Mrs Grace Talbott of Danville, VA 1895
I found in some old letters passed down through our family a letter signed by M E Aiken of Danville, VA. This was Mary Ella Yates Aiken, wife of Archibald Murphey Aiken of Danville who was the son of Benjamin Wilson Aiken and wife Jane Rebecca Carter Aiken. The letter was written shortly after the death of Julia Ada Worth Herring, wife of William Graham Herring and daughter of Barzillai Gardner Worth and wife Mary Elizabeth Jesse Carter Worth of Wilmington, NC. MEJ Carter Worth was the sister of Jane Rebecca Carter Aiken and the aunt of Benjamin Wilson Aiken. Included in this letter was a quite a bit of information which I think would be of great value to the family of Mrs Grace Talbott of Danville, VA. I know nothing more about this Talbott family.
Danville, VA
Sep 1st 1895
Dear Uncle and Aunt.
We have recently heard with heartfelt sorrow of your great your almost overwhelming affliction and I write now to express same to you and only wish I had it in my power to in a degree heal its poignancy. I have passed through great and grievous losses in the deaths of my dear parents, and know you must be bewildered & can scarcely pray, think, or feel. Stay yourself in God, and make Him your refuge until the bitterness is overpast.
Your Lord has your human nature and He understands its mysterious depths. Just think of her [joy?] and your Lord's love. I know it is right and natural for us to mourn our dead, and while we never recover from the loss of the presence & loss of our dear ones, still time, & the grace & mercy of our Heavenly Father, make us suffer less, and less. We can never understand the workings of Providence in taking our dear and useful friends, we feel as if our dear Julia had so much to live for, but God in his wisdom ends her work on earth, and gathers her to her reward and rest.
I know your hearts are sore and bleeding and her place never be filled, so dutiful, affectionate, bright, & faithful. I want to ask your sympathy & prayers for a dear friend, who is passing through the same grief that you are. While I am writing, the funeral services are being conducted at the Church near here of the only child of a widowed mother, Grace Talbott who was only 24 yrs old & who leaves two little girls, one 2 yrs old, the other 5 months. She was a robust-looking young woman. Was taken sick with fever a little more than two weeks ago, & succumbed Friday night. Her poor mother, who was my life long neighbor & friend is nearly crazed with grief, and truly it does seem she had had more than her share of trouble. her husband died 22 yrs ago - her father died insane - her mother living but paralized & her only son killed himself with drink two years ago.
Her whole future was centered in her one child, and now death has snatched her. Grace had been to the same school in Staunton that Julia had and during one of her visits to us I invited Grace to spend a day with her. Please remember me to Mr Herring - give my love to our dear kin people and for yourselves accept my love and sympathy. If I can do anything for you, let me know.
Affectionately,
M. E. Aiken