David Shelton Edwards, American, died 1874 Search this
Medium:
paper; ink / handwritten
Dimensions:
40.3 x 25.4 cm (15 7/8 x 10 in.)
Type:
Covers & Associated Letters
Place of Destination:
Connecticut
Place of Origin:
District of Columbia
Date:
May 24, 1839
Description:
The letter was sent unpaid to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and marked at Washington, DC post office for 18 3/4 cents postage due at destination. This was the correct rate for a single sheet letter going a distance of 150-400 miles. The "No. 2" written on the letter face probably indicates it is David Shelton Edward’s second letter in a series addressed to his wife. Frequent correspondents often numbered their letters to indicate to the recipient if any letters went missing or were delayed.
David Shelton Edwards is in Washington and staying at Gadsby's Hotel in Alexandria. He has just arrived and writes to tell his wife Harriet of his first impressions of the city. He explains that the hotel is a "neat little two story affair" and describes the gardens and daily carriage available to take officers into the city. He goes on to describe all of the furniture in their house. He suggests that when Harriet arrives she should board in Capitol Hill since it is a good neighborhood with decent schools and also close to the Navy Yard, where he will presumably be working. He refers to a planned rendezvous with Harriet in Philadelphia and advises her that they should sell all of their furniture in New York and purchase all new things in Washington. He closes by explaining how much he prefers Washington to Pensacola, Florida due to its proximity to her and the increased reliability of the mails.
The accommodations Edwards describes were established as a tavern in 1785; the proprietor John Wise added the hotel next door in 1792 in what was then part of the District of Columbia (today in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia and operated as a museum). From 1796 to 1808 John Gadsby operated both businesses, giving them his name. Through most of the nineteenth century the hotel was considered one of the finest accommodations in the country; the site saw many events hosted for luminaries such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
This letter is part of the correspondence of David Shelton Edwards between the years 1835 and 1848. The 48 letters from this period held by the National Postal Museum are primarily addressed to Edward's wife Harriet; in 1830, Edwards married Harriet Eliza Henry and they had two children, William and Harriet. They kept up a frequent correspondence when his naval service kept them separated. Between 1835 and 1848, Edwards served as a Surgeon at the hospital in the Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida; Fleet Surgeon to the West Indies Squadron; and Surgeon aboard many vessels engaged in the Mexican-American War. His naval career spanned from 1818 to 1861 and his last sea cruise ended in October of 1859 after which he retired to his family home in Connecticut except for a brief time spent at New Bedford, Massachusetts recruiting for the Union Navy during the Civil War. He died in Trumbull, Connecticut on March 18, 1874.
