From Ernestine Strong Alberti to her niece and nephew -- addressed to "Mister Cyrus S. Clapp"

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St Mary's May 14th 1842

My dear Nephew

You see I am going to write to you at last
tho I have been such a long time about it, etc. you have
began to think I was never going to. It does little boys good
sometimes to make them wait - learn them patience.
however, that was not my motive in so long defering to
answer your own little letter. It was very proper, you know
to write to Grand Papa first, & since then, various things have
conspired to prevent me. Our black people have several of
them been sick & required my attention, among them my
little Maria, of whom I have made honorable mention in
a former letter to some of the family. She was for several days
so very ill that we were fearful she could never recover
but she has, and is now with me here in town. We came down
here last Monday, & Mr. Alberti has gone on to Savannah.
I am to remain here while he is absent, which will be for
a week or more - am staying with Mrs. Wooley. My old
bounding place is broken up, Miss Yallowby has gone to live with
her adopted son in Charleston.
You enquire "what kind of sports the boys have" here. I believe
they have all your plays & recreations except the skating

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and sliding down hill. None of them ride alligators. I believe
tho they often go out in boats upon the water, & the larger
boys sometime shoot them. I delivered your message to
your uncle. He says he thinks you would not want but
one such ride, but if you insist upon it he'll try to accommodate
you. I think if you & "Sis," had have been here
the other night you would have enjoyed your selves much.
It was Mrs. Wooley's little boys birthday & she gave him a party.
There were nearly 40 little boys and girls present. They assembled
a little before sundown, & after, all took a walk when they
returned, had supper & then went to dancing. Two negroes
one with a fiddle & the other with a "Banjo," played for
them. They were most of them too young to know much about
steps or figures, so they danced, principally, each "on his own
hook," stopping occasionally to rest, & eat candy & raisins.
About 7 o'clock the black faces began to appear (they were the servants
their mothers had sent for them) & take off one after
another untill they were all dispersed. The room they
danced in opened on to a back piazza and there the negroes
of the house and some of the neighboring ones, taking advantage
of the music and [with] Mrs. Wooley's permission, danced the whole evening
and Mrs. Wooley sent cake out to them too, so all enjoyed the
party blacks as well whites. I have not your letter down
here, so you must excuse me if I do not fully answer all there
is in it. I must leave one page to write to Rosalind
on. You must write to me again when you get time.

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I hope you get plenty of time to be a good boy "now a days"
and improve it all, which, whatever you may think of it, is the
best wish you could receive from Your affectionate

Aunt Ernestine

My dear Rosa

I appreciate your sweet little letter & will
write you in return tho you did not write it yourself.
I am sure you will write me as you say you will as soon
as you learn how, & I doubt not you will soon learn. I have
just got a letter from your Cousin Julia. If she is still
with you, give her my love and many thanks, and tell her I shall
answer it the first letter I write (if she will allow one to except the
one I intend writing to my Husband this evening.) I expect you find
fine playfellow in Cousin Julia. You must not quarrel with her
about your dolly family or other playthings, but be generous & give
her a fair chance as she's a visitor. And I hope you will be
very tractable under her renewed attempts to make you acquainted
with the Muses. I suppose you will go to the beadery [?]
when it is finished and be a very learned and literary
young lady by the time I see you. And I hope at the same
time your Sunday school lessons and other efforts for moral and
religious improvement will not have been neglected. They
are more important than anything else.
Your Uncle knowing I was going to write while he was absent
desired me to give both you & Cyrus yr brother his most

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affectionate regards. You will please tell your
Mother that when we were here a few weeks ago
during the meeting of the presbytery I received a letter
from one very particular friend Miss Gutherie favored
by a highly respectable and intelligent Clergyman from
Daren whom she named in her communication
as "our friend Mr. Winn." She spoke of the death of her
sister and niece-- gave me a pressing invitation to visit

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them with my husband. I did not reply, which want of
attention and civility on my part has distressed Mr. A. not
a little and I think I should have sent her a line declining
her kind invitation had not the Clergyman left
sooner than I expected. Give my love to Sarah and Olive
and all your little playmates and believe me your
Sincerely affectionate Aunt

[written center, crosswise, as address]

Master Cyrus S. Clapp
Binghamton
Broome County
N.Y.