Augusta: John D. Imboden to Annie Lockett, December
7, 1870
Summary:
Imboden writes to Annie of friends and family members, their impending marriage,
and his plans to return to Virginia in late December or early January.
Dec. 7, 1870
N.Y.
My own darling Annie,
At last I have a letter from you. Yours of the 30th Novr written immediately on your return from Brunswick reached me day before yesterday, just as I was on the point of going over to Long Island to spend a day and night with an old friend, Judge Onderdonk, so that I could not reply till today.
You do not know how happy it made me to hear from you, and especially to learn that your visit had been so delightful to you. I was sure it would be, only I was a little bit afraid you might meet with some handsome young fellow who might make you sorry you had given yourself away to me. But you assure me that you never for a moment wavered in your affection for me, and your resolution to commit your happiness to my hands. Bless your dear heart for saying all this to me.
And most glorious of all is that you yield to my wishes in regard to the time of our marriage, and consent that I may come and bring you away in March. Ten thousand thanks for this concession. The particular day of the month we will fix upon and arrange when I come to see you soon, and then discuss all our plans. I would like to make my visit this month, but am not sure I can do so. But it will be at the earliest possible day I can command. But I will not come until I can have my business so arranged as to remain a good deal longer than I did the last time, so that I would rather wait even until after the holydays, than go before, and be obliged to run away from you in a day or two. To part from you now is so painful, that I only intend to see you once more before our marriage, that is only to go to your County once, though I shall perhaps not spend near all my time at your sweet home whilst there, though certainly as much of it as possible.
The same day I received your letter I recd. one of the sweetest letters from sister Lou you ever read. I would send it to you but I want to keep it to read often & over again & again. She told me I would hear from Miss Ella, but as yet no letter has come from her. She says in regard to the time of your marriage, that they would all like to be present, but think it best to let you & I fix it to suit ourselves. Just like her, good as she can be.
So you had to coquet a little with an old lover, & kick him hard to make him understand you were in earnest. Poor fellow - his fate is a hard one. I am sorry for him, but indeed I can give him no comfort, beyond suggesting the trite old adage about there being "as good fish in the sea as ever were caught" - and advising him to see if he can find another fish as good as that I have caught. As I know he would concur with me that there is not another such now left, he would go away disconsolate and hopeless poor fellow! But let him go!
I hope you will adhere to the views in which we concurred, not to have a wedding, but simply a quiet marriage in the family, and our immediate departure either for Richmond or this City. Large weddings are occasions of much more pleasure to the guests, than to the parties more immediately concerned. And as your sisters cannot all be present, let us by all means have as few others as possible. Were we to be married in the summer time and expecting to remain in the County some time it might be more agreeable for you to have all your friends present to witness an event of so much importance in your life.
But all this we will soon talk over together. May I not ask you to give me more expression in your letters to your feelings of affection for me? I know you love me, or you would never have given your consent to marry me, but I like to hear you say so, and wish you wo write me as freely as you think to yourself. No eye but mine will ever see one line you write, and I am sure that to me you feel that you can lay bare the most sacred feelings of your heart. Wont you do it to gratify me?
God bless you my darling, so soon to be my wife - my other self.
With love to all, I am now & always hereafter only yours
J.D. Imboden
