Stepson writes Mother about Cholera epidemic of 1832
Author
Recipient
Date Written
July 17, 1832
Stephen Hale was 31 years old when this was written.
The recipient, Amelia Wheeler Hale, was 38 when it was received.
Stephen Hale died 24 years, 3 months, 11 days after writing this.
It was written 190 years, 8 months, 6 days ago.
It was a Tuesday.
New York
July 17, 1832
Dear Mother,
You have probably ere this rec’d mine to Father two or three days ago--& I must still inform you that I am under the hands of a physician who says & I wish I could think so that I am a getting better. You are probably surprised in not receiving any news proper that the steam boats have done running as the New England States refused to let the passengers land under 14 or 15 days quarantine—I have taken board with a friend at Brooklyn. Mr. H. B. Heywood an old Boston acquaintance & have a delightful situation upper New Hights. It was very disagreeable to lodge in the store & will never do it again. I cannot send any more hopes but will write you twice or thrice a week as long as I am as well as now.
You can see the progress of the cholera in the Boston papers as well as ours. It is a fact it is a [?] here to an alarming extent since the first case about the 1st or 2nd of July. The disease has increased to the in cases & deaths yesterday the deaths were 92 & last week the most ever in this city—You well wonder why I did not & why I do not come home. I could not well come before I was taken unwell & now it would be in prudent & almost impossible to get there only by land. If I remain here I have the benefit of all the practice—Mrs. Gould & Dyer have shut the store & gone to Reading & thousands are leaving every day. A great many stores are closed. You cannot think of escaping of it. I have no doubt we shall have all over the city & country. If you take it in the first stages you can cure it. I will refer you to Dr. Stephens letter to the inhabitants of this city. It is in some of the paper I have sent Dr. Manning. I called on Mr. Cook this morning. They are al well.
Yours Affectionately Son,
Stephen
A box on the board the Henrietta as I said to Father bound to the [?]
1 o’clock July 17
The board reports 1/3 less losses & deaths for the last 24 hours
Scans of Letter
