The T>iaries of Sidney Qeorge Fisher 1849-1852

N THIS installment of the diaries, continued from our last issue, the most important event in Sidney George Fisher's life is his I marriage at the age of forty-three to Elizabeth Ingersoll, a union that was to prove so ideally happy and ultimately so tragic. This marriage was to lead in several years to the Fishers' settling at Forest Hill, the Ingersoll's summer place just north of Philadelphia at Rising Sun, which, in turn, was near a more rural section where their wealthy friends were creating palatial estates. During the years covered by this section of Fisher's diary, the early suburban movement is reflected in the building of Brookwood, his brother Henry's great mansion, and of his cousin Joshua Francis Fisher's equally impressive Alverthorpe. The grounds of many of these show places were laid out by Andrew J. Downing, the cele- brated landscape gardener. Unfortunately for the diarist, he could not afford a substantial country place of his own, and the years 1849 through 1852 find him living modestly in a small house in the city and trying to improve his Maryland farm, Mount Harmon, into a productive source of income. The names mentioned in the pages which follow are, for the most part, familiar ones which have already been identified in previous installments of the diaries. They include, notably, his brother and sister-in-law, Henry and Sarah Ann, "Fisher," as he called his cousin Joshua, his uncle William Logan Fisher of Wakefield, his father-in- law, Charles J. Ingersoll, and his brothers-in-law, Charles, Harry, Edward, Benjamin, and John Ingersoll, as well as his most intimate friend, George R. Smith.

October 28, 1849 Yesterday went out with Henry to dinner & returned this evening. He has purchased a piece of land in the neigh- 181 I 82 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April borhood, about 50 acres, where he intends to build a country house. It is at the corner of Green Lane & the 2nd St. road, diagonally opposite to Chas. Fox's wood, & opposite on the same side of the land to Judge Kane's place, which adjoins Harry IngersolPs.1 He could not have chosen a better situation as regards health, beauty, convenience to town & agreeable neighbors. Thirty-one acres he bought from a man named Rorer at $150 per acre, & 19 at public sale at $240 per acre. At 10 o'clock this morning George Smith came out, and we went over first to Ingersoll's and then accompanied by him & Fox to the land to fix upon a site for the house. I went there the year before last with Ingersoll & his wife & George Smith to see the view which is extensive and very beautiful. It is the place Ingersoll first thought of buying, and he has regretted ever since that he did not. I never saw a piece of land more finely placed or better adapted for a country residence or for ornamental improvement. It rolls & swells in every variety of gentle & graceful slopes, with two fine pieces of wood admirably situated, and a wide & rich prospect to the south, east & west. On the north the ground rises in a very gradual & easy manner, just enough for protection from cold winds, with abundant space for grouping trees. Since I first saw it, I have wished Henry to buy it and I rejoice that he has done so. He will make it a beautiful place, and the improvement of it will give healthful occupation for mind & body, strengthen his constitution and, I hope, lead him to feel inter- est & pleasure in something better & higher than business & money- making, in which he is far too much absorbed. His career of pros- perity is a wonder to me & to everyone. He is worth half a million, & there seems no end to his accumulation. He has made $100,000 this year. But in making money the great thing is to get a start & the command of capital. With this & judgment to use it, such is the rapid increase in the value of property in our growing cities, it is easy enough to get rich. Henry can command money to any amount, con- sequently he has the offer of the best bargains. Most of his fortune is the result of speculations in lots, which he has carried on to an immense extent. He buys a lot for 40 or $50,000, cuts it up, lets it on ground rent sometimes at a profit of 2 or 300 per ct., &, as soon as 1 The three properties referred to were Charles P. Fox's Champlost, Judge John K. Kane's Fern Rock, and Harry Ingersoll's Medary. 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 183 the lots are improved, sells the grd. rents. He has now 150 houses building on various lots. This place will cost a good deal of money, some 50 to $60,000 before it is done, but that is of no consequence as he can well afford it, and will probably pay for it out of the profits of the next year's operations. It was a question last evening as to the name to be given to the new place, a matter of some importance and some difficulty. A romantic name is absurd, and yet is often selected, and all the varieties of cottage, lodge, hall &c, are hacknied. A name should be chosen from some family or local association or from some charac- teristic feature of the place, and it should also be short and musical. Thro the wood on this place runs a stream of water, and, happening to think of that, I suggested the name of "Brookwood" as being at once short, pretty and descriptive. The ladies all approved, but I doubt whether Henry will choose it.2 November 5, 1849 On Thursday drove out to dine at Fisher's to meet Downing, the landscape gardener, who was there for a few days to help him lay out the grounds of his place. Edward Middleton3 there, too. Came in at 10 after a pleasant conversation &good dinner. Engaged Downing to give Henry a few hours on Saturday to deter- mine the site for his house. . . . Downing goes in this way to give advice, professionally. His charge is $20 per diem. Dec% ember 7, 1849 On Saturday, the 1st, Sarah Ann had a son. They have named him Jas. Logan after our admirable brother. May he resemble him in strength & richness of intellect, in nobleness and purity of character, in manly beauty, in gentlemanlike elegance & grace, in warmth of feeling & truth of sentiment & affection.4 December 23, 1849 At Henry's in the evening for an hour. My little nephew flourishes finely. Henry has bought 30 acres more land adjoining his place with a house on it that will do for a farmer or gardener. He now has 100. It is a beautiful piece of ground finely

