1732 February 6, Caln in Chester County in Pensilvania, to Uncles Thomas & Joshua Pim

              Caln in Chester County in Pensilvania
the 6th. of ye.
2nd. month 1732

Dear Uncles
Thomas & Joshua Pim
/

I wrote to my Bror. John &c the 17th. of last mo:
aqt.ing them of a great alteration in my ffamily, wch.
letter I supose went in a ship just then ready to sail to
Ireland and now I acquaint you that it hath pleased Divine
Providence to remove my wife from me by Death,  She was
taken Ill of (that Dreadfull distemper) the smallpox about
the 4th. of last moth: & departed in the night between the
14th. & 15th. of ye. same being Sorely afflicted wth. the
distemper, but verry sencible all the time & I hope made
good use of sd. time, often praying & praising God, & tho:
in the time of her health she did not seem as fully as I
cou’d a wisht to Joyn wth. ffrds.  (tho she- went to no
other worship that I know off since we came here but
severall times to ffriends meetings) yet in her Illness she
was desirous of the company of sollid ffrds & severall of
such did visit her & I think are generally in good hopes
that she Dyed in Peace & I believe few who knew her here
were streangers to her former circumstance for my part I did
not endeavour to conceall the truth from Honest ffriends,
and before I pesumed to appoint her buriall I requested
leave of ffriends to Bury her in their ground, which was soe
readily granted that they told me they thought it needless
to ask it, phaps you may desire to know wt. I recd of the
debt due to me I cannot say yt. I recd. none tho: (I thought
more was due,) for Just at last, she desired it might be
forgot or forgiven wch. I think implyed some acknowledgment 
I think for above a year past she grew the most sollid &
sober yt. I have known her at all – & I cannot but admire
how much her loss is lamented in this neighbourhood, for she
was a verry oblieging neighbour & skillfull in many
things

I mentioned to my Bror. &c [---] [---] of the
Illness of my youngest Child, we thought it was dying the
next day after its mothers death, yet it continued for
fifteen days longer for the most pt. in great extremity &
then Died, wch. long Illness I believe helped to wean me
from it, soe that its Death did not affect me soe much as I
believe it wd. if it had a died soon, for it was a verry
pleasant Child, it was 7 months old when it fell
sick

I mentioned in a former letter to my Brother the
Death of my servant Jo: Gavin who was the first of my
ffamily who was taken Ill, & Died about a week or 6 days
before the next began my ffamily then consisted of 12 psons
(i:e: before this sickness) whereof 7 was to have it, & of
the 7: 3 is dead, wch. we may conclude was a great stroake,
tho: I may tell you that it does not yet seem soe hard for
me to bear as wt. I formerly bore, but the Death of my poor
wife seemd a greater exercise than I expected it wd. a been,
however I still endeavour to be patient & content wth. what
Providence permits to be my lot in this troublsom
world

I am through [meny] greatly favoured wth.
Health & my five Children are now pitty well tho: my Son
Thos. has had a hard time & a narrow escape with his life
thro: the smallpox

I have been verry well furnisht
with good neighbours during this trouble pticularly Thos.
M.cChuns wife (being a nurse) did not see her own house for
two weeks of the time of my poor Babes Illness,  I have this
comfort that my poor Children seems verry to’rdly, & my Dtr.
Sarah considering her age verry pitty as to her knowledge in
the way of Houskeeping, & on her and my maid Mary Turner.  I
think that pt. must pitty much depend at [pesant]

now
Dear Uncles I shall use some further freedom wth. you, this
Cheange in my ffamily ocasions many thoughts in my mind, one
whereof is to this purpose that since the cause of my
leaving you, my ffriends, & my native Country, is now
remov’d, why shou’d not I return there again, least I shou’d
be taken from my Children & they left more destitute a mong
streangers, but in answer to that, can I think that I should
be brought all the way to this remote pt. of the world for
no other end than to bury my wife, this Country I find more
agreeable to my Health (else it is wth. working harder) this
Country also is governed by more agreeable Laws than that
here are plenty of good ffriends (tho: not my near
Relations) who I believe wd. take care of my Children were I
taken from them, & phaps I may have opptunity to [---] be of
more servis here than there, & thu---] reasoni--] concerning
wch. I desire your sollid Consideration & answer as [---] as
Possible