Samuel and Mary Bowne, of Flushing, and their Friends.—III: (Concluded.)

70BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL SOCIETY. SAMUEL AND MARY BOWNE, OF FLUSHING, AND THEIR FRIENDS.—III. {Concluded.) As has appeared from a letter of 1693, already quoted,1 Samuel and Mary Bowne contemplated a removal to Pennsylvania , partly at least on account of the marriage of Samuel Bowne's father, John Bowne, with whom the young couple made their home. It is not to be wondered at that on both sides there was much to make a joint family not a pleasant prospect. It is to this that the following letter refers : SAMUEL BOWNE TO PHINEAS AND PHEBE PEMBERTON.2 Flushing ye 13 *»* 6mo 1693. Phineas and Phebe My dear and honourably Esteemed friends, to you with your dear Children does my very dear love flow this day benig [sic] Eminently engaged there to ; dear Phineas thy love and Care over us doth ingage me for ever to Love and honour thee as a tender father; my bisiness falls in so thick y* I belive six weeks will pass before I can Leave it to come to see you and to conclude about my concern—I have about twelve Ecres of fallow land near redy to Sow my hey to get and sider to make—then I hoop to come to you ; my dear and I both long to get out of this house & others as much desire to see us out—friends generally are troubled to hear of our thoughts of removal—I am not yet fully satisfied concerning it but truly desire ye Lord may order and direct me in this Concern—I hoop these will find you allein good hellth as wee are—our son grows finely—my dear I think rites also to you; my dear Love to all my dear friends as if I named them. Soe my dear friends I take leave at present to bid you fare well with all, your little ons. I rest your friend in truth Sam11: Bowne About a week later Mary Bowne writes on the same subject : 1 Bulletin, Vol. VII, pp. 90, 91. 2 From the original in possession of the editor. SAMUEL AND MARY BOWNE, OF FLUSHING.71 MARY BOWNE TO PHINEAS AND PHEBE PEMBERTON." flushing ye 21 of 6 mo 1693 My very deare and hounered ffriends phineas and pheby P. my ever true and never fading Love dearely and tenderly Saluts you and yours whom I hope are well in helth as wee are att this present, my deare friends I think time long to see you for you are veryand deare to mee and the very Remembrance of you is exceeding prestious to mee for very Honerable are you in my thoughts for you have derely meritted all mywhich ar more then tong can express or pen writ downe— my deare friends I do meet with som exercise, my very deare friends which casses mee often to think of you with a very deare Rememberance and the more exercise I meet with the more I think of you and greatly want to be with you I hope it will not be longbefore I shall see you that I may a little un[burden?] myself my dear friends I am satisfied you are sensable in mesure how things are with us, a little of that has every won for there selvs a yong wife is got and the old wons forgotne and now Lords new Lays [?] and comanly such and such are the worst to deale with. Lest sed soonest mended, our father and mother very much wants to be shut of us and I think the sooner the better. I tell father somtimes that both sids are so wery that won would think wee should be esely parted which day I greatly long to see. I think to com a long with my husband. I thought it would have been before this but bisiness hinders . So I must be contented, my deare friends I think time long to see you. My Little boy grose bravely ... I rest your dutyfull friend Mary Bowne. My deare friends this is but a little bit to what I have in my bag which must be Loosed when I...