2 Henry approved the name despite Fisher's misgivings. 3 Lt. Edward Middleton of the Navy was a brother-in-law of Joshua Francis Fisher, and at this time was trying to obtain a divorce from his Italian wife Edda. During Middleton's absence at sea, Edda had created a scandal involving Harry McCall. Sidney George Fisher was retained to persuade the Pennsylvania legislature to grant the divorce, which it refused to do. 4 James Logan Fisher, named for his uncle who died in Paris in 1833,wa s to marry Mary Ingersoll in 1890. They had no children. He died on Mar. 21, 1925, having survived to be the last member of The Philadelphia Club to drive to the club in a carriage. 184 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April situated & particularly well calculated from its slopes & undulations & pieces of wood for ornamental improvement. Wheeler5 is to build his house, Downing to lay out the grounds. Wheeler has drawn two plans for the house, one in the Italian, the other in the Elizabethan style. The latter is not only in itself the handsomer by far, in my judgment, but accords well with the picturesque character of the surrounding scenery, which the Italian does not suit. The Eliza- bethan is, however, considerably the more expensive. As that is a matter Henry does not much regard I have no doubt he will choose it, and he will certainly have a very large, convenient & elegant house & his place will be the handsomest in the neighborhood of the city.6 December 2J, 1849 This morning Edwd. Middleton came in with the good news that Hannah Fenney's father7 had consented that she should be examined. He had a conversation with him himself. I fancy he succeeded partly by giving him some assurance that the affair would not lead to a duel, that being one of the reasons given by Fenney for his previous refusal. Fisher told me yesterday that Middleton had determined not to challenge McCall.8 It seems he has conscientious scruples on the subject. I doubt whether he can main- tain his position in the navy or among gentlemen, particularly in South, unless he does. Our notions on this matter are much more savage than those of Europe. Already many severe things have been said here & in Carolina about NlAddletoxis forbearancey people seem- ing to think he should have sought his revenge ere this, regardless of consequences, & everyone considering it as matter of course that he will fight after he obtains his divorce.9 Opinions on this subject are graduated according to the standard of civilization & refinement. In the Southwest & many parts of the South, a man would be permitted, indeed almost required, to shoot or stab his injurer wherever he 5 Gervase Wheeler, later author of Rural Homes; or Sketches of Houses suited to American Country Life (Auburn, N.Y., 1853), was a young English architect recommended by Andrew J. Downing, the landscape gardener. 6 No picture of Brookwood has come to light. Descriptions of those who knew it (the house was demolished in the 1930*5) make it appear that the "Elizabethan" style was adopted. 7 Hannah Fenney was a maid of the Middleton's. Her father, "a half crazy fanatic," had refused to have her examined on the basis that it was wrong to go to law for any purpose. 8 Harry McCall. 9 If he fought before his divorce and was killed, part of his estate would be inherited by his unfaithful wife, an eventuality to be avoided. \9Gi DIARIES 1849-1852 185 should find him without notice, & this has been done in several instances recently & been fully sustained by public sentiment. In the North, such a course would be regarded as barbarous but, except perhaps in Boston, a duel would be quite necessary. January j, 1850 On the first dined at Ben Gerhard's. A family dinner of all the Sergeants, including the worthy old couple. John Sergeant, now about 71 or 2, shows his age.10 He is feeble, a little deaf and dull in conversation. When interested, however, he shows some remnants of his former fire & spirit. His finely cut features, expressive face, slight, well-built figure always dressed with scrupu- lous care, & kind, gentlemanlike manner are still very striking. I respect & like him much. He is a most worthy, amiable & honorable man of fine talents. More of an advocate than a lawyer, however, and a very successful & eloquent advocate he was. I have many a time in former days gone to court to hear him speak. His manner & voice were extremely agreeable & impressive. He has led a useful & noble life & I regret very much that losses of property with other troubles have clouded the evening of his day.11 Yesterday dined with Henry. He went to New York on some very important business involving a million & a half of dollars. In the evening we went, that is Clarkson12 & myself, to Fisher's to take his deposition in the divorce case. His testimony very clear & important. Left them at 9 to go to a party at Harry IngersolFs. A seated supper, very handsome & a dazzling display of elegant plate & china, heavy silver dishes, &c. Spent a very gay & pleasant evening. I might say much about a certain person I sat next to, whom I never see without emotion & who has influenced so deeply my thoughts & feelings for many years. Now, as heretofore, love is within my reach. A word might change my destiny, and I ought to speak it, to have spoken it long ago. But want of courage to face the necessity of a life of labor which would instantly arise, a love of independence, of freedom from care & imperative duties, of ease & reverie, of a contemplative, unfettered life, inactive except from choice & not from permanent

10 Benjamin Gerhard, a lawyer, was a son-in-law of the distinguished John Sergeant (1779-1852), a notable public figure of his day. 11 Fisher later added, "He left a handsome fortune, however." 12 Joseph Gibbons Clarkson, admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1824, was associated with Fisher in the Middleton divorce case. I 86 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April obligation, these hold me back now as before from a prize of goodness, beauty & grace of which any man might be proud. And so the best of life has passed, is passing, & probably will pass, till age has extinguished passion & feeling & nothing is left but vain regret. January /j, 1850 Dined today at Chas. Ingersoll's. His father, his brother Edward and Judge Rogers there. It was very pleasant as they are intelligent, educated, well-bred people who converse with ease & animation. Old C. J. was in excellent spirits and talked very well. Much was said about the prevailing corruption of the times, especially of the government of this state. The practice of bribing the members of the legislature, long well known to exist, is now so openly practiced that there is no longer an effort at concealment. They take fees regularly for their votes & services in passing bills, even so low as $50. The governor also no doubt sells pardons. Private bills are constantly passed by means of bribery, seriously injurious to indi- viduals without notice to them. Indeed, it is a common saying that with money any bill could be passed or prevented. Corporations are the chief actors in this frightful practice and are not wholly without excuse. They are constantly attacked by the demagogues for the pur- pose of being bought off. It is frequently necessary to have legislation to protect their interests & manage