Mary Smith Cranch to Abigail Adams, December 7, 1800

Quincy Dec. 7th 1800.

My Dear Sister

I last week receiv’d your first Letter from the city of
washington. I began to grow impatient not to receive one Line neither from
you nor My Son, but last thursdays mail brought yours & one from him to
his Father. 1 I had heard of
your arrival by mr Brislers Letter to his wife. but I wanted to hear your
own account of your journey. I receiv’d your two Letters Written upon the
road & thank you for them all. 2 I have not been able to Write till
within a week. Such Trembling hands I never had they are far from steady
now. but thank Heaven I am so well I have been to ride four times. Mr Black
Mr Shaw & Mr Greenleaf are ready to galant me any where, so that I have
only to speak & a carriage is at the door. I have spent a day with mrs
Black & mrs Greenleaf, & have call’d upon mrs Shaw but they had too much company to dine
with them for me to stay as they had desir’d I would.— 3 I am very Weak yet & tho I am
about in My Family I find it hard work to drag myself up Stairs I was
confin’d five weeks to my chair by Boils on my Leg I could only go from the
fire to the Bed nor that without two People to help Me & was sadly
afflicted with those upon My Back I had a very large one on My Shoulder
which is not well yet one upon my Leg is not heal’d but it does not prevent
My Walking about.

I did not expect to see you again when you last left Me I
saw by your countinance I should not but I could not trust Myself—with a
last adieu. The care you took that I should want for nothing that your
sisterly kindness could Supply Me with overcame me to such a degree that
tears not words spoke my grateful heart, & untill you was gone I did not
know one half your kindness mr Cranch I hope has thanked you for Many things
o! what a Goose I had on our Table on the thanksgiving day & what an
appetite I had for it— I came done for the first time that day—& What
cause had I for thanksgiving? three of my Family are yet confin’d to their
chamber Ruthys long weakness has been a great trouble to me as well as
expence. as to the expence of our long Sickness, tis not to be told.— I dare
not think of it I paid ten doll. to my nurse & have been oblig’d to hire
two Girls ever since she Went away (one I had before) for I could not take
care of the sick Ruthy was very much out of her head & would have run
away if we had not watch’d her. Miss Katys nerves are Shook to peices &
she is very weak & low & very cross at times Sickness has not
better’d her in any way she has worried me More than all the Family beside.
Mrs Greenleaf left me only the Week before last— mrs Perkins is gone to
Board with her this winter. Mrs Greenleaf has grown so fat notwithstanding
all her fatigue as to be oblig’d to let out her Gown sleves— our Nancys
being taken sick was a great loss to us—as George was to his uncle— mr
Cranch has been wonderfully Supported. he had all his harvisting to do
without any assistance but for a few days & all the wood to cut for Six
fires two of which were burning night & day. I expected every day he
Would give out. but he is tough like Mrs Greenleaf— Mrs Norton dear Girl not
one of us have seen her since you went away. but she has been growing well
slowly. they brought her into the little room three weeks ago. I design to
see her the first pleasant day

My dear Sister how did your account of your unhappy Sons
Situation distress me— I had not eat my Breakfast when Mr cranch handed Me
the Letter— I was very weak— I thought I should have fainted “Father thy will be done” was
all I could Say, to pass from one distressing Scene to another as you did—
my heart ack’d for you—

This day I have read in the News paper that he is no
more. 4 Heaven Support My
Freinds! To the mercy of God We must leave him—beging him to be a Father to
the orphans & the Widows Friend

Mr & Mrs Black have both look’d upon Me as their
charge—& they have been faithful to it. no Brother & Sister could be
kinder. her Nabby has watch’d with us four or five times. One night She told
me what they had to dress for dinner the next day they were to have company.
roast chickin was one thing I said I wish’d I had a Wing of one in my Mouth
then I just began to have my appetite return & I Wanted every thing— I
thought No more of the chicken but by Twelve aclock Porter came racing up
the yard with a fine roast Chicken Smoking hot in a Tin Kettle I veryly
believe she was told to find out what I wanted, just so it was with some
custards I happend to say I thought She made very fine ones—in two hours
after she returned I had four or five fine large custards sent me. they were
warm when they came. She Made me at last affraid to say I loved any
particular kind of Food— oh My Sister how many kind Friends have I found.
tis true we have been a distress’d Family but we have had every alleviation
that Friends could bestow & I may Say Neighbours for tho we were oblig’d
for Several Weeks to have two watchers in a Night & So many People Sick
in the Town, yet we never have been without one till a fortnight Since.
Ruthys Second Fever was much worse than the first— I Shall dismiss one Maid
this Week Nancy is able to run up & down Stairs & do a little in the
chambers & two Girls at 4/ a week is more than I can bear— I am forty
dollars in debt—but we are all alive & I ought not to complain I Shall
work out in time tis only doing without a few things it would have been very
comfortable to have had— I say this only to lett you know how sensible I am
what my Situation must have been had you not been the kind Sister you was. I
have wanted for Nothing thank Heaven & you

Major Millar has lost his wife—& there are Several
People very dangerously ill now but no one else has dy’d

I believe there have been forty new casses since you went
from Quincy—

Thomas is still at mr Blacks they will not let me have
him yet he has not been out of their house since he left yours. he is
Surprizingly Grown. my dear Sister how you clothed him & the little
creature , Start deletion, & he , End, has out-grown every
thing— Tell cousin Thomas he must be the
Heir to all his old clothes they will make him quite rich when he is large
enough to put into a Boys dress

Sister Peabody came to Boston the week after you left
Quincy with a design to have seen you but when she found how Sick we were
her Friends in Boston & I too thought she had better not come among
us—

If we had been well we Should have had a visitation from
Jo Cranch & his wife & one of their adopted Daughters 5 they wrote me they intended to
spend the winter with me but mr Cranch had no mind they Should he Said they
were as able to Support themselves as he was to give them their Board I knew
Quincy at this time was no place for him just crawling up from a dreadful
Fever & I had not a thought but the would have given us notice when they
arriv’d in Boston but they did not and about eight a clock in the eve a
fortnight since when Ruthy was as crazy as she could be in they came Bag
& Baggage three of them with all theirs dirty Linnen to be wash’d &
he to be nurs’d— Mr Cranch cannot disguise his feelings & did not meet
his niece with all the rapture that she expected & indeed Meet him
folding him in her arms & laying her head on his Bosom Lucy too, So much
like her Father could not return hug for hug. so that by the time she got up
Stairs to me She was as formal as if She had never seen Me before— mr cranch
thought I could not possably Lodge them for one night & told them so.
their backs were up in a moment & without Staying to take Tea they were
hurring of to a Tavern I stop’d them & contriv’d a Bed for them in the
upper room it was all I could do I was very Sorry. but I advis’d them to
take a room in the Town or country & from that receive invetations to
visit their Freinds as they could make it convenient to receive them. she
toss’d her head & made a great many fatherlike Speeches too big for Me,
returned in the Stage the next morning to seek a Room with mrs Eunice—&
I have not heard a word from them Since. it hurt me to give them Such a
recceptation but I could not help it I told her the State of the Family
& it ought to have Satisfied her— She then said she would go to mr
Nortons but I told her she could not be accomodated better than with me— I
have written enough for the first time. I may Say. for what I Wrote to you
before was done in a fit of enthusiasm & cost me dear 6 I did not get over it for two
days. I can do no work I have had Seven Sore Fingures & thumbs all done
up at once I have three now & Shall lose Several nails & all my hair
& my Skin too—

Love to the President my Son & daughter cousins
&C / from your ever affectionate & gratefull Sister

M Cranch