TALENTED TUESDAY Wm. T. Mackney’s Love Letter to Sarah Kimber

“My dear sweet wife

I do wish you was here to night

How I would kiss your lips”

William T. Mackney’s talent with ‘sweet talk’ came from the heart. His wife, Sarah Bethia (Kimber) Mackney must have treasured his words and tucked his letter away in a special place.

Sarah was my 3^rd Great Aunt and the sister of my 3^rd Great Grandmother Charity (Kimber) Clark. The sisters were daughters of Benjamin Kimber and Keziah Bennett.

When Sarah received William’s letter, perhaps she read it at her home in the Town of Minisink, Orange Co., New York. Sarah was still young about 27 years old. William was a few years older. He shared his worries, news and hopes.

William worked in the carpentry trade and was employed away from home. He hoped to see Sarah at the end of the month.

Letter 2.

Tuesday Night  August the 3, 1852

     My dear wife I feel much pleased to nite to

git a letter from you for i was affraid that

you was sick that you could not write but it was

on the account of my letter sow now i am happy

to night to receive a letter from home i love

most dear and o Sarah i would like to see you

i am glad to here that you are sow smart as you

are and Sarah i am a going to tell you the truth

  to day noon when i went to set down to dinner

i felt sow sick to my stumack and sow weak my

head felt sow strange sow I did not work this

afternoon     i went to the doctor and he said i

had took cold   sow i feel a little better to

night     sow i will gow to work in the morning

again and i hope these few lines will find you

quite smart but i am affraid if you keep on

sowing sow much that you will hirt yourself

you must bee carefull of your self   they are a

going to bild a bridge across the Dellaware at

Port Jarvis this fall and winter   Henry has

gone down to Unionville sow the boys told me

Sarrah  you wanted to now when i thought i could

be home   Sarrah if they gow to work at the

bridge frame down to Port i dont want to come

home more than once and if i help bild it   there

i wilt begin it in September sometime   i think

i may bee home the last day of this month   i

cant tell  maby not till after the next pay day

but if you want any thing let me now   my

darling   my dear sweet wife i dew wish you was

here to night   how i would kiss your lips  no

better  nothing more at present yours untill

death

Wm. T.M. his love to his dear beeloved wife

[William T. Mackney to Sarah B. Mackney]

NOTE: Edna Raymond, a past Town of Minisink historian, gave me typed transcripts of the letters exchanged between the Kimber sisters and their parents. This letter is 2 of 31.

Let me tell you what I can recall about the provenance of the Kimber letters. It was many years ago when I visited Edna and learned of the letters. Edna has since passed away. I believe Edna told me a couple from Illinois visited the Minisink Town Hall and brought the original Kimber letters. The Kimber descendant allowed Edna to photocopy the letters in his/her presence. Edna worked quickly. In those days copy machines were slow and the quality left much to be desired. Edna spent many hours studying and transcribing the letters as the ‘old time’ handwriting was especially difficult to read.

I can’t say how the Illinois couple came by the letters. The Mackney’s and Congleton’s moved to Illinois so it’s possible the Illinois couple were from either branch of the family tree. Winfred Drake Riddall added comments to the letters. She was a Moses Seely and Jane Kimber descendant from Buffalo, New York.