Frances Callaway Steptoe to Sarah "Sally" Tate Steptoe Massie, December 29, 1815

Liberty Hall, New London, Virginia (photo: New London Museum)

[Frances "Fanny" Callaway Steptoe at [Federal Hill] to Sarah "Sally" Tate Steptoe Massie at Pharsalia,  near Rose’s Mill, Nelson County, Virginia, December 19, 1815. Massie Family Papers, Virginia Historical Society. This is my rough, annotated transcription from a copy graciously provided by William Myers. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]
                                                                     
December 29th 1815

Dear Sally,

I trust you do not think it is for the want of affection I have not written to you; if so you are very much mistaken but I can tell you the cause very easily; I have never had a sheet of letter paper since last summer; Tom never goes to town but when I remind him of it, I am compeled [compelled] at leas to write on very indifferent paper, I should have written by uncle George but I had company. I could at that time have given you a very good account of Mrs. Jackson and the Ball; but I have forgotten all about it now nearly but if you have ever seen Mrs. Anderson you have seen Mrs. Jackson they are extremely alike in every respect.

Sally how have you spent your Christmas dreary enough I suppose,  for a miracle[?] we were all invited invited to Mrs. White's to dinner and a very fine dinner we had, and fun a plenty; we had amongst us a Mr. Morris from Lynchburg; he is uncommonly handsome and agreeable, I am very much in hopes he will cort [court] Nancy though they are related, and yesterday I dined with Mrs. Clarke. 

The Grove is very much altered; it does not appear to me the same house; tho for the better it is not furnished in the manner that it was when Mr. Penn lived there; she has nothing which was Mr. Penn's but the glass press the rest of the furniture is not as elagant [elegant] as she wishes it to be; not even the drawing-room furniture; unless she sends to the north or to Europe she will not be satisfied with the furniture she talks of going on to the north next spring; she asked Nancy White and myself if we would accompany here.

Sally will you not be very much surprised when I inform you, your old friend Betsy Irvine is going to be married to John Scott he staid [stayed] with her a week about a fortnight ago; don't you think that looks like doing business.

There was a grand Ball in Liberty a few weeks ago Nancy White, Louisa Fatieugh[?]; and myself went up in Mr. Penn's old carriage and such work we had with old horses you never saw they would give out at every little hill and then we would have to get out and William White would dam [damn] the carriage and horses and Bill would say the fault was in the old harness for they were his father's harnesses and so we went on until we got there; and coming home the carriage broke down but it was fun for us, then we had to stay at old Bane's [Barnes?] about three hours waiting until we could have it mended at last I proposed that each of us should take up our trunks on our heads and go down to the shop but the old man sent our trunks and we walked four miles and a half in the rain and mud.

Charles Johnston is with us to day he has been given [giving] me an account of Richmond he says Mr. Wm. Lambert is fixing himself out in great stile [style]. 

I shall try and go to see you shortly; Lucy intends going to see you before she moves, but I expect she will take it out in talking. 

The neighborhood will be quite deserted Major Reid intends moving out to Tennessee and Mrs. Moseley Jack and Hopkins. 

I will write to you again very shortly if I can get any letter paper if not I will write on some like this I will not have an excuse any longer.

Give my love to Mr. Massie and tell him I am sorry he thinks more of making money than us, else he might have come to see us.

                                           I am your affectionate sister
                                                                           F. Steptoe

[Sally = Sarah Tate Steptoe Massie (1796-1828), who was married to William Massie (1795-1862) and was the daughter of James Steptoe (1750-1826). There is a massive Massie collection at the University of Texas here.

Frances Callaway “Fanny” Steptoe (1798-1832), seventeen years old when she wrote this letter. On March 13, 1816, she would marry Henry Scarsbrook Langhorne (1790-1854).

Tom = Tom Eskridge Steptoe (1799-1880).

Their father = James Steptoe (1750-1826), whose home base was “Federal Hill.” Harvey Mitchell (1799-1866) later painted his portrait here. See this link. The Federal Hill estate was located very close to New London and also Lynchburg, Virginia; about three miles or so away from Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. Was in Bedford County, but now it’s in Campbell County. Picture here.

William Lambert (1789/1790-1853/1854), later mayor of Richmond, married Nancy Ann Pickett (1794-1837/1838).

Charles Johnston (1769-1833).

Lucy = Lucinda "Lucy" Steptoe Penn (1795-1878), who marred Robert Cowan Penn (1789-1856) on June 15, 1814.]

[Many thanks to Sue Davis, William Myers, Mary Davy and Sally Young for their ongoing research collaboration.]