Martha Butler Johnston to Sarah Tate Steptoe Massie, April 30, 1827

Morven in 2007. Near Markham, Fauquier, Virginia. Photo by Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD via Wiki Commons.

[Martha Butler Johnston at Morven, about three miles south of Markham, Fauquier County, Virginia, to Sarah "Sally" Tate Steptoe Massie at [Pharsalia,] Tye River Mill post office, [Nelson, Virginia,] April 30, 1827. Postmarked Farrowsville, Virginia, May 12, 1827. 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.] 

Dear Aunt,

I will now comply with your request that I should write to you when I arrived at this place. 

Mary & Papa started from here on Friday as they expected. I suppose they have reach'd their place of destination by this time. 

I have spent my time very agreeably since I have been here, amusing my self with reading, and playing with the children which is very fine amusement I can assure you. Mr. Ambler has some delightful books. 

Mrs. Brooks I suppose you have heard us speak of very often, was here yesterday. [S]he is visiting about in the neighborhood and when she returns home, she intends conveying me with here and from there I shall go to the Convention in Fredericksburg. I am very much pleased with the idea as you may expect. 

I have been to only one place since I have been here, I am not acquainted with any person in the neighborhood; there are no other persons in this neighborhood but Marshalls, and all that I have seen are as ugly as sin but they are very kind and hospitable people.

We called at the University as we expected, and were very much pleased with it, particularly the Rotunda, which I think is a very fine building, we stayed there about 2 hours. 

We were at a great Play the night-before we reached this place it was at Culpeper Ct. House, we arrived there about 4 o'clock in the evening, at a very good tavern, and we ascertained after we got there that there was no public house nearer that 15 miles so we thought it best to stay there all night and in the meantime go to the Play acted by a Party of Thesbians.

We met with a relation (at C. Ct. house) that we had never seen before. His name was Slaughter.

My Dear Aunt I think my little stock is now exhausted so with this, this brief and uninteresting epistle.

I must conclude with my love to Mr. Massie and Thomas and receive a share for yourself. Farewell and believe me ever your affectionate Neice.
                                                        MarB Johnston
                                                           Martha

NB I expect you will laugh heartily at this both at the writing and composition.  MBJ

[Martha = Martha Butler Johnston (1814-1836) later died on the Mrs. E.R. Tucker plantation near Natchez, Mississippi, aged twenty-one. She was twelve when she wrote this letter. 

Sarah "Sally" Tate Steptoe Massie (1796-July 28, 1828) was married to William Massie (1795-1862) and was the daughter of James Steptoe (1750-1826). Their son Thomas James Massie (1817-1877) was born on March 23, 1817.There is a massive Massie collection at the University of Texas here.

Mary = Mary Morris Johnston (1810-1884). 

Papa = Charles Johnston (1769-1833). 

Mr. Ambler = Major Thomas Marshall Ambler (1791-1875), husband of Lucy Hopkins Johnston Ambler (1800-1888). They had four young <children> by this time, with a son on the way. 

Mrs. Brooks = family friend. 

Marshalls = relatives of Major Ambler's.  

Slaughter = Judith Steptoe Pickett (1772-1805) had married a Slaughter. The person they met in Culpeper was probably Arthur Slaughter (1798-1875) or one of Judith's other children.] 

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