I had just finished a letter to you when I rec'd Walts letter, bless Walts heart I was really glad I had felt anxious about Jeffy [2]X
Thomas Jefferson Whitman (1833-1890), “Jeff,” was the eighth child of Walter and Louisa Whitman. Walt’s favorite brother, Jeff played the piano and had a lively sense of humor. and you was not well when you last wrote, I suppose you must be well dear Mother you are going to a wedding, so Jeffy has lost Janey well he has my sympathy, But the best of all is Jeffys getting well, is not that good Mother, I have felt little bad about him, Mother you must make him be careful, I think we all depend too much on our good constitutions thinking we are so strong, have you entirely recovered from your cold, Mother, I hope you will not expose yourself, you too Mammy must take care of yourself. I hope by this time you are well and cheerful I sometimes feel as if I wanted to know every little thing about home I am alone most of the time I think of thousands of little things of home that I want to know about Charlie is at his room of course every day sometimes until after dark Sundays too, I think more about home being alone, I am so glad Jeffys getting well, you tell him Mother to be careful, even after he feels entirely well, I do not feel as anxious to hear from home now Jeffs better Walts letter was somehow pleasant and View PageFull size in new windowcheerful, I like your letters too you tell me about them all, I dont send all the letters I write so you need not think I forget about home, I hope Walt will continue to send the papers particularly the Dispatch [3]X
The New York Dispatch was published from 1854 to 1861. See Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers(web). I care more for the Sunday papers, sometime one of these days (tell Walt, I’l repay him, knit him a pair of stockings, — What time do you give up the house, do you talk of moving to Greenport [4]X
Mary Elizabeth Whitman Van Nostrand (1821–1899), Hannah’s older (and only) sister, lived in Greenport, Long Island. Hannah’s uncertainty about where Mother Whitman would be living may be attributed to a series of real estate purchases that Walt Whitman made between May 1855 and May 1856. On May 24, 1855, Walt purchased a home on Ryerson Street in Brooklyn; only Louisa’s name was listed on the deed to the house. Walt purchased another house for his mother on the corner of Graham Street and Willoughby Avenue in April 1856; the family moved to 77 Classon Avenue in May 1856. See Katherine Molinoff, “Property Transfers,” cited in Gay Wilson Allen, The Solitary Singer (Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1985), 600., you know mother we used to have all kinds of talk, I want to see you all real bad, does Georgey [5]X
George Washington Whitman (1829–1901) was the seventh child of Walter and Louisa Whitman, and ten years younger than Walt. George learned to read and write as a pupil under his older brother Walt (who briefly served as a schoolteacher in Long Island) and worked as a carpenter prior to his military service during the Civil War. come up Sundays and stay to tea, tell me every thing when you write, you have been good dear Mother to write to me so often there is no one like ones own friends one sees so much selfishness, but I have not been very intimate with any I am always friendly and sociable they are always the same with me there are not so many women boarding here now, some have gone to other boarding, one of the boarders Mrs Eagre, a young married woman died last Wednesday, very singularly and suddenly, she was about twenty four, had been married six years, had alway been very healthy, she was the most lively person I ever saw always dancing around we would hear her singing all over the house, I never saw any one so lively as she She was complaining three or four weeks no one thought her the least dangerous, untill the day she died I nor any of the boarders had not been in her room for aView PageFull size in new window week, the Doctor thought it would be better for her to not have so many come in, she sat up and walked from her chair to her bed a few days before she died, I was at the dinner table Wednesday, Mrs Kimble [6]X
This may be a reference to Caroline Fay Kimball (1827–1919) who later ran a boardinghouse in Burlington. told me suddenly and bluntly that Mrs Eagre was not expected to live through the day, you know how I be Mother I came up to my room, and in a few minutes Mrs Kimble came in said I must come in Mrs Eagre had asked for me again and was dying, I was completely overcome I was not able to go, shortly after Miss Smith [7]X
Miss Smith was a housekeeper at the Exchange Hotel. See Hannah’s letter from October 8, 1858. came said Mrs Eagre wanted to see me said I would feel much better to talk to her she was so calm, I went in she spoke with some difficulty says Ive got to leave you, dont feel so bad called my name once or twice I could not speak, she said good bye, she lived about an hour after I saw her, they took her to Wooster [8]X
This may be a reference to Worcester, Vermont, about forty-eight miles east of Burlington. It is possible that Worcester was the Eagre family’s hometown, and that they were going to bury Mrs. Eagre there. Thursday morning her husband and Mother was here, Dear Mother I hope I shall not die in a Hotel, I was always intimate and went out some with Mrs Eagre, but was not near as intimate as Mrs Kimble they were together most of the time used to sleep together be like sisters, Mrs Kimble was the same as usual never shed one single tear the other women boarders never cried or appeared affected Dear Mother I never knew I was such a weak Charlie says its weakness but Mother I know if it was neccessary I could do as much as any one my letter is getting too serious I did not know persons were so could appear and feel the View PageFull size in new windowsame in such a time, it is much better, but it seems hard to me, from here she died Wednesday afternoon taken away Thursday morning Thursday night there was a large ball here Mrs Kimble danced all the evening I did not go in or see them, of course its the way of the world but it seemed strange to me, every thing went on the same as usual, I am not childish or foolish but mammy I dont want to die in a Hotel, Dear Mother now I am going to write better I am afraid my letter has been too melencholly I have written and not sent so many letters I shall send this one The Lake is frozen over beautifully Charlie has got a fine pair of skates and has grand times skating he likes it much one day Saturday I and Mary Jane Blodgett [9]X
Mary Jane Blodgett (1845–1934) was the daughter of Mr. Blodgett, the principal owner of the Exchange Hotel, where the Heydes stayed intermittently during the 1850s. She is mentioned in Hannah’s letter to Mother Whitman dated January 1856, not included as part of this edition., went down and had a nice ride on sleds the air seems so good on the Lake