their concerns, fair legislation which ought not to be refused. It is, however, impossible to get it without paying the demagogues who control these things & paying largely. The Reading road is now engaged in preparing a bill of great importance to its very existence. In talking with Tucker13 about it, he said the only question was how much they chose to pay for it. Fraud & corruption are so common & extensively diffused throughout business that it is difficult for honorable men engaged in large affairs to steer clear of it. To be overnice is to be unsuccessful & to peril immense interests. This very Reading road has been most dishonestly & corruptly managed for years, and Jno. Tucker has over & over again been guilty of things of the most shameful and dishonorable character. Yet he is kept there by the influence of respectable men because he is just now, from circumstances, necessary to preserve the concern. They cannot peril 16 millions by turning him out. Yet it is outrageous that such a man should hold a place of so much influence & power. He & the company are a moral nuisance & con- 13 John Tucker, president of the Reading Railroad. 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 187 stant fountain of evil to the community. It is a source of constant pain to me to be connected even as counsel with him or it, and I feel tempted every day to resign. Yet it would be folly, unless at the same time I gave up the profession, which, if I could afford it, I would most gladly do. This is the curse of poverty. January 14, 1850 Fine, clear, cold weather, but the streets covered with ice & snow and very slippery, so that walking is unpleasant. Hundreds of sleighs flying about, some of them very handsome. The number of fine equipages has increased immensely of late in this city, as also of large & elegant houses. The city grows rapidly in wealth & population. Luxury of all kinds, particularly of living & furniture, has wonderfully extended within my recollection. The scale of expense is also much higher. I remember when $3,000 was considered a comfortable & genteel income for a family & $6,000 thought rich; now $6,000 a year is very moderate and $10,000 is necessary for elegance & anything like style. Henry spends about $23,OOO.14 January //, 1850 Have been very busy. Last night went to the Assembly Ball. Crowded, dull & stupid. No beauty, grace, style or fashion. Very different from what they used to be when I was young. Our society is broken up & degenerated under the influence of democracy, which is destructive at least to all the refinements & embellishments of life. sJXCarch 4y 1850 The management of a great confederacy de- mands the ability to exercise self-denial, to sacrifice local interest & passions to great & general ends, & the masses are capable neither of comprehending the purpose nor of making the sacrifice. That this Union is to be dissolved I regard as certain. It is a mere question of time. It may last 20 years, or ten or 6 months, but go it must beyond doubt within half a century. I hope, however, it will last my day, for dissolution is synonymous with civil war, anarchy & misery & dis- aster of every kind. The North could bear it & recover from it speedily, so could the West, but to the South it would be utter destruction & this I think they are beginning to understand.

14 Fisher contributed many pieces to the newspapers of his day. For example, on this date there appeared in the North American his article in rebuttal of a resolution introduced into the Senate by Lewis Cass. Signed by Fisher's pen name "Cecil," it was titled "Our Relations with Austria." I 88 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April

^August i6y 1850 A long gap in my diary. I scarcely know why. . . . Henry is living as usual at Mr. Megargee's15 and very busy superintending the building of his house and the arrangement of the grounds at his new place. He has a great many men employed & the work goes on fast. The house is large & very convenient, and when all is done, lawns in order, roads made, trees planted, stable, greenhouse, conservatory, grapery, gate lodges, &c, finished, it will be a fine place. I fear, however, he has not the true love of nature & the country which will enable him to derive the best sort of enjoy- ment from such a residence. This depends on cultivation as well as nature, and he is a man of business wholly. His career for the last 10 years has been remarkable, he has made a fortune & displayed much energy & ability, but it is not easy to combine all, and he has missed things more valuable than money—knowledge & mental cultivation & resources of intellectual pleasure. He had what they call a "raising frolic" last month, all the men employed & some 20 or 30 of his friends were present, altogether about 150. The day was fine, there was a substantial dinner on a large table in the form of an F, the workmen at one end, the gentlemen at the other. Norton was there with his trumpet. Henry was toasted and made a very appropriate reply. Everybody was in good humor & all went off extremely well. (tMay 27, 1851 A long gap in my diary, and the time has been eventful to me. I have not leisure at this moment—10 & yi o'clock at night—to do more than state facts. This is the last day of my bachelorhood. Tomorrow at 4 o'clock I am to marry Elizabeth Ingersoll, the object of a long attachment. We go in the afternoon to Forest Hill,16 there to spend the summer. Too many emotions & ideas crowd on me for me to attempt to express them. Time only can reveal results. Our prospects are not very bright. We are neither young nor rich, but neither old nor absolutely poor. Exaction & prudence may improve our position as to wealth, and we hope that love will make us indifferent to some privations & give us happiness in a humble fortune. At any rate we have determined to take the chances of life together. So is reached another stage of my career. I 15 Charles Megarge's property on York Road. !6 Forest Hill was the summer home of Elizabeth Ingersoll's parents. Statements in the diary about descendants of former owners calling to see the house show that the building was at least fifty years old, and perhaps considerably older. It was still standing in the 1890's, according to S. F. Hotchkin, The York Road, Old and New (Philadelphia, 1892), 29. 