Boston, Sunday, 25 May 1873: A sorrowful telegram last evg, summoning me to St. Catharine’s [in Ontario]. Mary Shober[2] had a severe relapse last Wednesday; typhoid symptoms have set in and I fear she is sinking. I know Sallie [Lewis][3] would not bid me come unless she felt it very necessary, for we both dread the agitation my quick return will cause our precious sister, though I think she has long felt convinced herself she should never get well. No train goes for Albany & West before 8 tomorrow a.m. and no telegram can be sent to or from St Catharine’s on Sunday. Morris [Gray][4] has driven out to Miss Hill to bring Mary [Gray][5] in. Frank [Gray][6] and I start of course tomorrow. Oh that precious darling sister, how can we give her up?...

Tuesday, 27 May 1873: At 12 ¼ o’c a.m. our dear sister Mary Morris Shober passed on into the eternal peace.

Frank and I reached Springfield [Massachusetts] at about 2 a. m. – to find all distress and suffering over for her for-ever-more.

Pottsville, Pennsylvania, 12 June 1873: Mary & Frank left us last Monday for home. A week ago yesterday we left Mrs. Shober,[7] after nearly a week’s stay with her. No words can express our appreciation of her great kindness, in immediately offering us a home, whereunto we might bring our precious dead; it saved us so much uncertainty & embarrassment & was altogether so much more fitting than any other arrangement we could make. She took us all: Wm. Lewis[8] was there to meet his wife, poor sick man; Mary, Regie,[9] & Frank & ourselves.[10] Her ample hospitality, her kind consideration, her tender, sincere sympathy, were very comforting – I feel we can never be grateful enough for it all. We had gone through so much, it was inexpressibly soothing to get to a home – whence our darling sister was borne at last to her peaceful rest at [the Church of ] St. James the Less [in Philadelphia]…

Boston, Sunday, 7 June 1874: I left Pottsville last Monday morn’g. Sallie accompanied me as far as Reading, wh I took the New York train; reached Jersey City at 3½ p.m. and Fanny Stewart’s[11] house at 5 p.m. Horace Gray[12] met me & put me into an omnibus, which left me at 37^th St. within a block of Fanny’s. The dear child gave me a most loving welcome, and I enjoyed my visit to the new home so recently started very much; and am glad to be able now to localize them. I quite admire William Stewart; he is self possessed without assumption or conceit – very refined gentlemanly & intelligent; and they do seem very happy in each other.

Tuesday Fanny saw me placed in the parlor car – handed me a paper bag of strawberries, wh. I found very refreshing and I reached home at 5:40 – Dr. [Gray] and Sam [Gray][13] were awaiting me at Albany depot – and Mr. Pierson Beebe was very polite and attentive, on the way...

Last week Fanny Tappan was married to Frank Appleton.[14] This week Lena Baird of Philad. will be, to Howard Gardiner[15]…

I collected some very satisfactory items in Philad. for Records of my family.

Boston, Saturday, 12 June 1875: We had a blessed rainfall on Tuesday & Wednesday – the heaviest fall on record for this part of the country, in the same number of hours – a really tremendous down pour for hours, it kept one awake as if it were the tramp of an army; nearly six inches of water fall – an incalculable blessing!

A letter to-day from S.M.L.[16] Steamer Vicksburg[17] was cut into by an ice-floe and sank in a few minutes with 50 to 60 on board – 2 boatloads escaped one of wh., 5 men in all, were picked up – the other not yet heard of. News to-day of a terrible earthquake in New Grenada, S.A. in which 16,000, persons have lost their lives – a fearful calamity… We have made acquaintance this week with Tom Carey,[18] eldest son of my cousin Susan (Kimber) Carey[19] of Baltimore; he staid but 2 days in Boston – spent an evening with us – and sailed ... next day – a pleasant, easy, gentlemanly man; real Baltimore-y!

Continued here.

Notes

[1] Hedwiga Regina Shober (1818–1885) was married to Dr. Francis Henry Gray 1844–80. Entries from the Hedwiga Regina Shober Gray diary, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections.

[2] The diarist’s elder sister, Mary Morris Shober (1816–1873).

[3] Mrs. Gray’s youngest sister, Sarah Morris Shober (1825–1917), who was married to the Rev. William Phillips Lewis 1868–93.

[4] The diarist’s youngest son, Morris Gray (1856–­1931).

[5] Mrs. Gray’s daughter, Mary Clay Gray (1848–1923).

[6] The diarist’s eldest son, Francis Calley Gray (1846–1904).

[7] Mrs. Gray’s stepmother Lucy Hall Bradlee (1806–1902), who was married to Samuel Lieberkuhn Shober 1830–47.

[8] The diarist’s brother-in-law, William Phillips Lewis (1828–1893).

[9] Mrs. Gray’s third son, Reginald Gray (1853–1904).

[10] Presumably including Dr. Francis Henry Gray (1813–1880).

[11] The diarist’s niece, Frances Loring Gray (1843–1919), who had married William Adams Walker Stewart in January 1874.

[12] Mrs. Gray’s brother-in-law, Horace Gray (1821–1901).

[13] The diarist’s second son, Samuel Shober Gray (1849–1926).

[14] The Grays’ neighbor Frances Rollins Tappan (1849–1906) married Francis Henry Appleton on 2 June.

[15] Helena Lawrence Baird of Philadelphia (1851–1925), who was marrying (William) Howard Gardiner of Boston. Mrs. Gray had already noted Lena Baird’s fast behavior; see  http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1888/09/09/page/25/article/philadelphias-latest-scandal for a later episode.

[16] I.e., Sarah Morris (Shober) Lewis.

[17] The Vicksburg sank off Newfoundland 1 June. See http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?153323 for more information.

[18] Thomas Kimber Carey (1851–1906).

[19] Mrs. Gray’s first cousin Susanna Budd Kimber (1822­–1913) was married to James Carey 1850–94.