signed 1883 letter to Samuel Colgate by Martha Colgate widow of his cousin Henry

Description

This is a handwritten letter from a woman named Martha Stewart Colgate.
Martha was the
widow of a man named Henry C. Colgate.
Henry was a nephew of
William Colgate, the founder of
what is now known as the Colgate-Palmolive Company.
The letter is addressed to her late husband's cousin, Samuel Colgate.
Samuel Colgate (1822-1897) was a prominent New York businessman
and philanthropist, who greatly expanded the Colgate family business.
Colgate University is named in the family's honor.
Henry C. Colgate
(1824?-1874)
was the son of John C. Colgate
(1795-1842) and Abigail Jessup Colgate (1800-1843). John was
the brother of William Colgate (1783-1857), and was thus the uncle
of Samuel Colgate; and so Henry and Samuel were
first
cousins.
I have seen several dates for Henry's year of birth, including 1821,1824,
1829, and 1831. However, it is clear that he died in 1874, in the town
of Adrian, in Lenawee County, Michigan.
Henry was born in New York City; moved to California in 1857;
to Chicago in 1862; and then, in 1866, to Adrian, Michigan,
where he continued the family soap business.
Martha A. Stewart
(1841-1910) was born in Massachusetts,
probably in Boston. Henry and Martha had one daughter,
Mattie Colgate (1867-1931). Henry, Martha, and Mattie are
all buried in Oakwood Cemetery, In Adrian, Michigan.
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The letter is dated October 9, 1883. It reads as follows:
Mr Samuel Colgate,
Dear Sir,
I have
sent you by mail today a photograph
of Mattie. You will see that she
is not a little girl now. I wrote
you about three weeks since and
have not received a reply. Did
you get my letter? and will you
please reply to it. Will you be
kind enough to send me some
laundry & toilet soap. Hoping
this will find you in good
health. I remain
Yours Truly
Mrs. H. C. Colgate
P.S. Can you give me Mr. Jessup's address
Mattie would have been sixteen at the time of this letter.
It sounds as though Martha Colgate was having financial difficulty
raising her daughter by herself, and was perhaps hoping for
a helping hand from the very well-off Samuel Colgate.
The letter has a short note on the back, written by Samuel Colgate,
stating "Mrs H Colgate  Adrian  Oct. 9/83" (see scans).
This handwritten letter is 8" by 5", and is in good/very good condition,
with creases where it has been folded, but no tears or missing pieces.
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