Letter signed S. Mason, Lexington, to Dear Brother [Henry von Phul], St. Louis. Lexington is more unhealthy than it has been since the time of the cold plague. When I arrived, the town was full of Strother’s marriage. I am told that Mr. Hunt, when spoken to, said very coldly that his daughter was old enough to judge for herself. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer were the only strangers at the marriage and said they felt as though they were at a funeral. The bride was attired in a riding habit., 1825 July 20

Item — Box: 2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection contains family correspondence, mainly letters of Anna Maria von Phul, Sarah von Phul (Jordan) Mason, and Graff von Phul to Henry von Phul in St. Louis. The letters mention family news, Anna Maria von Phul’s artwork, soldiers in Lexington just prior to the War of 1812, Henry's business affairs, an 1819 flooding in St. Louis from Chouteau's Pond when the dam gave way, the murder of Elijah Lovejoy, and the Civil War. The collection also contains Graff von Phul's extracts from the first lecture of Sir Joshua Reynolds, delivered at the opening of the Royal Academy on January 2, 1769; a deed of emancipation of Richard, dated August 30, 1844; a bill of sale of an enslaved girl dated November 2, 1858; poems, newspaper clippings kept by Anna Maria von Phul, land surveys, Von Phul family genealogy, and a detailed biography and accounts of Henry von Phul.