Susanna Nelson Page letter to Mrs. Ralph W. Digges, 1835 April 10
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Rug Swamp Hanover County Virginia
April 10th 1835
My Beloved Mother was born August 23d OS 1743
She was the eldest child of her Parents- but before I say
any thing more of her, it will perhaps be necessary to say
something of her Parentage, her Paternal Grand Father
Philip Graeme, was obliged to fly from Scotland after the
rebellion in 1715 having followed the Fortunes of the
Pretender - or rather taking his side, and taking refuge
in the Colony of Virginia changed his name to Grymes.
Her Paternal Grand Mother was a Miss Ludwell -
her maternal Grand Father was one of 3 Brothers as I
have heard her say, (but I understand Mr. John Randolph
says there were 7 Brothers) of the name of Randolph
who came over to this country, her Grand Father, being a
man of distinction, was sent over to the British Government
to demonstrate against some of that Governments heavy
Taxes laid on the Colony, and returned Knighted
Sir John Randolph, who lies buried in the Chapel of
William and Mary College, and has a tabblet in the wall
speaking of his service to the Colony - her Maternal
Grand Mother was Miss Susan Beverly, Her mother
was the only daughter of her parents, she had 2 Brothers
Mr. Peyton Randolph, the speaker to Congress, who died
in Congress Hall, in Philadelphia, and Mr. John
Randolph, the Attorney General who followed Lord
Dunmore to England, in the beginning of the Revolu-
-tionary war - My Mothers Father lived in the County
of Middlesex - but he spent a great part of his time
in Williamsburg, the then seat of Government, where he
had a house, and during the session of the house of
Burgesses, and the General Court, his Family lived in
Williamsburg, it was during one of his visits to the
[tear] of Government, that My Beloved Mother made her
Entrèè into this world very uneventfully, and I have heard
her say, she was said to be so small that at her birth she
might have been put in a great Pot. Of her childhood
I have very little, except that she went to school to the
Reverend Mr. William Yates, the minister of I believe,
Gloucester or Middlesex, for I beleive both Counties were
called Gloster, at that time forming but one County.
She had quite a liberal education, for the times.
She was a most uncommon Arithmetician, very fond of
reading, and learned to play on the Harpsichord, (that
being the fashionable keyed Instrument of those days)
of Mr. Pelham, who since my recollection was the Organist
and I was once told by her eldest Brother, (that she was
the most Elegant Dancer, and the greatest Belle of the
age in which she lived) Her Father died before she was
married, and the Mansion House in Middlesex and the
great estate were left to her Eldest Brother, consequent-
-ly, her Mother and the rest of her children lived in
Williamsburg. I have said before that my beloved mother
was the eldest child of her paretns, she was the eldest
of 8 children 4 sons and 4 daughters. I have
frequently heard her say that she was never absent
from church in her life when in health, for when
in Middlesex she attended a church only 2 miles
from Brandon the name of her fathers seat, and
in Williamsburg in the same way, for her Parents
being wealthy people, they always hadleft a carriages
at command. She was married before she had
attained her 18th year, to Mr. Thomas Nelson who
was twenty four years old when he married
he was Educated in England, was the private
pupil of [illegible] Beilby Porteus afterwards Bishop of
Chester, and then Bishop of Landon. My Beloved
Mother was married by the Reverend William Yates
in Williamsburg, and her Mother lived until after [tear]
had 4 children, and then died in a Dropsy, she has
frequently spoken of her dear Mothers death, she
had been detained from her family 6 weeks attend-
-ing on her Mother, and at length at the persuasion
of her friends, her Mother agreed to be taped for the
Dropsy and as so well after it, that my Dear Mother
left her to prepare for her being brought to York the
place of her residence the next day, and in the night
a messenger was dispatched to let her know sheher mother
was dangerously ill, and before she got back to Williamsburg
12 miles fromto York her Dear Mother was dead. Her
eldest sister married the brother of her husband, Her
2nd married Colonel Burwell the first cousin of her husband
and her 3rd who was only 1 years old when her Mother
died married Dr. Pope. My Beloved Mother on her
marriage entered into the most remarkably religious family
in the world. President Nelson, the father of her husband
and his Mother was the most uncommon people then
however, they were strict, & precipitous - and my dearest
Mother never heard a Baptist or a Methodist preach in
her life, and indeed the only dissenter she ever heard was
the famous Dr. Witherspoon of Philadelphia, a Presbyte-
rian and then she was carried to hear him by Mrs. Dr.
