Letter from Jacob Hall, Jr., to Mrs. Hannah Nice (About 1775-1776)Author(s): Jacob HallSource: The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jan., 1914), pp. 158-159Published by: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and CultureStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1915252 .

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W5VILLIANI ) N ARY OUARTERLY

America, I should not be able to dispose of my valuable collec- tion of the finest pictures by the most celebrated masters,-to the amount of near two hundred-which have been estimated here by the ablest judges at 15000 dollars (even in the present time) And should peace take place they may bring me much more:-Add to these, my cabinet of Antiques-amongst which are gold, silver & copper medals, for which I have been lately of- fered, by a Prince of the German Empire (whose polite letter I have now on the table) the sum of 400 guineas-but my price is 500.-I have besides cameos, intaglios, mosaics, &c. &c. of great xalue-all which will command a ready sale-as soon as the great contending powers shall have united in stopping the unbounded ambition of Neapoleon . .

LETTER FROM JACOB HALL, JR.,* TO MRS. HANNAH NICE

(ABOUT I775-I776).

(Original MSS. in the possession of Mrs. William Emlen Studdiford, Great Granddaughter of Parry Hall, I24 E. 36th St., New

York, I9I2.)

Dear Sister, I hope you will pardon my not writing by Parson Hallt-I had actually

wrote a letter, but as we live at some Distance apart he could not get it

before he entered on his journey. I was the less uneasy as I expected you

would hear from him a very particular History of me; but it seems his business would not permit him to take a Ride to Nicetown. Therefore I

will do it for him. I have been going to and fro in the Earth, ever since I left Home, not seeking whom but what I might devour, that is endeavor- ing to get Bread wch is as much as can fall to the Lot of any man in this Iron Age, for Peace he cannot have. I am now living with Colo Tonm

Nelson, one of the Delegates of the Congress, a gentleman of the first Fortune and Interest in this Colony. He allows iof a piece for each of

* This is Dr. Jacob Hall,4 already referred to, who was afterwards

President of Cokesbury College. See Maryland Historical Magazine.

Vol. VIII., p. 217-235. Mrs. Hannah Nice was his sister, who became

the wife of George Nice, of Nicetown, Philadelphia County, Penn. The letter was probably written in the autumn of 1775.

t This, of course, was the Rev. Thomas Hall.

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WILLIAM AND MVARY QUARTERLY I59

his 5 sons, with the Liberty of taking in 4 or 5 more, gives me my Board and Accommodations, a Servant to wait on me, and makes a Compliment of their Board to the Boys in my Favor-I have the Benefit of his Library which is a fine Collection, make no doubt I shall live as Comfortably as these troublesome times will admit-The Difficulty of Conveyance has prevented your hearing from me so often as I could wish, and nothing but the present good Opportunity could have prevail'd upon me to write, for I hate to have my Letter broke open, tho' there shoul'd be nothing in them. Next to Seeing you all, nothing could give me so much Satis- f action as to hear from yourself and dear Family, but this I have insisted on in so pressing a manner before, that I shall not repeat-But if the fit should take you to write Contrary to my Expectations, Pray let me have the Number of your Family, how many I am uncle to, their ages and sizes, how they go on with their learning, Also, a Long Catalogue of my former Friends and Acquaintances in that part of the Earth, especially those you think I should be glad to hear of, who are dead, who are mar- ried, and everything else you can think of that would give me the least Satisfaction, be it of never so trifling a nature. For be assured as it comes from Pennsylvania my Native Land, and from a dear Sister, it will give sincere pleasure to

Love to all your Loving Brother inquiring Friends Jacob Hall

Have you had any late accounts from our hond aged Father since 1i removed to the Mountains to spend the Remainder of his Days? (Addressed) Mrs. Hannah Nice

Near Germantown By Colo Nelson

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