"old Isaac remained": Fr. Grivel to Fr. Lancaster, May 4, 1839

Dublin Core

Title

"old Isaac remained": Fr. Grivel to Fr. Lancaster, May 4, 1839

Subject

Slaves--Maryland; Slaves--Family relationships; Slave trade--United States

Description

Fr. Grivel reports from Georgetown on the aftermath of the sale of the Maryland Jesuits' human property. He notes that the Jesuits tried to keep husbands and wives together, but that some children were sent to Louisiana without their mothers. Some enslaved people remained behind in Maryland, including "old Isaac," presumably Isaac Hawkins.

Grivel wrote: "all our married people who had married out of our farms, have been sold to the masters of their husbands or wifes, or to the next neighbors of them, so that husbands & wives are together, but some children who could not be sold with their mothers, have been sent with the others to Louisiana. There remain in our farms only few old people, well provided for their life times. So old Isaac remained at W. Marsh; his daughter Nelly is gone with her husband Peter, whom Henry Young had sold for the purpose; Sally Digg Aaron’s wife remained, Bp Bowie having refused to part with him; Joe too, his wife Nancy belonging to Mr. Grey."

The whole letter is transcribed below.

Creator

Maryland Province Archives

Publisher

Georgetown Slavery Archive

Date

1839-05-04

Contributor

Emily Bierman, Adam Rothman

Rights

Maryland Province Jesuits

Format

PDF

Language

English

Type

Manuscript

Identifier

GSA146

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

G.T. Coll. 4. Mai 1839

 

Cssme in Xto Fr. Carole!

            P.B. If I should apologize for having not written sooner to you, you would not believe my excuses, neither I; then I go a head. I asked Fr Prov-l about that vow, which now I understand well; & he answered: he does not want to renew it; suffices he be resigned to the disposal, the Superiors may order about him. That father will go from Conewago where he is renting all our land, except 40 acres, to Bohemia, & very likely from thence to S. Joseph’s, & you will speak with him of all your concerns. Will he take the farm from the administration of the Priest, & rent it also, as everywhere; I can’t say. You will see. At S. Inigoes, Fr Carbery kept only 40 acres, & as much the Missionaries at Newtown, St Thomas’s, & W. Marsh, all our married people who had married out of our farms, have been sold to the masters of their husbands or wifes, or to the next neighbors of them, so that husbands & wives are together, but some children who could not be sold with their mothers, have been sent with the others to Louisiana. There remain in our farms only few old people, well provided for their life times. So old Isaac remained at W. Marsh; his daughter Nelly is gone with her husband Peter, whom Henry Young had sold for the purpose; Sally Digg Aaron’s wife remained, Bp Bowie having refused to part with him; Joe too, his wife Nancy belonging to Mr. Grey. How much ought the tenants pay for their annual rent at W. Marsh, I don’t know.

            Good news! The two daughters of Mr Hopkins have joined their mother Patience & sister Louisa. They have been baptized after Easter - Alfred is going to Frederick, to Fr McElroy’s college & will be baptized there. Old Marine Duvall has recovered again, but is doting & can not live long: his wife is as usual. His son is one of our tenants at W. Marsh, & may become a Catholick - Notley Young is near Leonards town to have the last word of Mrs Armstrong a widow of 33, with a little son only, who has 30,000 of his own, by his fathers side. She was borne a Millard, is an excellent Catholick, a witty & handsome lady; I think, the last word is a mere formality, & the bargain very likely, is now concluded.

[Page 2]

I am writing daily for the decisive answer. A motive of Notley for that new match, is, that his daughter Martha is almost dead - to the world; she has entered the monastery as a postulant Wednesday 1st of Mai. Grand mother Hall pining a little, but not as much, as all the ants, cousns, &c &c, who do not understand the things of God. I tried that sweet girl during five months, & Notley & all we believe she has a true vocation - our Martha her cousin is not for a monastery, & she is boarding in the city, looking for a situation. Her father has finally made a good beginning of changing his life, & made his Easter: we will see. Poor good man! His whole property is only 8,000 in all – Cornelius Duvall is, as usual, & all in the neighborhood – Br Redmond, the great Bartholomew has been called, for good, to the college, & is first aide de camp of his friend.