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 189 leave this old house, No. 57 South 7th St., with some regret. It suits me and I have lived in it since October, 1833. June f6, 1851 I was married on Wednesday, the 28th of May, at Mr. C. J. Ingersoll's house, No. 130 Walnut St. above 5th, by the Revd. Mr. Dorr, pastor of Christ Church,17 at 4 o'clock P.M. There were present Mr. J. R. Ingersoll, Miss Wilcocks,18 Charles, Harry, Edward Ingersoll & their wives & children, Ben. Ingersoll, Dr. Meigs & his wife19 & children, my brother Henry with Sarah Ann & the children and George Smith. Uncle William & his wife were invited but could not come. No cousins were asked. We got thro the ceremony very well. There was a collation & everything passed off agreeably. Our friends & relations were very kind & many costly & handsome presents of plate, &c, were sent. At 7 we started in Mr. IngersolPs carriage & went to Forest Hill. We were there alone for two weeks. It is a pleasant place, surrounded by fine trees and only 4 miles from town. I have fallen easily into the habits of my new position. I am happier than I ever was, a great want of my nature is supplied, I possess the affections & enjoy the society of a woman whom I have long loved & in whom I find charms & attractions greater even than I imagined, I have an object & purpose in life. At the same time, however, I am not without care & anxiety, & have no longer the feeling of independence & freedom which I have so long enjoyed. I believe, tho, that this is better for me. I was becoming too indolent & self-indulgent, & exertion will do my mind & character much good. I do not consider my position as to money injured. Mr. Ingersoll has settled $1,000 a year on his daughter. My own income will be at least $2,000. We can live with comfort on $3,000. All that I can make at the bar must be devoted to paying my debt to Henry. There is the trouble. If I can get the business to do, it will be easy enough. If I cannot, we can go to Mount Harmon & be independent tho rather poor. It is improving every year & would be a comfortable residence for 8 months in the year. So far as my own tastes are con- cerned, I should much prefer it to practicing law however success- 17 Rev. Benjamin Dorr, rector of Christ Church from 1837 to 1869. 18 Mary Wilcocks was a niece of Joseph R. Ingersoll who came to live with him after the death of her mother. On the death of Mr. Ingersoll's daughter, she assumed the management of his house until his death. Subsequently, she married Kirk B. Wells. 19 Elizabeth Ingersoll's sister Ann W7ilcocks Ingersoll (1822-1856) had married Dr. John Forsyth Meigs. I9O SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April fully, but it seems hardly a position & career worthy of me & of my wife, if better can be done. Last Wednesday, Mr. Ingersoll & their little grandson Willie, a son of John who lives in Mississippi, came out. I get along so far with them tolerably well20 and expect to do so. They treat me pretty well, make me feel entirely at home. Mrs. I. is a most charming & excellent person & Mr. C. J., when he chooses, one of the most agreeable companions I ever knew. At the same time, I would much rather be in my own house. I can never feel entirely at my ease out of it. I have been so long accustomed to be master & have everything in my own way & for my own convenience that it is irksome to live differently. We shall probably stay at Forest Hill till November. I come to town every day for business & to show that I want it. I drive or ride in by 9 o'clock & go out at 4 to dinner. I have a very good horse & wagon. The daily drive over the dusty roads & thro the rough streets is a bore, for which, however, I am amply repaid by living in the country. Ann remains in my house, where I find everything in order, quiet, clean & comfortable. I rise at 6, breakfast at 7>£, & start a little after 8. I enjoy the morning air & beauty of the country, the after- noon & evening. We are in a pleasant neighborhood near Henry's, Fox's, Harry Ingersoll's, Wakefield, &c. George Smith has rented a cottage belonging to Russell Smith,21 the artist, on the York Road above Butler's,22 a picturesque, pretty, secluded little place in the midst of rocks & woods. So I have all my friends around me & expect to see them constantly thro the summer. Before the autumn I expect to find a suitable house, which a few additions to my present stock will furnish comfortably tho plainly, and shall then consider myself settled. Henry's house at Brookwood is nearly finished & furnished. He expects to move into it this week. It is a large, elegant, luxurious & costly establishment. I think it very handsome & that he has ex- hibited judgment & good taste. 20 Evidently, Fisher found living with his in-laws somewhat trying. The words "tolerably well" replaced the original words "very agreeably," which were heavily crossed out. Similarly, in the next sentence the words "pretty well" replaced "with the utmost kindness." 21 Russell Smith (1819-1896), a successful landscape artist, built this place, called Rock- hill, about 1840, on a site where York Road and Chelten Ave. now meet. He rented it in 1850 to George R. Smith for $300. Virginia E. Lewis, Russell Smith, Romantic Realist (Pittsburgh, 1956), 150. 22 Butler Place, residence of Pierce Butler. 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 I9I December 31, 1851 At the close of the year, I wish to make a short record of the last few months. We remained at Forest Hill till the 15th of November, Mr. Ingersoll's family going in on the 1st. I spent the summer very pleasantly. I came to town almost every day on horseback or in the wagon, going out to dinner at 4 o'clock. We had a pleasant circle of friends in the neighborhood—Henry, Harry Ingersoll, Fox, George Smith, the Wakefield family, Jno. Field, the Chancellors,23 &c—& my intercourse with them was fre- quent & agreeable. I dined always at Henry's on Sunday, & on that day, either at his house or Fox's, the gentlemen of the neighborhood assembled at wine parties, often also thro the week, where, if the party was not very intellectual, they were old friends, living together in great confidence & good feeling & united by neighborhood & similarity of habits & tastes. I dined often also at George Smith's & Fisher's, & was frequently at Wakefield. Mr. Ingersoll had also fre- quent dinners at Forest Hill, & the members of the family were often there. The ride to town every day gave me exercise & variety & I enjoyed greatly the coolness & quiet of the evening. All this was very pleasant &, combined with the new sources of enjoyment opened to me by my marriage, made it certainly much the happiest summer of my life. Business does not increase. I have none of any consequence except that of the Reading road & my connection with this is for various reasons so disagreeable that I would gladly resign, but cannot afford to lose $500 a year. I fear I am not likely to succeed. I cannot even desire success, tho it is so important for me to make money. To at- tend to business, to read law, to have intercourse with vulgar, ignorant businessmen seems such a sacrifice of life & waste of time when there are the rich fields of nature & literature & art, filled with sources of pure & noble delight open before me. But it is necessary to make the effort. I could not find a house that would at all suit us, so we determined to remain here at old 57 South 7th St. for another year, & were the more willing to do so as Fisher owns a house in Sansom St. above 7th St. which belonged to his uncle Charles Francis, & which he says I may have next October. It is a very good & convenient one, quite large enough & conveniently situated. So I papered & painted here & 23 Harry and William Chancellor. 