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John Jay Autograph Letter Signed...
Description
John Jay Writes with "Utmost Tenderness" to Comfort His Daughter After the Death of her Child
John Jay Autograph Letter Signed ("John Jay"). One
page of a single leaf, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches; Bedford, [N.Y.];
October 12, 1808. Docketed on the verso in his daughter's hand.A highly intimate letter from Founding Father Jay, who writes to his daughter Maria Banyer offering comfort following the death of her young daughter. In full:
"My dear Daughter.
I hear that your Brother is gone to Albany - I hope that his Endeavors to administer to your Consolation will be blessed by a kind Providence. Your Sister & myself have been ready to set out since Yesterday, but have been delayed by bad weather - it is now Evening - the Rain has ceased and there are appearances of its clearing up - if so, we shall be on the Road early in the morning - altho my dear little grand Daughter, after the longest abode here, could never have been more happy than she now is, yet my dear distressed child I feel for you - Her absence is to you a severe loss and your Tears are not to be blamed - we are advised when in adversity to consider - Your excellent and sound mind will readily suggest the subjects, and I am persuaded that Grace and merciful Kindness will be with You.
With the utmost Tenderness I am
My dear Maria
Your very affc. Father
John Jay."
Jay writes in the midst of a concentrated period of personal loss within his daughter's family. Between 1804 and 1808, Maria endured the deaths of her son, Goldsborough III, her husband, Goldsborough Jr., and her daughter Sarah ("Sally"), placing this letter in the immediate aftermath of profound and compounding bereavement.
Against this backdrop, Jay balances grief with consolation. His language is gentle but direct, acknowledging the immediacy of the loss while urging his daughter toward reflection and faith. The letter carries a quiet urgency: delayed only by weather, he prepares to travel to her, underscoring the depth of his concern. His words move between sympathy and spiritual guidance, offering comfort grounded in providence, while repeated expressions of affection reveal a father responding not only as a moral guide, but as a father confronting loss within his own family.
Condition: Very good with only minor wear. Flattened folds with minor toning and minor staining. Minor edgewear at center right margin, affecting text. Small pinhole at top left margin. Notation in red ink at bottom margin of verso.
References: John Jay, The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, ed. Henry P. Johnston, vol. 4 (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1893)
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