Leroy? Mamma my sisters also desire theirs - Present our respects also to the Captain, if he is still with you - Mrs. Blair & the children as well ---

I am your affectionate cousin (? )

Mamma requests the favor of Cousin Penny if she has any Souchong tea to spare her a little. There is none to be procured in town and it agrees with her better than any other kind - Mamma would have written if she had been able. I.I.

Recd. 13th Jany 18[?] of Mr. James C. Johnston One Hundred and fifteen Dollars paid by Mr James [Ledell?] for me _ being money collected by said [Ledell?] in part of Account I put in his hands against Hoyle & [Whitmell?]

#115 David Clark