The following letter was written by Isabella (“Bella”) A. Nassau (1829-1906), the daughter of Rev. Charles William Nassau (1804-1878) and Hannah McClintock Hamill (1807-1878) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bella wrote the letter to her younger brother, Rev. Robert Hamill Nassau (1835-1921), an American presbyterian missionary who spent forty years in Africa. Bella eventually joined her brother as a missionary in Africa.

Born in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Nassau was an ordained minister and a medical doctor. Appointed in 1861 to Presbyterian mission on Corisco Island off the coast of present day at Equatorial Guinea, he and his wife, Mary Cloyd Latta served there and at Benita until her death on Corisco in 1870. They had three sons William Latta, George Paull and Charles Francis His second wife was Mary Brunette Foster (died 1884), with whom he had a daughter Mary Brunette Foster.

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Home
July 28, 1863

My dear, dear Hamill & Mary,

You would be surprised to hear how naturally & familiarly these two names are linked to our home circle. Your letter dated May 25th was received July 24th. It found us all well, though at this sitting our sweet Tillie is slightly indisposed; a bilious attack incident to the season; she will be well in a few days we expect.

Today I have been in Trenton with sister, Charlie, & Mrs. Gasman. The chief object of their going was to see Mr. Gasman [ ] so they were passing down to Bridgton in company with Mr. John Gasman who still enjoys his celibacy; in a few weeks they hope to visit Mr. Gasman & see their little “Jennie;” who is a little fair thing, a gentle little girl 7 months old.

But I must condense more in my letter, I presume, and we will go back to your letter received in June, dated April 17th. As is often the case (this month is no exception), your letter came the day after ours to you was mailed. You are indeed a kind dear brother to give so much of your time to writing to me—always so much gratified and interested; but does it task you too much? Surely there has meaning in the advice that your friend Mr. Pierce gave you on the subject; Still I do not believe it is anything but recreation for you; to write these interesting letters to home friends. Month after month we go treading with you over the house and grounds & the last letter with the accompanying diagram makes it so, all so vivid. There is one part of your good kind letter that I anticipated & almost dreaded; you would send me a welcome to the missionary house perhaps thinking me on my way thither; while stranger to tell, it seems I may not go. I cannot give up hope as I intimated in my last letter; the Board have no opportunities of sending such as me now, even if I were ready to go. So I fondly hope that Pa’s judgment on my health may accord with the physician’s and I be pronounced able to go when an opportunity offers of going.

My health is so good generally that I had not thought it needful to ask medical advise on that subject relative to my going; but as Pa especially is more & more decided that I could not bear a life in Africa, it seems my duty to forbear any further preparations. Sister Mary need not fear that I would allow myself to be long detained in making preparations; I had commenced doing so & Mrs. Ogden kindly gave me the benefit of her experience, and many thanks to you, my dear Brother, for your letter of advice on the subject of “what to bring.” I felt sadly the need of some advice on the subject & may yet avail myself of it.

We feel sadly to think how few is your number now. Now while the [ ] is growing in interest & the blessed cause is expanding. Oh! my heart is deeply moved at the fear & doubts & misgivings of many of God’s people. Who see signs of decline in the work of missions; I wish I had tongue or pen that could convince them of the truth, & [ ] them in their work. I cannot, ought not be silent.

My own dear Brother, how kind in you to collect so many interesting & beautiful shells & preparations for us! It has been a task of so much pleasure to unpack, to cleanse and arrange on our cabinets the various articles; the arrangement is not yet completed. We have his cabinet in the Reading room off from the back parlor. It is light colored, uniform, with the bookcases of the Sapphie Union & looks very nicely. I must acknowledge that the shells & [ ] are more interesting than the Iguanas to look at. Still we prize the “Lizards.” How perfectly beautiful some of the shells are! And so many of them! We were thankful that they all carried so well. Sister Lusie says that some of these articles were broken; nothing in our box or barrel was broken though the bottle of Pitanga did leak out and cause the writing on this paper to become somewhat illegible & we cannot tell for whom it was intended though the name & that of Mrs. McQueens, who preserved them, are legible. We think ourselves quite fortunate that things carried so well. We have not eaten many of the preserves yet.

Your memoranda of articles for household also must be noticed next, I am glad to do anything of the kind for you; and on the 20th of this month we (. e.) Letitia, Mrs. Gasman, & I went to the City & made our purchases. I must particularize. [list of purchases follows]

I think you were will not fail to like the “Monitor,” it is called; resembling the “Eagle” pattern which the man remembered perfectly, having sent it rather packed for Mrs. Mackey. He said he had so many things for them. Amongst them a photograph of a young gentleman who was in the army; it must have been Mary’s brother. We have had the store packed & sent to New York yet, as it is not desirable to have it lying so long, & Mr. Rankin promises to take it in time. We could go to the City in the early line, and the box could be packed & sent on in the evening. We will try to think of everything belonging to a store which you would deem desirable.

Sister Mrs. Wells has left in our care to be packed two chairs of the camp that fold up very conveniently. Mrs. Gasman an arm chair; also camp style. We have the [ ] which you ordered some time ago, but which there has been no opportunity to send. Will enclose it with other valuables in the box…

There has been some dark days as well as cheering news in regard to our country since I wrote. Little had we ever thought that Gettysburg would become the marked town that History will make it. The demand for hospital supplies was so very great & so immediate after the battle that many places furnished boxes within a few hours notice. One day the High School made up two and Letitia & ourselves one large box which was presented to Baltimore, whither the sick & wounded of Gettysburg were carried. The Monday following the Battle of Gettysburg was a dark day in the history of Philadelphia & adjoining towns. People yielded to fear, but an Almighty hand was outstretched for our relief & now we see more clearly than ever through the [ ] clouds; see that God is moving in His own mysterious way.

I suppose you will see in papers the death of our friend Dr. Tremans during this month. Do you remember Mrs. Sampson, Lydia Green, the doctor’s daughter? She died very unexpectedly while in Washington, leaving one child. Tillie Green is failing rapidly. All her friends see it but she will not permit any remarks to be made on the subject. It is very sad…

From your sister Bella

Pray for me dear ones! that I may know & do the will of God! I know He is guiding me.