Br Geogheagan

            I had no small affliction with the death of my Thomas Kellenberger: Dr Warfield and Dr Richie opened his belly; they say it was a dispeptick consumption. Indeed spleen, liver, stomack, & heart, althoug this was remarkably small, were sound: only the right lungs near the throat were injured. He wished since a long time ago to die, not from impatience, at all, but to suffer a lingering sickness & to make penance. I told him, that, that was good for his soul, but not for the society, to whom he would be very useful; however, although I caused him to pray for recovery two months ago, it was too late. Should you die also, as Gibbons & Kelleneberger, my old & hopeful novices, I would say, that God takes our good ones, & will forward the regularity of this Province by Himself, without men; although there remains Clarke, Ward, Stonestreet, Blox, Flanagan, Power, Logan, & others, not be compared however with my old ones, although very in herbis or seed & growing.

            I regret that Fr Cary had exagerated the improvement of your health, nondium venit hora. But do not pray for doing penance in that manner, as did our Thomas K; I fear he would too much graciously hear you; and loques humano modo, we want you for this dear Province, or in other, as God pleases.

            Certainly I congratulate good Fr Cary on the favorable changes of his health, but not on keeping back almost all the Nos of the anui; thus I am quit of the word I gave him, not to cause the direction of that journal to be changed, & I have already written Fr Jennesseaux at Paris to direct it again to G T. College.

            It seems to be pretty sure that Fr Vespre will come back to this Province, & perhaps is he already on his way home: Fr General had written a year ago, that he – Fr. V. – was continually unwell at Rome; he will be of a great help in the college.

            The Lazarists of S. Vincent of Paul, the same as in Missouri, are sending a number of Missionaries to Abyssinia, as you have read in the anui - The 1st Missionair to Sandwich Islands, Fr Bachelat died in exile, a kind of Martyr - Sanguis Martyrum Semen Christianarum - a french priest & a catechist a native were beheaded in Cochinchina]. Christina Queen of Spain is decaying very much in health, & Don Carlos has baffled a dangerous conspiration in his own army, & will be able now to go a head. Whole Europe disapprove of the King of Prussia behaviour with the catholicks, but he is stubborn. Louis Philip shall get a filip; the things are going in France now, as before the fall of Charles the Xth - We will see. But I fear it will be the worse for the Church - your friends here send you their respects – Revd M. de Bart is gone a visit to his brother Col. Wallback, but will return here before Whitsunday. The Col. is going to S. Louis Missouri for a Court martial there - The french fathers did not agree together at Grand Coteau Louisiana, & Fr Verhaegen took a part of them to S. Louis, & sent in their place Fr Dalheaux with 2 other priests, 3 Schol. & 2 Brs among whom our good Br Barry Fr Ladaviere & Fr Saller from Grand Coteau’s College are beginning an establishment in the city of New Orleans; they will build a chapel for the Germans &c - Having gone round the world with my news, I salute the E. Captains, yr neighbourgs & Fr Cary & am respectfully of you & all the S. Servt in Xist F. Grivel

[Page 3]

P.S. Just now comes the news from W. Marsh, that Bp Bowie having gone to bed in good health, awaked at midnight; complained of short breath, & died 20 minutes after.

 

[Envelope]

 

Rev C.C. Lancaster

St Joseph’s Church

Wise mill P.O.

Talbot City

Maryland Eastern Shore

Original Format

Letter

Files

Citation

Maryland Province Archives, “"old Isaac remained": Fr. Grivel to Fr. Lancaster, May 4, 1839,” Georgetown Slavery Archive, accessed September 15, 2024, https://slaveryarchive.georgetown.edu/items/show/156.

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