Let me start by saying there is nothing particularly memorable about this 1841 letter.
Charlotte, of Alexandria, D.C. (previously and later Alexandria, VA), writes to her friend Henrietta Renyolds, wife of Joseph Renyolds in Georgetown, D.C. Other than a few specifics about Alexandria, the subject matter is not even all that compelling.
1841 was boring. That year saw three of the most forgettable presidents, Van Buren, Harrison (who died of pneumonia after a month), and Tyler. The fact that it saw three presidents is mildly interesting, but not especially so.
Yawn. Yawn. Yawn.
With all of that said, the writing is surprisingly captivating, as it so often is in these old letters. It's not just the grammar; it's the word choice and the sentence structure. It's beautiful and inspiring.
Reading these old letters titillates my inner author. I love the way people used to write in everyday correspondence. I also appreciate the way that the very things we now take for granted are treated as impossibilities.
Here are five everyday and modern things that are noticeably absent in this 1841 letter:
1. Modern healthcare. While offering an excuse for not writing, Charlotte reveals her ongoing issues with dyspepsy, a 19th-century term for indigestion. Can you imagine a tummy ache being a reasonable excuse for four weeks?
"I have had a return of that detestable complaint the dyspepsy which depressed my spirits so much that I have been in no frame for writing for some time past."
2. Air Conditioning: I can't imagine the heat of D.C. in July without air conditioning. It must have been unbearable. Charlotte's description of "jumping in the fire" does it justice.
"In the name of wonder! How will have you existed during the very warm weather we have had. I have been fit for nothing for the last two or three weeks past and as for going out I would as leave think of jumping in the fire but however as warm as it was Sunday I was obliged to attend church."
3. E-mail/Texting. Charlotte resides less than 10 miles from Henrietta, and they haven't communicated one another in four weeks! Think of this passage the next time you apologize for not having written back the same day:
"It has been nearly 4 weeks since I received your letter and I think that my long silence needs an apology."
4. Automobile Travel. The return of Henrietta's mittens is clearly troubling Charlotte. There are many mentions of it throughout the letter. No one would think very hard about returning mittens in the middle of July because they would've done so months before via car.
"Rick sent your mittens home some time ago but we have not had an opportunity of getting them conveyed to you. I believe aunt Judy is going to carry some things up to Lizzie in Georgetown and perhaps I may send them by her."
"There is no place that I would be more delighted to visit than Georgetown but it is entirely out of my power to visit anywhere this summer."
5. Readily Available Recreation. While I agree with Charlotte's description of the Potomac River as being "one of the most noble and beautiful in the world," I don't envy their options for recreation.
"Our little town begins to look quite deserted everyone appears to be going to the springs."
"We had a most delightful walk out to the Hunting Creek there was a large party of us and if boats could have been procured we intended to have a moonlight excursion upon what I think, the most noble and beautiful river in the world."
I don't know where Charlotte lived in Old Town Alexandria. There are very few clues; just a first name, the names of family and friends, and the fact that they walked to Hunting Creek near the present-day Bridgeyard Apartments and Jones Point. That doesn't exactly narrow it down. I wasn't able to find anything on Henrietta and Joseph, despite the unusual spelling of their last name, "Renyolds."
A transcription of the letter is interspersed between images of it below:
Alexandria July 21, 1841
Dear friend
It has been nearly four weeks since I received your letter and I think that my long silence needs an apology. I have had a return of that detestable complaint the dyspepsy which depressed my spirits so much that I have been in no frame for writing for some time past. I was very sorry to hear of your in disposition but hope that the anticipated pleasure of returning to a long absent home will effect a speedy restoration of health but I rather suspect the pain of leaving your friends in Georgetown will nearly balance the degree of joy you will experience at the sight of your home and dear relations. We have had two or three letters from Mary. They had a delightful voyage, neither she nor Bell suffered much from seasickness she gave us a very interesting account of an excursion to Dundonald Castle she was about visiting Edinburgh I suppose she will give us a description of that in her account but I think we will have to wait until her return when her eloquence will do more justice to the description for every letter we have received appears to have been written in a hurry. Our little town begins to look quite deserted everyone appears to be going to the springs.
There is a large party going next week the parsonage girls and several others of our acquaintance are going but unfortunately I am not one of the happy number. The only way we can reconcile ourselves will be to use our best endeavors to cut them out during their absence for you know the gentleman cannot leave their business. So there will be so few ladies in town it will follow as a matter of course that those few will be belles. In the name of wonder! How will have you existed during the very warm weather we have had. I have been fit for nothing for the last two or three weeks past and as for going out I would as leave think of jumping in the fire but however as warm as it was Sunday I was obliged to attend church. The parson prayed for rain and I tell you what it looked to have been answered upon us with all its power for we had just reached the door when it poured most tremendously. Rick sent your mittens home some time ago but we have not had an opportunity of getting them conveyed to you. I believe aunt Judy is going to carry some things up to Lizzie G and perhaps I may send them by her. you told one in your letter that you were going to hold me to my promise respecting any visiting Georgetown. I most sincerely regret that I cannot comply with my promise. You will say directly that there is no excuse for our not coming but I assure you I have a great many but the principal one is we are expecting Rick home she wrote that she would be here on Sunday but she didn’t arrive so we are looking out for her every day. There is no place that I would be more delighted to visit then Georgetown but it is entirely out of my power to visit anywhere this summer. I should like very much to spend the day with you but as I cannot
I hope you will return good for evil and come and pay us a visit before you leave the District. I regret it very much that I could not speak to you the day you past Harys. could not conjecture where you had been, Mr. Stewart has paid on us but one visit since you left us. Lenny and myself went to see his mother the other day and they were both out. Tom Harburg was here the other night he says he saw a gentleman from Georgetown. I think he said it was one of the Harbugs and that he had your mittens it would have been a good opportunity to have sent them. He and Townsend have both offered to take them up to you but there is no dependence to be put on either of them so I will send them as soon as possible. Captain Harburg arrived a day or two ago. Ella was delighted as you may suppose. We had a visit from captain masters the other evening he has been to see Mary H several times I should not be surprised if that was a swatch yet. We had a most delightful walk out to the Hunting Creek there was a large party of us and if boats could have been procured we intended to have a moonlight excursion upon what I think, the most noble and beautiful river in the world. I never got through a letter in my life without ruining the pen before I finished this is now getting so awfully bad that I will have to make a finish or else you will have a very bad opinion of my penmanship. I hope if you do not pay us a visit before you go that you will write and when you leave you must remember that there are those here who will ever entertain for you that degree of friendship and affection which none but true friends can form any estimate and I hope I may be allowed to sign myself one among the warmest of them
yours affectionately Charlotte
Mrs Henrietta Reynolds care of Mr. Joseph Reynolds Georgetown DC
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