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My Dear Parents and Sisters
I hope you will pardon me for not writing at
thy time, indeed I have not time at present to write such a letter as I
have been in the habit of doing however I will write to you soon and
believe me to be your affectionate Son and Brother in trust.
Matthew Neill
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Louisville April 17th 1850
My Dear Father, Mother and Sister It is with the utmost pleasure
that I address you by these endearing titles for though I have never
seen you and probably never may enjoy that pleasure yet from the
relation I now sustain to you, you feel unspeakably dear to me.
You will see by the enclosed announcement the date of our marriage
but as I know there are a number of queries that will exist in the
minds of fond and doting Parents and affectionate Brothers and
Sisters I will give you a brief [--h--th?] of our history in relation to
each other.
I became acquainted with Mr Neill soon after he came to
Kentucky. In 44 he commenced visiting me at which time we formed
an attachment to each other which we vainly endeavoured -- -------
[to suppress?] for Mr Neill felt that his income was not sufficient
for a married gentleman and I was aware of the fact. In 45
circumstances placed us in different circles and we seldom met either
by accident or otherwise for several years but when we did at length
understand each other we
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not only found that our feelings were
not extinguished but that time had had a tendency greatly to increase
them.
You will probably wonder my Dear Parents whether your son
derives any pecuniary advantage from his marriage. This I regard to
be compelled to answer in the negative but I have an intelligent
industrious and economical Mother who has always endeavoured to
impress me with the importance of the two latter qualities, so
that though I cannot advance his interest in that respect I will
endeavour not to prove a disadvantage.
We are still at ---- [Vars?] and I suppose we will remain here
some time. It is a pleasant, healthy part of the City and we have quite
a comfortable ---- [room?].
Mr Neill is pleased with his business prospects but he is
compelled at present to divide his time between the new shop and Mr
Haynes’s as he was engaged to remain with Mr Haynes until July.
Mr Haynes and his Mother both regret parting with Mr Neill
very much. The old lady has called on me. She spoke of Mr Neill in
the highest terms and congratulated me very much.
There was but one thing connected with our
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wedding that
rendered me the least unhappy and that was there being none of Mr
Neills relatives present. I should have been delighted to have had his
Parents and brothers and sister all here.
There were a few of his most intimate friends here and a
number of my young friends. The evening passed off delightfully to
all present.
I hope my letter will not be uninteresting for any of you. I
hesitated at first when Mr Neill requested me to write to you would
not appreciate a letter from such an entire stranger but I have so
much more leisure than he has that I thought it would be wrong for me to
refuse.
You will excuse me now as it is late and I believe I have
nothing more of interest to communicate. I hope ---- ------- [dear
sisters?] that you will write to me very soon as Mr Neill says you are
a sort of corresponding secretary for your ------- [Parents?]. [Faded]
love to your brothers and sisters. [Faded] to write immediately
[Faded] Your affectionate Sister
Kate N. Neill
