Charity Grubb Beeson

  General Notes:

A letter from Charity to her sister Phebe:

Loving Sister,

This is to let thee know that we have Received three letters from ye
and three presents therein I sent the(e) no letters; I had not freedom
Last winter was a year, I had a long time of sickness which brought me
very low in body, and mind and now I am troubled with short breath so
that I think I am going home softly. I thought it would Trouble Thee
more to let thee know my condition Then send no letters.

I goes to meeting sometimes; we have a meting every other fifth day at
our house, my husband grose weakly; the Lord who Lited our candled hath
not put them out. Our children Remember their loves to you all. I have
sente two presents to the(e) as a toacon of Love and youenity. We donte
know that thear heath bene any mischip done in the government as yet by
the Indins, but dont know how soon thear may be for some is doubtfull
thear my be before the truble some times be over. I desire the(e) to
remember oure kind Loves to all oure neare Relations and friends. We
under Stand that oure brother John Grubb is desesed, but we have no
Cartunty of it. I desire thee to let me know what is become of Peter
Grubb's widow. Remember my Love to brother Henry Grubb in particular.
So we ad no more at present but Remembering our kind Loves to thee and
thy family the 28th of ye fifth month, 1758.

Richard Beeson
Charity Beeson

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The reply letter from Phebe:

Loving Brother and Sister;

I received Your Letter this day, Dated ye 5th Month 1758, in which I had Great
statisfaction to hear of You, Except that Impediment and Stopage in my Sister's
Breath and my Brother's Weakness for which I am Ready to Sympathise With, Still hoping
that Light, the Grace of God, may be your instructor Until it may Please Him to Call us
Unto Himself Which is my Desire Both for you and myself, it Gives me Great Satisfaction
to hear of your Keeping to meeting knowing by Experience the Benefit of Waiting Upon
the Lord of help in this time of trouble. I have at this time no Child at home But
I Acknowledge for myself on the Behalf of my children the Love My cousins has Remembered
to us. The Present you have sent to me I Acknowledge and hope to keep as a Sure token of
friendship. My desire is that you may be Still kept from the Merciless hand of the Enemy
[Indians] and Above the fear of them by trusting in the god of all strength. We have
frequently heard of their doing Mischief in the Province.

According to Your desire I shall Let our Relations Know the Contents of your Letter as soon
as Possible; the time being so short I have not as yet had no Opportunity But I shall be Carefull.
Brother John Grubb is Certainly Deceased this Life he Died with the Gravel and Was decently
Buried at Chichester in Friends Buring Ground, the Corps Accompanied by Brothers Emanuel,
Samuel, Nathaniel and my self, With a great Company of Others. Brother John has set his two
oldest Negroes free and the Rest to be set free at twenty five Years of age. Sister Hannah
Grubb Lives at Wilmington & among her Children. I saw her Lately. She lives Exceeding Well
full and Plenty. My Children and family is at Present in health as Usual and their families.
My son Nathaniel and Isaac is out at Work at the mason trade. Joseph is at John Wall's.
John Wall, my son in Law has a daughter about nine months old and Calls Her Name Charity.

Our Brothers is all in Good health Except our Living and Beloved Brother Samuel; he is at this
time in Kingwood in Hunterton County in West Jersey or Was there Lately to be Cured of a Cancer
in his Under lip which is Very Painfull. Brother Richard, I have heard Lately of Joseph Gregg
and his family they are all in Reasonable Good health. I have heard nothing to the Contray
from thy Cousins by the River. So I Conclude Still Remembering that Love and Unity Which ought
to subsist among Brethern and Sisters in the fellowship of truth.

Please to Remember my Love to My Children and Grand Children by My Late husband and to William
Cox and his Wife Rachel Wright, With all Other Enquiring friend. Do no Neglect Writing to me
as often as Possible and the Circumstance of Your Affairs and Condition if you please, Concerning
these Troubelsome times.

This from your sister Phebe Hadly."

(originally published in "The Grubb Family", Gilbert Cope, 1893)

Charity married Mordecai Mendenhall, son of John Mendenhall Jr. and Susanna Pierson, on May 21, 1735 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Mordecai Mendenhall was born in 1713 in Concord, Pennsylvania and died on Nov 3, 1803 in Springfield, North Carolina ⁴⁴.)