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Cabarrus County N. Carolina Sept. 5 1838 [?]
Dear Brother, Your letter of the 17th of May came duly to hand & should have been answered long ere this time. When I received your letter there was considerable press in business & I thought by laying it over for a short time I would be more at leisure & which during the session never seemed to arrive. A short time before the examination I commenced writing a letter to you, but some thing occurred that I had to quit it then, and it was never finished. Since the examination & for some weeks before my health has not been good & I believe my mind is in a worse state than my body from a state of coldness and carnal [?] security I have fallen into a state than my body from a state of coldness and carnal [?] security I have fallen into a state of dispondency so that some times I am not fit for any business I care not a bout [sic] going from home but sigh and morun for the return of the light of Gods countenance & feel that nothing else can give me ease. I often think O if the Lord would return and visit me with the smiles of his grace that nothing could allure me from the path of duty but still I am conscious that it is only the grace of God could keep from sins ours [?] I now under the sunshine of his grace.
I do not think I have been much remiss in the out-
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ward duties of religion, and I have ever been I think firm & decided in religious duties & in general way have not neglected secret duties, but the cold & languid manner in which they were performed, this is what I have to lament over, & over secret sins which none sould see but the eye of God and thus you may see that I have been & am in but poor fix for writing a letter. My dear brother pray for me, that this dark night may end in a joyous day, and that I may yet be the instrument of doing much to promote my Redeemers kingdom.
I suppose you are ready to think that I am going to fill up my whole letter with my trials and temptations & in truth I think of little else, but something else no doubt will be more pleasing to your feelings.
Our College still continues in flourishing state there were 83 students last session near 20 more than has ever been before. There were 7 suspended for misconduct during the session one near the commence for striking a fellow student over the head with a stick for little provocation which came near killing him. The others were all suspended at once and for the same offence, it is almost too abominable to relate. It was keeping company with negro women, the [sic] would go out several of them together after night to meet with the negroes.
Their names are as follows, Lewis Beard, son of John Beard Esq. Joseph Graham son of John D. Graham of Beaties Ford & another by the name of Graham from beyond Lincolnton, Joseph Scott from Roky River son
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of William Scott, John Long of Cheraw son of the commissioned merchant there & a young [sic] by the name of Lata from below Cheraw.
Father and mother have their health quite well but father is still afflicted with rheumatic pains Mother is clear of pains except sometimes in one knee she is quite stout and able to work.
Father is still able to work some though not very much, he stays close at home and scarce ever at least seldom drinks any spirits, he does not send off after it & it is seldom brought there.
They have some difficulty in getting a long comfortably. They had their grown all rented out this year except a few acres in wheat there is very good corn on the plantation. Perhaps 12 or 14 acres of which they will get on third, but that will not be near sufficient for them & corn will [be] scarce I suppose as there [illegible] there has [been] a considerable drought in some parts [illegible] this country. Wheat crops in general were good.
Louisa has got in tolerable health though not quite so stout as she was. Sarah Jane has enjoyed better health this summer than common. She has been complaining now for a few days.
Lots family are well except Polly’s health is rather delicate. They have only two children yet. You are aware I presume of his having bought part of the tract of land formerly owned by Uncle John Hamilton on which he is now living. He has not got it quite all paid for yet. He settled in the woods near where the corner of the field was between Fathers & Uncle John’s he has had a good deal of hard work but is beginning to get tolerably well fixed. The children both grow finely. I wrote a letter to you for mother about the first of last March of which I have never heard of any account of your receiving. I was much pleased to hear you had had a revival of religion there & O that I could say the same thing here but alas it is quite differently. My dear brother pray for us.
T.H. Hamilton
Mother says she will write shortly give my love to Sarah Ann [illegible]…children. I have a gain returned to College but not in [illegible] any fix for study.
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Original
From: DC0116s Hamilton, Thomas H., 1809-1874 (1840) Letters, 1835-1839. (Finding Aid)
Cite as:
Hamilton, Thomas H., Letter to Brother. 5 September 1838. DC0116s, Hamilton, Thomas H., 1809-1874 (1840) Letters, 1835-1839. Available: https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/digital-collections/thomas-h-hamilton-letter-5-sep-1838/.
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