192 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April got some additional furniture and we are moderately comfortable. The only annoyance we suffer is from the want of drawing room, which, as we have no company except that of relations or intimate friends, is not very serious. We have 3 good servants, Ann, a cham- bermaid, & Elias, &, tho of course I would much prefer a larger house, I enjoy this far more than I ever did. Small as it is, we manage to give nice little dinners occasionally & Elizabeth has her friends to tea. After all, the difference between a small & a large establishment is more imaginary than real—happiness is derived from the mind & the affections, & within certain limits is independent of external cir- cumstances, & I have, thank the Gods, too many sources of enjoy- ment to be much troubled by living in a small house. Henry is still out of town. He and his wife enjoy the country so much that they stay late. They will come in on the 4th of next month but would prefer staying all winter were it not that Henry is obliged to come to town every day, which, as the place is 8 miles out, is too exposing in bad weather. They have done a great deal to the place & the house is thoroughly furnished. It is a very fine establish- ment, large, & replete with every accommodation & luxury. It ought to be, as the house cost $45,000. It is a beautiful place commanding a noble view. They have planted a great many trees, have built a large greenhouse & grapery, a pretty lodge at the entrance gate, with winding gravel roads thro a fine piece of wood. All the appurtenances are ample & complete & it is the handsomest & most costly place in the county. Joshua Fisher's new house is nearly finished & he will go into it next spring. It is also a very elegant affair, more architectural & more expensive than Henry's but not, I think, so well contrived & convenient & the situation is far inferior. It is too near the road, indeed the stables are on the road, the various buildings are too near together and the whole are placed in one corner of a farm of 180 acres. To be sure, the road is a quiet country lane, and Fisher has planted it out, but still one knows it is there, which injures the feeling of seclusion that is one charm of the country. It is a great defect. Nevertheless, Alverthorpe will be a beautiful residence. The country around is very picturesque, the view is extensive & good, the ground lies well around it, the lawn is very large & slopes finely & near the house is a large & noble piece of woodland which connects with the grounds & forms part of them. Fisher has planted with 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 I93 judgment a great many trees & as he has taste & plenty of money he will create in a few years a charming place. The love of country life is rapidly increasing here as elsewhere. Very many large & handsome houses costing from 10 to 30 or $40,000 have been built in the neighborhood of German town this year & others are projected. The value of land has risen immensely. Henry now could no doubt sell his, if it was without buildings or improvement, for double the sum he gave for it. Indeed, he gave more than double, $500 per acre, for a piece adjoining his first purchase this year. He has now 128 acres. He lives in very lavish style—6 horses, numerous servants, elaborate furniture & constant entertainments. There is, indeed, too much of the latter, too many dinners, too much feasting & wine drinking, too much sensuality & conviviality, too little intellectual pleasure & refined social intercourse. The men who form the set that meet together in the neighborhood are very good fellows, but are very commonplace & uncultivated. December 9, 1852 There has been a long gap in my diary, my last entry being on the 31st of December of last year, when I finished a volume. I wish to resume a habit which has been a source of much pleasure & some mental improvement and which has accumulated many records of my life to which I often recur with interest & gratification. The gratification, however, is not unmixed with regret & mortification at meeting too often the expression of crude & hasty opinions, overwrought feelings, extravagant sentiments, exaggerated statements. . . . A few words will describe my life & habits during the past year, for it is without external events of importance, tho it would require many pages to narrate the growth & modification of thought & feel- ing & the thousand daily incidents giving rise to or associated with sentiment & opinion which the last few months have produced. I spent a very quiet & very pleasant winter. By far the happiest of my life, for I was no longer alone. My affections had an object, my daily life an interest & charm that I had never known before. I had for the first time congenial companionship & love, the constant presence of grace, elegance & refinement, the constant interchange of kindness & tenderness & sympathy. I had one whom I left always with regret, to whom I returned with delight, who realized in the life of every day all my youthful dreams of passion & romance, whose 194 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April happiness has become to me the chief object of existence & effort & of whom I think constantly, absent or present, with pride, joy, per- fect love & gratitude to God for this the best & greatest of his many blessings. The winter passed rapidly & pleasantly. Some business, more than heretofore, a little society tho we went out but seldom, reading & conversation at our own fireside. Our house was inconveniently small but we had good servants & good furniture & managed very well. Now & then we gave a little dinner or Elizabeth had some friends in the evening, chiefly members of her own family. We were often at Henry's and at Joshua Fisher's, who had constant parties in Mr. Harrison's old house. In consequence of the burning of Barnum's Museum which adjoined it at the corner of Chestnut & 7th Sts., the wall of which fell & crushed his kitchen, he determined to move.24 He has bought a fine house in Walnut below 10th where he is now established very handsomely.25 The old house has been pulled down & he is now building on the lot 3 fine stores, very large & in very good taste, which will pay him a large income & when finished will be an ornament to the city. On the 12th of May we went to Forest Hill which we had to our- selves till some time in June, when the family came out. We remained there till the 13th of November, the family going in on the 1st. Dur- ing this time, I came to town every morning for business & went out to dinner at 4. I drove or rode according to the weather, which was generally pleasant. My health was perfect except a slight attack of remittent fever, which passed off without injury. In May, June & July I was at Mount Harmon several times, going down on Saturday & returning on Monday. My life varied little at Forest Hill from that of last year. Henry's place, Brookwood, is much improved. A great deal of work has been done & many trees planted. He is spending money there very lavishly, and lives very elegantly & at an expense of $30,000 per annum. He can afford it, for he makes about $200,000 a year & is worth $7 or 800,000. Unluckily, the excitement of making

