[At
the top:]
P.S. I suppose you received the catalogue of the
school containing a picture of John I. Blair—on next Tuesday the 22nd,
is his 97th birthday and they are going to have a big day of it.—I
am invited. N.H. Belvidere N.J.
Aug 17th 1899
Dear
Cousin Henry J.:
Your
good letter of the 10th inst., is at hand.
I am sorry that you cannot see your way clear to come out here this summer. I have been saying to some that you might be present this year again but now I will be compelled to correct my former sayings. As I said before I am aware that long miles intervene between your home and these parts.
Your
letter of the 14th inst. also at hand and the contents are very
interesting. You are certainly (as said often before) getting a lot of history,
and it is very interesting. We have been
away
for a few days visiting some friends and I find your letters awaiting me on my
return last evening. Today we all three
go over to Oxford to attend the Odd Fellows Picnic and on Saturday we have our
family reunion. I am sorry I did not get your letter sooner. I would have
written to Miss Van Tassel, but I am afraid as it is so late she might not get
a letter in time. I would have been
pleased to have had her come to Belvidere and paid us a visit. If she comes
Note at top of page: While we were away we took
dinner one day at the old Sun Inn at Bethlehem Pa.. It is an old historic place. I had intended to have you go there
if you came out this year,--to see the old buildings etc. and the old Moravian
grave yard.---
out
to Delaware I will invite her to come down and see us.
Dr.
Thompson writes me that he will not be with us
this year. Our friend Henry Aten of Hope is very sick and he cannot be with us
this year.
Rev. Wm. Aten writes me he thinks he will be there.
Milton Aten says he cannot attend. Mrs. Hay is afraid she cannot be there this
year, as she is not very well and has the little girl “Beattrice”
the
daughter of George and Nellie deceased to take care of and the child is so
young, it cannot be taken. Mrs. Prentiss writes she will be there if nothing
prevents.
Rev. Elias W. Thompson expects to be there. Rev. John H. Brown cannot be there. So you
see some who were there last year will not be there this year. I think a good
many of the Albertson kinsfolk are going to be there. At least I have heard
from quite a good many and they all say they will be there. Your humble servant
will be there. I wish more of the Kinsmen of the Aten name could
be
there. I will write you about the
reunion and, who are there and all about it, so you will have a report of the
gathering.
I received a nice letter from our friend Peter H.
Bousquet, Esq of Pella Iowa, sending his regrets, and wishing all a pleasant
time at the family gathering. I was up to Newton a short time ago and I found
an entry in the Docket of Nicholas Albertson Esq Justice of the Peace that may interest you. I send a copy of the
same to you.—
We
are all well at my home at this time and I sincerely hope you are all well at
your home. We have a Barber in Belvidere now by the name of Edward Aten. I was shaved by him today—He is a relative
of the Aten’s up in Knowlton—He says his father was a cousin to Henry of
Hope—so you see there are Aten’s in almost all the walks of life.—What an army
of people who have more or less Aten blood in their veins!—What a gathering it
would be to see a lot of them (I mean a great big lot) together. We all send love and kind regards to you
all.
Yours very respectfully Nicholas
Harris