Augusta County: John D. Imboden to Annie Lockett,
November 26, 1870
Summary:
Imboden explains his preference for an early wedding and tells his fiancee to
break the engagement if she does not really love him.
Nov 26th 1870
N.Y.
My little darling-
After awhile I will adress my letters to "My darling little wifey" - And you will
reply "My precious old hubby," won't you? Well no
matter now. Your sweet letters of the 18th & 19th have been received
& read over a dozen times. How much I think of my own little Annie - and
how I wish I could be with you at Lawrenceville next Monday night. But there is
no chance for that. I am waiting here for the return of Col McKaye from London & may not get back to Virginia for
two or three weeks - as long as I could not be in Mecklenburg perhaps I had as
well be 500
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miles away.
You did not inform me where to address my letter during your visit to Brunswick, and as mails in all that wilderness region are like angel's visits, I am afraid to send this to Lawrenceville, lest it gets there a fortnight or so after you have gone. I will therefore continue to write to Lombardy Grove. By the way there is another good reason for this. If you become very anxious to hear from me it may bring you home from your frolicking, and take you out of danger of falling in love with a handsome young heathen from the fine woods of Brunswick.
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So there is such a sweet, nice very young, lovely Cotton Broker from
Nashville just dying for you - and you are so sorry you didn't know it before my
visit. Well let him die. Who cares? I am not afraid now of all the Cotton
Brokers in Tenn & Ga. Not a bit. You can't scare me by such a ghost. You see I have
such implicit confidence in you since you said you would marry me, that I don't
feel afraid of rivals but do feel sorry for the poor fellows. If one should come along so fascinating as to win your heart
away from me, do you know what I would say; if it killed me to give you up? I
would say "Your happiness is my first concern. If you love another better than
me
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you can never be happy as my wife - and I would not hold you to
the fulfillment of an engagement that would render you miserable. Go &
marry him & forget me." Yes my darling Annie, all jesting apart,
marriage is too serious & solemn a transaction for all time to come to
be entered into lightly and thoughtlessly. None are justified in marrying unless
they love each other alone all the world besides. Better even at the altar and
at the last moment of escape, recede than go forward with certain misery in
propsect. But this is all nonsense. You know how tenderly & truly I love
you, and I believe I have your heart as completely in return. So I say "poor
Cotton Broker."
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I today recd. a mighty sweet but very
short letter from Sister Lou. She was going out & could only answer
briefly my letter from Lombardy Grove. By the way I will enclose it to you as
she considers me crazy - and advises you to have me put into an asylum. But
towards the close of her letter she is very sensible, as you see she will help
me to secure you in March. By the way you write so sweetly in regard to the
time, deferring so entirely to my wishes that it makes me ashamed to think that
I may have appeared too importunate. I wish it to be as early as possible. I therefore urged March. You & your sister
seem to have a dread of that chilly blistery month. She urges June. That is too
far off & besides is almost in
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the hottest season of the year
- when I would prefer that we should have become quietly settled down [added: rather] than being off on a bridal trip. As to
next fall that is out of the question. There is no use discussing it. Whilst I
then still insist on March, I will not be unreasonable, but will compromise if I
can't have my way on an early day in April. I know how much you desire the
presence of your sisters and I would not subject them to a trip at a season all
seem so much to dread. Understand me I only will agree to this postponement, so
that I might not appear so selfish as to disregard entirely the comfort of
others. As for you my darling one month will be about as pleasant as another,
for I
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shall bring you right away to the city, the very day we are
married, and we will be almost independent of the weather in town - either in
Richmond or N. York.
I know you will have a pleasant time at Lawrenceville & at the wedding.
If our engagement is known it will spoil your flirtations. You will be
astonished to find how the beaux will stop making love to you, as soon as they
find out you are about [deleted: thro]
[added: to] throw yourself away on an intruder like
me. I want you to write me all about your trip. Tell me how pretty you looked
& how sweetly you sung. Tell me all the sweet things said to you,
& your sweet replies.
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I hope you will say to every young
rascal that makes love to you, that he is too late. That you are engaged to a
most excellent old gentleman "with 5 children besides you." That you begin to feel old yourself, and wish all young fellows to
cease talking nonsense to you.
I wish you were here now with the girls & me. They are enjoying their N. York very much, as you will yours one of these days soon. I am glad I am so often & so affectionately spoken of in your family. I hope your father will become more reconciled to giving you up. You will be in safe hands tell him.
With much love to all, I am devotedly yours
J.D. Imboden
I am afraid your trip will cause me to wait a long time for a reply to this. But write as soon as you return.
