Letter from G. Van Artsdalen to Hugh and S.M. Hamill, 29 March 1862

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(1) Shade Gap Pa. March 29^th 1862
(2) Rev^s S.M. and Hugh Hamill
(3)                                            Gentlemen – For a few years
(4) past I have been settled as pastor of Shade Gap and
(5) Upper Tuscarora churches in Hungtington’s Presy.-
(6) In our village is a good classical Academy under
(7) Profr Woods son of Dr Woods of Lewistown as principal.
(8) Profr W is in poor health, and leaves our village this
(9) spring, and our school is likely to be discontinued.
(10) I feel very anxious about the education of my
(11) children.- I have been sending Five to our Acad-
(12) emy, and cannot afford to send them from
(13) home on expenses, nor can I think of keeping them
(14) from school.  I remember when settled at Titusville
(15) N.J. of hearing that you were in the habit of ta-
(16) king gratuitously, the son of some Presⁿ clergyman
(17) to educated e.g. son of Dr. Kirkpatrick
(18)      Now if this is your generous habit, could I ask
(19) the favor of getting my oldest son W^m Warne into  
(20) your school on such conditions.- My son is 16 years
(21) old- of good moral and re^ligious principles- rather re-
(22) tiring and modest- quite ambitious and very studi-
(23) ous, generally at the head of his class- in Latin has
(24) read Historian Saera, Caesar, Virgil + Books of Aeneid, Bucolies
(25) and three Georgies- In Greek he has read but very
(26) little- In Arithmatic he has finished the Common sek National-

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(1) He has studied mental ^Arithmatic quite thoroughly- gone through
(2) Loomis’ Algebra- Studied History of U.S.- England
(3) Greece + Rome- paid some attention to nature
(4) Philosophy etc etc
(5)        I am anxious to have him well
(6) prepared for Princeton College- He enjoys excellent
(7) health. And seems to have a robust constitution-
(8) The urgency of my case, and the circumstances in
(9) which I am placed in references to our Academy
(10) closing, is my only plea for thus addressing
(11) you.- It would be to me a great favor for
(12) which I should feel laid under lasting obliga-
(13) tions.- Mrs. V and myself have ever regarded
(14) your school as the best and safest and most
(15) thorough of any with which we are acquainted.
(16) And Mr. H.H. particularly, may remember when he
(17) visited our house on banks of the Delaware
(18) years ago when my boys were small – how
(19) often Mrs. V would say “some day they should
(20) go to Lawrenceville.”-
(21)      Please write me on the subject; and
(22) may I venture ^to hope for a favorable reply?
(23)      Mrs. V. joins in kind regards to each of you, and
(24) permit us to say it would give us great pleasure
(25) to have you share with us the hospitalities of our
(26) Mountain home- Your Bro. Robert (whom I have visited)
(27) and I, are co-prebyters- I expect to see him

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(1) soon again at our meeting in April
(2) at Alexandria- I hope to be present
(3) at the semi-customary celebration of Princeton
(4) Seminary-
(5)        With high respect and Esteem
(6)                    I remain your Ob^t Serv^t
(7)                                G. Van Artsdalen
(8) My address is Shade Gap,
(9)                    Hungtingdon Co.
(10)                              Pa.

1862
G. Van Artsdalen
Shade Gap
Pa
March 29th
62