Letter from John Green Lane to Helen Berry, July 15, year unknown
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from John Green Lane to Helen Berry, July 15, year unknown
Description
A four page letter from John Green Lane to his mother-in-law, Helen Berry discussing the birth of grandson, who's mother is his daughter Helen Johns.
Creator
Lane, John Green
Date
07-15
Format
3 JPEGs
600 ppi
Language
English
Identifier
07_15_bl
Coverage
Brompton (Fredericksburg, VA)
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Brompton 15th July
My dear Mrs. Berry,
This morning I am a Grand Father-- & you a great Grand Mother—Helen has a fine boy & is doing very well up to this time; Dr Scott & Sister Fanny were with her, her labor began at eleven last night & ended at six this morning [erasure] in a great big son with black hair. Mrs. [ ] is installed as head nurse & Helen and Sister Fanny [ ] [ ] of efficiency.
Helen took chloroform to mitigate the pain, but even with that she says it was awful. Since you left, as before, she has been quite bright & cheerful & I sincerely hope that her recovery during her confinement will be rapid & that she will escape many of the incidentals that were so afflicting to her mother.
I can not tell you how much I miss you & dear little Liz. I hope she has been a good girl and cheerfully obeyed your wishes [ ] her there came from [ ] by Express last night a fine boy baby to her sister & that we are all very much pleased with it & and that I know she will be delighted and will be anxious to return to see it—Her kittens are in bad health, subject to fits & the mother too.
We have had light showers since you left& so [ ] revered a little, I have had a monopoly of the tomato market, sold until they work at 40 cents a dozen & now the pick at that, graduated down to 25 a dozen. M Homerson said to me yesterday the [ ] [ ] for the [ ] felt quite chagrined that, I, a new comer, should have so for beaten them-- he enquired particularly after you expressed his great admiration of you.
The boys are very well, Harry promises to be quite as much of a Beaux with the young [ ] and Willy is with the old maid. Tell Liz as, soon as the little boy has the dust & dirt of the [ ] washed off of him, he may put to sleep upon her little sofa with which he is charmed.
Helen has borne up so far very well under the fatigue [ ] of sleep, complain only of her feet. she got of short notes to sister Julia, Gertrude & [ ] this morning she, whilst I [ ] in leaning back at her ease in my chair with the Herald held before her spectacles a little awry, quite the impersonation of a Grandmother .
Sister Fanny will be [ ] Helen more or less as occasion may require. She went down in the buggy a while ago, probably to return to night, certainly if all is not well.
We all unite in devoted love to Taylor, Matthew & children & to Liz. Ever
Your affectionate son,
J G Lane
My dear Mrs. Berry,
This morning I am a Grand Father-- & you a great Grand Mother—Helen has a fine boy & is doing very well up to this time; Dr Scott & Sister Fanny were with her, her labor began at eleven last night & ended at six this morning [erasure] in a great big son with black hair. Mrs. [ ] is installed as head nurse & Helen and Sister Fanny [ ] [ ] of efficiency.
Helen took chloroform to mitigate the pain, but even with that she says it was awful. Since you left, as before, she has been quite bright & cheerful & I sincerely hope that her recovery during her confinement will be rapid & that she will escape many of the incidentals that were so afflicting to her mother.
I can not tell you how much I miss you & dear little Liz. I hope she has been a good girl and cheerfully obeyed your wishes [ ] her there came from [ ] by Express last night a fine boy baby to her sister & that we are all very much pleased with it & and that I know she will be delighted and will be anxious to return to see it—Her kittens are in bad health, subject to fits & the mother too.
We have had light showers since you left& so [ ] revered a little, I have had a monopoly of the tomato market, sold until they work at 40 cents a dozen & now the pick at that, graduated down to 25 a dozen. M Homerson said to me yesterday the [ ] [ ] for the [ ] felt quite chagrined that, I, a new comer, should have so for beaten them-- he enquired particularly after you expressed his great admiration of you.
The boys are very well, Harry promises to be quite as much of a Beaux with the young [ ] and Willy is with the old maid. Tell Liz as, soon as the little boy has the dust & dirt of the [ ] washed off of him, he may put to sleep upon her little sofa with which he is charmed.
Helen has borne up so far very well under the fatigue [ ] of sleep, complain only of her feet. she got of short notes to sister Julia, Gertrude & [ ] this morning she, whilst I [ ] in leaning back at her ease in my chair with the Herald held before her spectacles a little awry, quite the impersonation of a Grandmother .
Sister Fanny will be [ ] Helen more or less as occasion may require. She went down in the buggy a while ago, probably to return to night, certainly if all is not well.
We all unite in devoted love to Taylor, Matthew & children & to Liz. Ever
Your affectionate son,
J G Lane
Original Format
paper
Files
Collection
Citation
Lane, John Green, “Letter from John Green Lane to Helen Berry, July 15, year unknown,” The Lane Family at Brompton, accessed April 18, 2026, https://lanefamily.umwarchives.org/items/show/14.