Martha Marple to David Marple, 03-22-1822


Summary: Interest in the colony in Ohio and Maryland. Religious exhortation.


Zains Ville [Ohio] March 22 1822

My Dear

I have felt my mind a good deal uneasy by not receiving a letter from you fore months has elapsed since I received your last I have been feerful you were sick you have gone through so much fatigue and hardship since you left home, may the God of truth arrest you[r] attention and bring you to feal the necessity of working out your solles salvation I must now begin to tell you of the reffermation in Zains Ville since you left home I will commence at sister Brooks family in the first place D Brooke joind the methodist Church in a few weeks after he embrased religion his father two sister with myself joind the same, I have reason to rejoice in the lord for what he has done for my immortal part he has brought me to see the errow of my weys and turned my back upon sin and folly to the living god. when I look back upon my past life and see how many of my preacious hours I have spent in sin I wonder that I have not been cut down as a cumberer of the ground, let me impress upon your mind how nessary, how important it is to be preparred for that awful messenger, death, which awaits all the children of men sooner or later, O my dear let us join heart and hand in praising the lord for his mercy induretb for ever for he has promised the righteous shall never [be ] forsaken nor their seed begging bread, has he not been knocking at the door of you heart until his locks has been wet with the dew I keep him out no longer open now your heart and let him in and sup with him you with him, do not as felix did say go thy way and at a more convenient season I will call for thee now is the acceptable time behold now is the day of salvation O my Dear do not be over ancios about much of this worrlds goods it is but little we want and that little but a little while, may we live a life that when we come to leave this world that we may rejoice in the god of our salvation, and if we are not prepared what an awful thing it will be to here that sentance pronounced depart ye workers of inquity for I no you not, O my Dear my whole sole is drawn out for you do not refuse to come where there is so much felicity awaits you because pressed to by a person who is unworthy to bring you the invitation we have passed many years beneath the same roof we have born the same fatigues and tasted the same pleasures, why then should we be sepperated now, why should they be devided who by nature habit and friendship have been so long united I have undertaking a journey to the new jerrusalem Suffer me not to go alone thither let neather the fatigue nor the lenghth of the wey affright you we shall be provided for ever with the heavenly manna and streems of living water god himself shall go before us in a piller of fire and under the protection of his wings we may walk without fear through the valley and shadow of death, come then my dear I am most unwilling to leave you behind come support me go before me in courage and show me the wright wey I feel the want of a faithful companion and a cristain friend suffer me to throw myself at you feet to imbrace youfr] knees and wash your feet with the tears that is streeming from my eyes I ask no part of temporal possession only enough to live on but I intreet you to seek an internal [sic] inheritance, I seek neather gold nor silver but I am ancios you should share my joys I am solicitious that you should accompany me to mount sion to the sitty of the living god that you should mix in the innumerable company of angels who are placed in the church of the first Born I am ancious therefore that you should come and have your name written in the lam[b's] book of life.

I send this by a Mr C[l]opper he is a resadent of maryland he tell me he is a going to be a neighbour of ours I am much pleased with his appearances he is an acquaintance of S Culberson he brought him up and introduced him as one of my texas neighbours I felt rejoiced to think we were a going to have some inlitted [enlightened] people to settle amongst us father and Isaac have written they have told you the news of the day I s[t]ill live where you left me, I have some idea of paying a visit to Baltimore this spring I feel very ancios to see my sister once more I suppose when I leave here for texes it is not probble I ever shall have the opportunity of seeing her again if I go I shall break up house keeping and leave my children with my friends they all think I ought to go Isaac ses he will furnish me with a horse I thought my expenoes would be very little more than if I were to stay at home, it is about one year since you left home, if I had a thought you would of been gone this long you would not of got of with[out] me O my very sole yearns within me for the partner of my bosom my whole sole is led out for your restoration in crist, give not sleep to your eyes not slumber to your eye lids untill you find pease to your sole you will never have to regret that you have turned in with the overtures of mercy, only that you have spent so many of your precious hours in running from god, 0 my Dear if I could but see you if it was but for one hour how glad I should be but why do I talk thus seeing I am deprived of your society for such a length [of] time perhaps it is all permitted for our good I hope it will work out our sole salvation we no not that we ever shall meet in this untendly world or not if not let us live so as to claim an inheritance at his wright hand where there is no more parting do not think I am beside myself for I feel the importance of soles so great I feel very unwilling to stop here I feel as if I could write a vollum but time will not permit Mr Clopper stay here is but short I would willing[ly] send you some articles of cloththing (sic) I expect you need shirts very much but I hope you will not go without anything to make you comfortable I have not received any thing from port gibson as yet I hope you will not let any opportunity pass without writing it gives me a great deel of uneasiness when I do not here from you for any length of time Mr Clopper has brought his family to Cincinnate there he will leave them until fall he sed it would be a convenient wey for me to go with them I should be very willing to meet you half wey your friends think it would not be best for you to return to this place, however, I shall leave this entirely to yourself I expect father has written you more fully upon the subject myself and children have enjoyed uninterrupted health since you left home you[r] friend[s] here are generally well I have not seen your mother for some time to speek to her but I believe she is well E Brooke has united herself to Samuel B Cripps of BrownsVille she has done very well as to this worlds goods he appears to be a very fine young man he thinks he will see us—[torn] Mr Clopper ses if any of our friend will condescend to pay us a visit he will never live in this Country again he is quite much taken with it as you are sister Brooke and H C sens there love to you your little son grows I do not suppose he would know you tho he talks about you every day every person he sees wriden this wey he ses mamy here is papy is a coming if he sees me looks serious or crying he ses mamy dont cry papy will come home John Marry and David send there love to you in which I join them may the god of Isral protect you through your jorney and bring us to gether once more is the prevailing prayer of your unaltered wife Martha M did you ever get my letters to [you] directed to Nachitoces I was fearful you did not by my not receiving an anser I wrote two the one after the oather imieadly I was in hopse you would get them both your most affectionately

Martha Marple