24 Barnum's Museum, which stood on the southeast corner of Seventh and Chestnut Sts., was destroyed by fire Dec. 30, 1850, injuring Joshua Francis Fisher's house, 156 Chestnut St. (old number), which he had inherited from his uncle George Harrison. 25 This house was 919 Walnut St. (modern number). The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

JOSHUA FRANCIS FISHER'S HOUSE AND BARNUM'S MUSEUM Wash drawing by B. R. Evans, 1851 Courtesy of Owen J. Wister BUTLER PLACE ON OLD YORK ROAD AS SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER KNEW IT 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 I97 money is too great a temptation; he is as much absorbed in business as ever to the sacrifice of mental improvement, self-culture, intellec- tual pleasure and the best & worthiest purposes & enjoyments of life. Yet he is worthy of better things. I talk in vain & mourn over his career. How any man who has within his power the greatest blessing that money can give—leisure, the command of time—can sacrifice it for the sake of money, when he has already far more than enough, I cannot imagine. But one cannot judge for another; it all depends on temperament & mental organization. The man made for action rejoices in it; he who is made for thought finds there his world and his pleasures. I have moved into a new house. Last year Joshua Fisher offered me, if I wished, a house belonging to him, in which his uncle Charles Francis lived, No. 11 Sansom St., above 7th. He could not let me have it last year, because at the time of our conversation it was too late to give as long a notice as was proper to his tenant, Mrs. Abbott, a respectable old lady who lived in it & who was loth to quit, but he said I should have it this year. On that promise I remained where I was last winter. Accordingly, in April notice was given, and I got possession on the 1st of October. Alterations & repairs made by Fisher, painting & papering done by me, & moving occupied till after the 1st of November, & it was not quite ready for us till the 13th when we came in. It is a comfortable house, large enough, with back buildings, bath, water closet, range, gas, &c. I have the front room downstairs for my office, the back room is a dining room, the front room 2nd story a bedroom, the back room a parlor—the room in the back building over the kitchen with bathroom & water closet adjoin- ing my dressing room. All pleasant, cheerful, sufficiently large rooms except the parlor. An unusual number of persons with whom I had an acquaintance more or less intimate have died during the year, some of whom I regret & miss. Among them, Joe Clarkson,26 Lindley Fisher,27 Mrs. Chas. Murray, formerly Miss Wadsworth.28 I was much grieved when I heard of the death of Mrs. Murray. She was one of the loveliest & purest beings that I ever met, and 26 Joseph Gibbons Clarkson died of dropsy on Jan. 14, 1852, aged forty-eight. 27 Lindley Fisher, a son of William Logan Fisher of Wakefield, died of smallpox on Feb. 3, 1852, aged thirty-three. 28 Elizabeth Wadsworth of Geneseo, N. Y. I98 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April regarded with respect, admiration & love by all who were so fortunate as to know her. She was indeed a character for poetry & romance & combined all the softest & noblest qualities of a woman's nature. She was universally regarded by society with admiration, by her friends with enthusiastic affection. I knew her well for 20 years. I felt for her sincere regard, a strong feeling of friendship & thorough esteem & interest in her welfare, in which was mingled the affection & tenderness which a woman inspires, but which was not love. I was greatly pained & shocked at her death. She died in Cairo, Egypt, Mr. Murray having been the British consul general there at the time & whither she accompanied him after her marriage. She died in December last. Mr. Murray is the son of Lord Dunmore, a Scotch nobleman. He was in this country about 18 years ago & whilst here addressed Miss Wadsworth. They were engaged, but her father, then old & infirm, could not bear to part with her & Mr. Murray would not give up his country & position. They parted. But it seems that his love & hers remained unchanged. He became attached to the Queen's house- hold,29 had a diplomatic appointment at Naples & finally was made consul general in Egypt during the interval. When old Mr. Wads- worth30 died, he wrote repeatedly, but she refused. She was attached to her country, to her home & family & could not bear to leave them. Perhaps also her womanly pride was wounded that he had left her, that instead of writing he did not come. In the summer of 1850, however, or I believe the autumn of 1849, a family by the name of Duncan31 of New England, with whom she was intimate, proposed to her to accompany them abroad. This she had long been anxious to do & I have heard her often say that she would go to Europe whenever an opportunity afforded. She accordingly went. It so happened that Mr. Murray arrived in England from Egypt on the same day that she did. It is supposed that some friend had given him notice of her intended visit. They met, old feelings were renewed, and in a few months they were married. James Wadsworth32 went out to be 29 Charles A. Murray, author of Travels in North America During the Years 1834, 1835^ & 1836 (New York, 1839), was master of the Queen's household in 1839. 30 James Wadsworth died in 1844. 31 Mr. & Mrs. B. Duncan. 32 Elizabeth's brother, James S. Wadsworth. See Henry Greenleaf Pearson, James S. Wadsworth of Geneseo (New York, 1913). 