Dear Mother I had written so far when I rec'd the package for me and the letter you sent to Charlie, he had gone to High Bridge [10]X
Located on the Winooski River, High Bridge was one of the scenes Heyde painted often; at least seventeen of his paintings are titled from this locale. See, for instance Study on the Winooski and Winooski River High Bridge, in Charles Louis Heyde: Nineteenth-Century Vermont Landscape Painter, ed. Nancy Price Graff and E. Thomas Pierce (Burlington, VT: Robert Hull Fleming Museum, University of Vermont, 2001), 68–72. The Winooski River winds through north Burlington. did not return till night so of course I knew it was from home and broke it open, I am afraid Mammy dear Charlie has made you feel bad, I was some angry at him when I read the letter but he was not here if he had been I should not have said anything angry to him because it will not do he is so easily irratated, when he came home I was the same as usual I had got over my angry fit, I tried to be more pleasant than usual, he read the letter and went directly over to his room. I expect he has written to you, but I do not know, I am very glad mother since Charlie wrote to to you such ricdiculous stuff (what it is I cant immagine), that you noticed it, that you wrote to him, as you did I have only spoken of it once asked him what he wrote home but he got angry very I shall not speak of it, to him again, because he will not bear it You must not let any thing Charlie writes annoy you I do not like to say any thing against Charlie View PageFull size in new window but when he gets angry at me, it makes no diffirrence what he says, just as likely to say one thing as another it was very wrong for him to speak so of me but he and you too know that it is too unlikly and absurd to think or believe. there was never before such a ricidulous idea got in anyones head. I am very dependent on Charlie and he provides well for me I could not live without him. at times he is very unkind to me there is nothing bad enough for him to say, sometimes I mind it not so much at other times I fret untill I am sick. he has not the least patience with me finds fault with me for every thing but I think it his disposition I know to save my life I cannot help his getting angry I should feel like another person I should be much happier if he was not so, what I cannot possibly View PageFull size in new windowhelp I must make the best of. I want you all at home to think well of Charlie. you must not think ill of any thing he has written to you. I think he has written lately dont let any thing I write annoy you either. I dont know what Charlie meant writing to you so. when I first came here I and Charlie went out around the place some with Mr. Hagadone [11]X
This may be a reference to William Hagadone (1822–?), employed as a railroad agent, who later lived in Boston. a boarder. I went with him once to the P.O [12]X
Hannah’s abbreviation for Post Office. one pleasant day I went from Charlie room to the old camp ground another time he invited Charlie and I to go to two concerts one time Charlie I and he went, annother time I went, and Charlie did not go, others went from the house another time Charlie and I, went with him to Plattsburg [13]X
Plattsburgh, New York, is on the other side of Lake Champlain, northwest of Burlington. Hannah mentions Plattsburgh in her letter to Mother Whitman dated December 20, 1855. across the Lake. Mother it does seem so absurd for me to talk about. Mr Hagadone was never more than civil to me. I was civil to him because he interested himself somewhat in Charlie raffles [14]X
Heyde followed the example set by the Art Unions in the mid-nineteenth century, of holding a lottery (or raffle) to sell his paintings. More than likely Heyde charged a nominal fee for the tickets he sold. See William H. Gerdts Jr., Painting and Sculpture in New Jersey (Princeton, NJ: D. Van Nostrand, 1964), 84.. I felt under some little obligation, occasionally he would come in View PageFull size in new windowour room of an evening with others and play cards but it is a long time since. he is a person that I rather dislike, although he has been rather clever to Charlie he was the means of Charlies sending that picture to Boston [15]X
Hannah is referring to a painting that Heyde had sent to Boston to be raffled (see her letter to Mother Whitman, January 1856); Heyde had received $75 for the painting. Hannah mentions that this was a “very low” price.. I never went any where with Mr Hagadone only those few times thats two or three months since I always asked Charlie and he was perfectly willing he never comes in here nor I never speak to him now more than good morning I never say more than that I have not the slightest cause but I rather dislike him I very seldom see him. Mamy it is so very foolish I dont know but what I have been writting foolish if I knew what Charlie had written to you you said something about my flirting with some person View PageFull size in new windowI dont know what makes Charlie like to speak so of me I never flirted or thought of such a thing. I should like very much dear Mother to come and see you. sometimes I feel very miserable and unhappy I never do without cause, and I always soon get over it. I think after I get my teeth fixed I will come home I want to see you all very much I wonder if you want to see me as much Mother is not Walt going to send me the Dispatch [16]X
The New York Dispatch was published from 1854 to 1861. See Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (web). this week. I hope he will Mother dont feel bad towards Charlie if he has written another queer letter. he always seems to want you all to like him and I want you to. Charlie is very fault finding and irratibleand he immagines or thinks singularly to save my life I cannot do any thing without his finding fault little foolish things that no one would notice it is not in good taste for me to say anything ill of him. I rec'd your last letter mother I have not one bit more paper here

Charlie has written something about the an old man stops here sometimes

I am much oblidged [17]X
Hannah had asked Mother Whitman, in her letter from January 1856, to purchase and to send hair. Selling and buying hair was not an unusual practice in nineteenth-century America: see chapter 15 of Little Women, in which Jo sells her chestnut hair. for the hair

Good Bye mother the hair you sent was first rate, twice as much as I expected to have

Charlie talks also of comeing home I wish you would ask him too

Write as often as you can give my love all my brothers, tell Jeff to write