Letter

Item Information

Title:
Letter
Description:
Letter to Henry Whittemore from his wife Eliza Ann Cutter Whittemore The letter is written to Henry Whittemore of the G&H Whittemore Co. in New York. "G & H" are Gershom and his brother Henry (the presumed addressee), who acquired the card machinery of their inventor-father Amos Whittemore. They were doing business in New York with their brother, Timothy, in related activities in the 1830s before coming back and continuing in West Cambridge in subsequent years. Contents: First-person written account of matters family and otherwise coming from West Cambridge.The voice and the emotional intimacy of tone are also interesting as it's not just a recitation of general current events. Repeated references to comings and goings of family, health and diet, etc. Quite a few references to writer's own recent malady although she does not describe what she is recovering from, she makes comments about her recovery from an illness or injury. Given date and 2 previous infant losses it could be possibly a misscarriage. Physical Characteristics: The cross-hatch method of conserving paper lends it visual appeal and interpretive value. At this point in history it was less about scarcity and expense of paper as it was that postage for letters was charged by the sheet of paper. Of secondary importance to us is the post mark and that fact that postage stamps had not yet come into use -- we have other examples from the "stampless" era, but in combination with the content, there is an opportunity to tell a wider story. The seller's description of the 18 3/4-cent rate mark is confusing to me. The 18 3/4-cent rate was common in the 1830s, and the ink-mark itself doesn't strike me as extraordinary. Perhaps seller is just not familiar with that.
Format:
Letters/Correspondence
Genre:
Letter
Location:
Arlington Historical Society
Collection (local):
Arlington Historical Society Collection
Subjects:
Chadwick, Clarissa
Cutter, Ammi
Cutter, Benjamin F.
Cutter, Eliza Ann*
Cutter, Ephraim
Cutter, Samuel Locke
Dexter, Henry
Graham, Sylvester
Prentiss, Henry
Russell, Rebecca
Weston, Sally
Whittemore
Whittemore, Amos (1759-1828)
Whittemore, Charles Barton
Whittemore, Gershom
Whittemore, Harriet
Whittemore, Helen
Whittemore, Henry
Whittemore, Henry Chadwick
Whittemore, Henry*
Whittemore, Timothy
Graham bread
Graham Diet
Grahamites
New York
West Cambridge
Link to Item:
https://arlingtonhistorical.pastperfectonline.com/archive/485AE63C-EF57-4790-8D80-220376407100
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Notes (date):
April 30
Identifier:
2014.3.1
485AE63C-EF57-4790-8D80-220376407100