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 199 present at the wedding. Everything seemed happy & prosperous. She was received with the utmost kindness by his noble relations & friends, & by the Queen; her fortune & his, together with his pay, made them rich; it was an early love at last successful. Soon after their marriage they went to Egypt where she was much delighted, and where in a few months she found her grave. The child, a boy, survives.33 It is a melancholy story. The grief of James was, they say, fearful. "December 20, 1852 My habits now are to rise at 7. I go to my dressing room which is in the back building & is very comfortable, having a bath with hot & cold water & a water closet adjoining, also a sink to carry off waste water & slops, all which are among the mod- ern improvements which add so much to the comfort of life & which are now contained in houses of moderate cost. The dressing room has no fire, which I prefer & shall have it so, unless the weather is very cold. I strip, use the flesh brush & go thro some exercises, sparring with an imaginary foe for about 10 minutes, which is a fine air bath & bracing excitement. I take not a cold bath, which is too severe, but make the water from 60 to 65, about the temperature that it is in the summer or early autumn. It is a great luxury, exhilarating & refreshing, & diffuses over the body a fine glow & sensation of health & vigor, and is far preferable to my old fashion of a sponging bath which I used because I had no other in the old house. My dressing room is always in nice order, clothes brushed & folded, boots blacked, &c. I am rather particular in these things & cannot endure want of cleanliness or confusion & untidyness in any part of the house. Bathing, shaving, dressing occupy about an hour. Break- fast at 8, simply tea & toast or bread & butter—excellent both, Cassiday's bread34 and Catherine's butter, the best in town—the table well served, a snowy cloth, nice china & silver, of which, for poor people, we have a good supply. After breakfast, the newspaper & talk with Bet for half an hour in the dining room, which is very comfortable & well furnished, & where we have a wood fire, the wood sent from Mount Harmon. Bet then goes up to her parlor, & I have the dining room & office, which communicate by folding doors. In the

33 Charles James Murray. 34 Probably made by John Cassady, a baker at 130 North Fourth St., or P. H. & C. D. Cassady, bakers at 10 North Ninth St. 2OO SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April office is a coal fire, which unless the weather be cold warms both rooms. Thro the morning, I read law, write letters, settle accounts, prepare cases, &c, till one or two o'clock, unless obliged to go out sooner. Then a walk with Bet, or alone, to visit or on business, with sometimes an hour at the Atheneum till 5. Then dinner, always a good one, with 2 or 3 glasses of wine, the room lighted by gas, another luxury that I have for the first time in this house, the table well served and Elias nicely dressed-—I hate an ill-dressed, slovenly waiter—a little talk with Bet after dinner, then cigars and a book— not a law book—till 8, when I am summoned to the parlor to tea. There I find a nice room handsomely furnished, curtained, lighted by gas, the walls covered with pictures, easy chairs & sofa, a tea table with well-kept china & silver, "the bubbling & loud hissing urn" & a sweet face & welcoming smiles. From tea till 10 o'clock, reading aloud to Bet mixed with talk suggested chiefly by what we read, which is poetry, essays, &c, tho for the last 3 or 4 evenings it has been the New Testament. I proposed it, not by any means as a religious exercise, but because it is a book exceedingly interesting in itself, full of fine thought, poetic imagery & noble sentiment, because it is the most dignified, affecting, impressive narrative that ever was written, & because from the vast influence it has had & has on the destinies of the world it deserves to be better known than I know it, regarding it simply as a matter of enlighted curiosity. As a source of pure morality, of profound wisdom, as a guide & teacher in the highest concerns of life, it cannot be too constantly or deeply studied. So pass the days, in calm happiness, which has nevertheless a cloud in the fact, ever present to my mind, that it is not independent. I am in debt, I must work, I am not free to follow the bent of my mind, to gratify my taste for undisturbed, secluded study, apart from the business & contact of the world. Then again, it is in town & not in the country. In this barren, brick wilderness, with its hateful crowds & bustle & noise, I sigh for nature, its serenity, quiet & beauty, for the woods & fields, their loved companionship, their varied charms & sweet voices, their inspiring & holy influences. But it is as it is; we must take our lot in life as it is given us & seek such enjoyments in it as it can afford. ^December 26, 1852 The weather is soft & mild, and with the exception of 2 or 3 cold days, which were not very cold, just enough 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 2OI to make ice, it has been so thus far. Last year at this time, we had deep snow & the weather was excessively cold. Have lived as usual since 20th. Yesterday, Christmas, we dined at Henry's. No one there but the family. Had a most agreeable day. The children delighted with numerous presents. They are very interesting & grow & flourish finely. I have none & probably never shall have. I do not regret it, on the contrary have always wished that it might be so. I am not rich enough to have them, and, notwithstanding all the happiness which they give, there is also so much of anxiety & care & danger of distress & mortification connected with them that they are very doubtful blessings.351 am satisfied with my wife and as we each have brothers' children, we can find in them objects of interest & affection less absorbing than our own would excite. The dinner was, of course, very handsome, and it was delightful because of the family feeling & affection connected with it. The giv- ing presents has grown to a custom not to be broken. We had a good many to give & some to receive. Henry sent to Elizabeth a handsome silver butter dish & Sarah Ann sent a rosewood armchair covered with velvet. In the evening we went to the usual family party at Mr. Ingersoll's. A crowd of children & grandchildren, very gay & noisy, the evening concluded by a supper. The experiment of moving tables by a number sitting round them & putting their hands on the table & on each other's hands alternately was tried, & several times with success. The tables moved round & round in a circle of a foot or two in diameter. Charles Ingersoll said that at his house some evenings ago the table moved all round the room so rapidly that those around it could not keep their hands on it. It is certainly a very extraordinary phenomenon & deserves attentive investigation. It is surprising that it never was observed before. The cause is a mystery yet to be ex- plained, & the fact shows how little we know of nature, notwithstand- ing the discoveries of science. So also the wonders related of Mesmer- ism, clairvoyance, the spiritual rappings, about which the testimony is so strong & so various—how are they to be explained & if they are the results of trick, imposture & conspiracy, how are the phenomena produced? What are the means employed, what is the trick by which thousands are deceived ?