[illegible] when she went to Philadelphia with my father
during the session of the Old Congress in 1776. She also
at the same time went to the Roman Catholic Chapel
She had 11 living children, and 2 sons born dead, 6 living
sons and 53 daugthers all of whom married and had children
She brought up her children in the nurture and admo-
-ration of the Lord, they were brought into her chamber
every morning whilst she was dressing, and said their prayers
and a short Catechism, such as (who made you) who redeeemed
you He, and then read the Psalms for the day and the
Collect Epistle and gosprl, throughout the week, for the pre-
ceding sunday, and the writer of this does not remember
when these exercises began with her.
[tear] she was dressed, her children and servants sent out
of the room, and she was locked up as was the turn thro' the
house, for her being at her Prayers, where she continued nearly
an hour every day, I suppose I need hardly say she read her Bible
daily. Being once asked if she prayed a great deal for her sons
she replied "yes my dear that I did" and she continued so to do as
as long as she lived. She was very remarkable in her attention to
the Holy Sabbath, for she never permitted a piece of work or
any thing that belonged to weekly business to lay about the
house on the sabbath day, and she never in her life read or
permittegd one of her children to read any other book on the
Lords day, I had a Holy Book, and her children, have continued
as far as they are able to instruct their children in the same
way, and you may hear her Grand Children, and Great Grand
Children asking on the sabbath day for a sunday book to read
She was a rigid Disciplinarian with her children, and of the
most Pious now of her sons, and one that was most affectionate to
her all her life, well remembers her giving him a severe
chastisement once, where he burst the door open, and said he
would stand it no longer, he attempted to jump over the pails
in her yard, where she called a servant to catch him, he cought
him by the skirts of his coat, just as he attempted to clear
himself, and brought him back to her, when she chastised him
both for the fault he had first committid, and also
for his behaviour to her. 17 years before her death she be-
-came blind, such [illegible] unremitting [illegible] to er children
and then it was that she found she reaped the benefit of
having paid such unremitting attention, to her children, for
all thro' devine grace were converted before that took place
and Childrens Grand Children, and Great Grant Children paid
back by their affection and attentionher kindness to them
After her blindness one of her Children or Grand Children
read the Psalms [illegible] epistle and gospel, also the lessons
for the day, and after them came Ostavals Reflections on the
Bible, and the prayers for the day out of an old book, called
A New Manual of Devotions, which she had been in the
habit of using reading herself when she could see. (During
the troubles of the Revolutionary War, she underwent a great
deal, no tongue can tell what her sufferings were, when she
was obliged to run from place to place with her large family
and knew that her Beloved, Husband was exposed to all, [tear]
horrors of war, and when he died, he left her and her
children who had been accustomed to all the Luxuries of life
reduced by his immense expenditures for his Country to ab-
-ject poverty, the very beds on which the Widow and Orphans
pillowed their heads, were sold to pay that debt, which he had
contracted for this ungrateful Country, and but for the kind-
ness of a friend, the bare ground might have pillowed the
head of the Widow and Children of General Thomas Nelson
who spent half a million of dollars for that Country, and
now when her descendants which amounted to a 114 when
she died, have applied to this Commonwealth, they will not
even act upon the Petition presented.) All her Children
a great many of her Grand Children, and one of her Great
Grand, Children, have laid up their treasure above
where she has gone to lay dwell with that Savior, whom
not seeing she loved, and whom she taught all her descend-
-ants, to love. She lived to be 87 years old and 17 days
old, and breathed her soul out sweetly on the bosom of
Jesus September 18th 1830. - - - Her Children were
taught the Church Catechism, and said it by wrote
to her every sunday, and in latter times when there
was no Episcopal minister, it was the custom of the house
for all the family to collect between 11 or 12 oclock every
sabbath day, in the foreroom to read the Church service
and a sermon, and in the after-noon when they were
long, the same exercises were carried on, and in the short
days instead of the Church service, a sermon was read by
some member of the family Males and Females, also her
Grand Children whenever they were prevented from
attending public worship, they have Church as they
call it in their own family. She was a remarkably active
woman, what was called a good manager, looked after her servants
who might almost in her latter days be said to idolize her, attend-
-ed to all her household duties, during the week, but when the
Sabbath day came, she never looked at or spoke of any thing that
had any reffrence to weekly business, and she used to say, she
never went to into her [tear]
She was very fond of hymns being sung to her, and she always
joined in the singing, she had been a very fine singer in her
youthful days, and in her last illness repeated verses of several
hymns.
Thy promise Lord is every sure;
and they that in Thy house would dwell,
that happy station to secure;
must still in holiness swell.
Mrs. Ralph W. Digges
Locust Lodge
Louisa, County
Virginia