Liberty Hall Collection 1780s

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, August 11, 1786

  John Kean

  08-11-1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, address not included. He apologized for not writing sooner, but the weather was bad and he could not send anyone to the post office. Robert R. Livingston's lawsuit received a lot of attention from people and everyone was talking about Susquehanna. Susan's father, Peter Van Brugh Livingston, was expected for the trial. He also mentioned Peggy Marshall and Miss De Hart.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, August 14, 1786

  John Kean

  08-14-1786
  

  John Kean wrote from Claremont to Susan Livingston, address not included. Hindman had arrived on Saturday, but they postponed their trip to Lebanon until Thursday, partly due to Robert R. Livingston's ongoing lawsuit. John said that if the trip got delayed again he would not go as he was expected in New York on September 1. He hoped that Susan would accept an invitation to go to Elizabethtown as the country air would be good for her health. Kitty was excited by Hindman's return and spent the day with him. The next day John planned to go to the upper manor to see Susan's uncle.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, August 29, 1786

  John Kean

  08-29-1786
  

  John Kean wrote from Claremont to Susan Livingston, address not included. He had received her letters and some from South Carolina upon returning to Claremont, including a parcel of watermelons. He would travel tomorrow to Poughkeepsie and then slowly down to New York. He did not think Hindman would marry soon and that he would be in New York as soon as John got there. Mrs. M and Edward also talked about leaving Saturday. He was glad to hear Mrs. L paid Susan a visit and that Susan's health had improved.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, August 4, 1786

  John Kean

  08-04-1786
  

  John Kean wrote from Claremont to Susan Livingston, address not included. Hindman was in New York and they were to travel to Lebanon on Monday. He sent Susan a draft for 300 pounds sterling and asked that she have Lawrence and Morris forward it as soon as possible. He wrote about the nature of avarice and inquired about Miss V.B. who had traveled to Elizabethtown and fell in love with it.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, August 9, 1786

  John Kean

  08-09-1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, address not included. He wrote about a party he attended with Mr. Joubert which was also attended by Margaret Beekman Livingston, Edward Livingston, and Mrs. Houstoun. He was worried about his health as it had not been great again. He wrote about the relationship of their friend Kitty and her suitor. He was glad to hear of Eliza Livingston's happiness, possibly referring to her engagement to Lewis William Otto.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (1)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. He explained how an exercise he performed last evening had a pleasant effect on him and he looked forward to seeing the doctor soon again. At the very end of the letter he asked Susan if she had went to see a play. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (10)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. John explained how in the ancient world individuals made offerings of their hair to various deities in order to bring good fortune. He then briefly told Susan a story from Homer's Iliad where Achilles cut a piece of his hair off after the death of his friend Patroclus and placed it on his grave. Next, he made another reference to ancient Greek Mythology by mentioning how Orestes offered locks of his hair to the gods in order to destroy his foe Aegisthus, who had murdered his father. Finally, the letter ended with John offering a lock of his hair to Susan to wish good fortune upon her. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (11)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. In this letter John mainly focused on some of the faults of human nature and told Susan to look out for her loved ones when they might be straying down the wrong path in life. Additionally, he mentioned how the name Livingston would always be special to him as it had brought him a great deal of happiness. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (12)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. He explained how the damp weather would not only put a halt to an excursion he had planned, but would also put a delay on he and Susan seeing each other again. He inquired to know about her health and wrote how he surprisingly held up very well even in the unsatisfactory weather. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (13)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. He apologized for not visiting her and explained that he had government matters to attend. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (14)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote from an unknown location to Susan Livingston in Hanover Square, NY. Relatives of Susan had recently gotten married and John explained what beautiful time of year it must be for such an event. John jokingly asked Susan if he could be her novice and learn from her polite and well mannered ways. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (15)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. He told Susan about a meeting he had just had with some Georgians and explained how the weather is making him feel indisposed. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (16)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. The weather had stopped him from traveling and made his cough get significantly worse than usual. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (17)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote from an unknown location to Susan Livingston in Hanover Square, NY. John explained to Susan why he had not sent his servant Robertson to her sooner and lists out two different reasons. Additionally, he gave Susan some wise words of advice stating, "Avarice and ambition combined is the cause I would inflict on an enemy if I had one." This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (18)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. In this letter John copied down an excerpt from John Langmore's The Effusion of Friendship and Fancy. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (19)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. John had been traveling for a handful of days through New Jersey and used this letter to explain his journey to Susan thus far. The first leg of the trip unfortunately was plagued by stormy weather and John was forced to stop at a tavern after only three miles. After the rain had subsided he went on to Bound Brook to spend the night there and in the morning went on to relatives of Susan. Next, John was then faced with the challenge of crossing a mountain range and compared himself to Hannibal making his way through the Alps to fight the Romans. Additionally, he listed off some of the birds he had the opportunity of seeing which included doves, larks, quails, woodpeckers, thrushes, and robins. Besides the numerous birds the only other animals he could find were squirrels. He closed the letter by detailing the room he was sitting in which was decorated elegantly with paintings on the walls both behind and in front of him.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (2)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote from an unknown location to Susan Livingston in Hanover Square, NY. In the letter he expressed how happy he was that Susan had a safe passage, however, he explained that it also brought him a great deal of sadness since they were now so far apart and he would have to travel alone for the time being. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (20)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to his wife Susan Livingston and informed her on the failure to reestablish the national bank in Philadelphia. He mentioned how V.B had 130 shares in the bank and that he might prefer to move his money into private hands. John was most likely referring to Susan's father, Peter Van Brugh Livingston. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (21)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. John asked Susan to copy a set of letters he sent to her since he had been too busy to do so himself. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (3)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. He inquired about some discomfort Susan had been feeling in her side and, as bloodletting was still a common practice, advised her to puncture a vein in order to ease the pain . This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (4)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. In the letter he asked her for forgiveness as he did not act with proper etiquette. It is unclear what his actions were exactly but his words were extremely apologetic and proved that he truly was sorry for what he had done. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (5)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. John sounded slightly annoyed as he had not heard from Susan in quite a while. He ended the letter with a note which said he would see her at nine and give her a kiss. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (6)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. In this brief dispatch he expressed to Susan that pleasing her and keeping her happy is the most important thing in his life. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (7)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. The letter began with a reference to to the literary work Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe as John compared not being able to see Susan to being trapped on a desert island. He then inquired if she had been feeling better and informed her that his illness had subsided. The letter ended with John explaining some of the various activities he completed in an effort to distract himself from not being with Susan. This item is not dated.

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  John Kean to Susan Livingston, c. 1786 (8)

  John Kean

  c. 1786
  

  John Kean wrote to Susan Livingston, unaddressed. He informed her on the arrival of Mr. Read and Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton and hoped that this news would give her some tranquility before she went for an operation on her teeth. This item is not dated.