35 In rereading his diaries after he himself became a father, Fisher marked derisive com- ments against sentiments such as this. 2O2 SIDNEY GEORGE FISHER April The great book of the year ... is Uncle Tom's jQpg Cabin by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, a name hitherto unknown now famous all over Europe & America. No book ever had such sudden & uni- versal success. It is read by everybody with interest & delight, it is bought as fast as it can be printed, it is advertised in every paper in America & England & the Continent, is sold in hotels & railroads, & read by all classes, in cottages & palaces, by the wayside & the fire- side, & has been translated into every language of Europe, including the Russian. The literary merits of the work, tho great, the interest of the story tho absorbing, are not sufficient to account for this. Tho often weak & defective, the style is clear, simple, flowing & expressive. Notwith- standing occasional confusion, inadequacy and exaggeration, the descriptions of scenes & events are animated & graphic. Tho in some cases overcolored, the characters are well drawn & distinctly marked, true to themselves & powerfully painted. They are men & women. The moral & religious sentiment, the feeling & passion of the work are of the highest order, noble, pure & elevated, & the reasoning is sound, clear & expansive. Altogether, the work displays genius, creative, imaginative, fruitful & original. In all these things, however, it has been equalled & surpassed by many others which have had their day of admiration & applause or which still command both, but which never received such widespread, immediate & enthusiastic sympathy & praise, expressed by acclamation from all readers of all countries as have greeted the appearance of Uncle Tom. The reason is that it reveals the true nature & contains a faithful picture of American slavery. The subject is interesting & novel to Europe, is exciting here. As to the book itself, independent of its literary merits, it has the capital excellence of being true. It is a correct picture of the enormi- ties of slavery, as I know from what I have myself witnessed & heard from others thoroughly experienced & acquainted with the subject & whose prejudices were all in favor of the system. My full belief, indeed, is that not half the truth is told, & that if the whole were told the description would be too horrible & revolting to be read. Uncle Tom is denounced by many as a firebrand, tending to exasperate passions already too much excited and to renew and increase agitation on a subject which cannot be discussed without danger. Its truth is denied; the statements of the cruelties & enormi- 1962 DIARIES 1849-1852 2O3 ties of slavery are said to be exaggerated and no more to exhibit a fair picture of the South than the police reports do of our society in the North. The book and the writer are abused with bitterness by the Southern press & by Southern people & by many in the North who have Southern property & connections or who are partizans, for the Democratic Party, anxious for Southern support have, with few ex- ceptions, taken the side of slavery. But the loudness of the outcry only proves that the arrow has struck its mark. The truth of the book is undeniable by anyone who has been at the South and used his eyes and ears, by any one who can reflect on what must be the conse- quences of irresponsible & absolute power bestowed without refer- ence to character. My own limited observation in Maryland & dur- ing a visit of a week in South Carolina many years ago, the ordinary conversation & declarations, anecdotes & description of many of my Southern friends, a thousand well-authenticated narratives, the daily advertisements to be found in every Southern newspaper, reported cases in the courts, speeches in Congress, in the legislatures of slave states and the laws of the South on the subject of slavery, all offer overwhelming proof that the description of manners & morals, of the ordinary treatment & condition of slaves are not exceptional but general, not extravagantly colored but understated. Among many that I could mention, I will state one proof. Sometime after the work appeared, I was at Mount Harmon & saw Forman.36 We talked of Uncle Tom. He is a Georgian, a slaveholder and a warm advocate of slavery, taking the extreme Southern view of the subject, but> withal, candid & truthful. He admitted that the book was a correct picture of Southern society. That there were some exaggerations in it, because the excessive & revolting cruelty there described was seldom practiced, nevertheless, that he had himself known instances of slaves being whipped to death, and of their being tied before a fire for the purpose of torture. But he added that persons guilty of such barbarities were always hated & despised by the community, and generally murdered by the slaves. "And what do you do with the slaves who kill such masters ?" said I. "Oh, of course," he an- swered, "we are obliged to put them to death." 36 Gen. Thomas Marsh Forman (1758-1845), owner of the celebrated Rose Hill estate in Cecil County, left that property to his grandson Thomas Forman Bryan (1809-1875) of Georgia, who, to meet the terms of his inheritance, changed his name to Thomas Marsh Forman in 1846. Anne Spottswood Dandridge, The Forman Genealogy (Cleveland, Ohio, 1903), IO7-