ES_letter_1839-11-29

Elizabeth Slater as a school girl writing to her mother

This letter is a very brief letter. Elizabeth acknowledges that her mother has been sick and then tells her what day her father should come get her from school.

Ashbourne November 29, 1839

My dear Mother,

I have just received a few lines from my Father and am very sorry to hear you are so much indisposed, but trust before I see you, you will have recovered your strength and some measure.

My dear Father wished to know what day he should fetch me; school closes on Friday the 20th of next month and Miss Pidcock says if it will be any accommodation to him to meet me at Derby instead of Ashbourne, there is an Omnibus

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leaves here on Friday morning and arrives at the Bell Inn about 10 o’clock which I could go by. Perhaps he will be so good as to write to me and say what he will wish me to do and I hope to hear a more favorable account of you.

The Miss Pidcocks send that kind compliments to you. Give my best love to my dear Father, brothers and sisters accept it yourself dear Mother and believe me to be,

Your affectionate daughter Elizabeth Slater

You will see my letter is written in much haste.

Here we enter the world of disciplined and polite children who have been taught to treat their parents with rich courtesies and formalities.

Also we see the evidence of the attention given to teach children the art of penmanship and civilities.

Our genealogical research shows that Elizabeth was the oldest of Caleb Slater’s children and she was born in Eastwood or Ilkeston in 1825 so she was about 14 years old when she wrote this letter