Great Baddow, Essex
July 23, 1835
My Dear Thomas,
This morning received your very short but welcomed epistle.Both me and
your mother were most happy to hear from you, particularly to hear that you were in
good health, as, thank God, this leaves us and your brother and sister. They are both in
good health and your sister is just returning from a place in Sommerestshire where she
has been a year to try and learn dressmaking. Your brother is working at the bricklaying
business at present but not bound. We were very much surprised you did not mention be
remembered to your mother-in-law. I have only this to say, your sister never knew any
other mother than my present wife and I am happy to have it to say that she has been a
good and kind mother to her and to your brother also, if he would be what he ought to be
toward her. Therefore I think for your dear sister's sakeyou can do no less than kindly
to be tremembered to her. On the other hand, she and your dear departed mother were so
much acquainted that her departing words were that she would take your sister Catherine
and be a mother to her, which duty she has most punctually preformed. Therefore she takes
it hard if she is not mentioned in your letter.
You tell me you have taken onto you a wife. I am not the least displeased at your
doing so but rather we are happy to hear that you have done so and we pray to God for you
that you have both well considered the nature of what you ought to be to each other and my
God bless you both to live long and happy and may it be the study of you both to try to make
each other happy not only in this life but that you will live a virtuous and Christian life
in this world so that you might enjoy a better life in the next world. Give our kind loves
to your wife and we hope one day to have the happiness of seeing you both.When you write again,
as you write so very bad, take a little more time in writing and have the goodness to send us
every particular about your wife and how and what you are doing, asd I should wish to know
more about how you are doing about your brother coming out to you.We should like to know if
he should come, how he is to get his living as he knows very little at present and to be in
a strange land and nothing to do would be very bad. Therefore in your next let us know more
about it and how he is to come out, for if he should come, it will cost us a great deal of
money and ought be considered by us.
Your grandfather is in good health and kindly desired to be remembered too and so do
your aunts and uncles. They are too numerous to mention all their names. They all join in
love to you and to your wife. Your brother and sister most kindly wish to be remembered to
their new sister and hope one day to have the pleasure of her company. We both join with them
that you will accept our love to you both and may God Almightty bless you both that you may
live happy, virtuous and a religious life is the prayer of your father and mother.
Thomas and Patience Warner
P.S. I should like to know if Cape Breton belongs to the Americans or whether it is a possession
of the British. Likewise let me know how much you pay for your letters. The last I received
from you cost me 3-4 which is much more than i ever paid before. One thing more I have to desire
of you is that you must practise reading and writing much more than you have done as you will
find it to be a great value to you, so pray do not delay doing so, as you are not to old to learn
and what a blessing it is when we are able to read and to understand God's Holy Word when we
are alone with our families
WRITTEN to Thomas Warner
Ship Harbour
Cape Breton Island
America
