Roxbury, Sept. 12th, 1850.

My dear Epes :—

Being determined to make an effort to get the "Gossypium" afloat again, (with the assistance of Mr. Crocker) I made a bargain with the only man in the place, that was provided with the necessary materials to undertake to heave the brig afloat, and bring her safe into port; for which I agreed to pay him one thousand dollars; but, if he failed in the attempt, I was to pay him nothing. Most people thought it was useless to make the attempt; many vessels, they said, had been stranded in the same place, and there had not been a single instance of success in any attempt to save them. All this did not discourage me, especially as I had nothing to pay in the event of failure. -- The result proved me right; the brig was saved and brought to the city, repaired and loaded with rice, and on the 19th of May 1815, I sailed for Copenhagen and arrived there in the early part of July, after a tolerably pleasant passage. My old friends in Copenhagen were very glad to see me, and treated me with a great deal of kindness. I discharged my cargo, as soon as practicable, and left it in the care of Messrs. C. T. Black, Wade & Co., for sale, took a letter of credit on them on Hamburg for the probable amount of my cargo, and proceeded to St. Petersburg for a return cargo, arrived there in safety, loaded with hemp, iron, sail-cloth, ravens duck, sheeting, diapers, quills, leather, starch, etc., sailed for home. Stopped at Copenhagen, received my accounts of sales of rice; settled all my business with Messrs. C. T. Black, Wade & Co., and sailed again for home and arrived there in safety about the middle of November 1815. My voyage although disastrous in the beginning, ended profitably. I found my family all well and greatly rejoiced to see me, and I was thankful that I was again permitted to be with them after encountering so many perils and hardships. My passage home was a very stormy one. It was the year of the memorable September gale, when so many vessels were dismasted and otherwise disabled. I encountered many tremendous gales, but my vessel being an excellent sea boat, and managed by an "old sea-dog" sustained no injury.

The next thing to be done was to unload my cargo. This I did and found all in good order. All that now remained to be done in relation to this voyage was to settle my accounts with Messrs. Pearce & Sons. This was soon accomplished. I always made it a point to have all my accounts squared and ready for settlement immediately after the termination of a voyage. Winter was now approaching and I had nothing to do but take as much comfort as possible by my own fireside, with my dear wife and our darling little fleck around me. We counted four children then, and they are, I hope, all alive at this day, — Amelia, John, Epes and Mary Frances. As spring, the season of business approached, I began to think of going to sea again or engaging in business on shore. My brother-in-law, John Baker, at this time was engaged in the flour business in Boston, #14 Long Wharf. He made a proposal to me to join, which, after due consideration, I did. We commenced business in the Spring of 1816, under the firm of Baker & Sargent. I moved my family to Boston; we lived a short time in a house in Essex Street, after that we moved into a house in Sister Street belonging to John Coffin Jones, Esq. For a while all things went on prosperously, and we were blest with good health, and I began to think doing business on shore was better than going to sea, but this state of things did not last long. On the 15th of February 1817, our fifth child was born, a fine healthy, handsome boy. We named him Willim Coffin for his maternal grandfather. My dear wife’s health now began to fail, and she was seized with a distressing illness that the doctor said she would not recover from unless she was removed from Boston, and recommended her returning to Gloucester. Her native air, he thought, would do more to restore her than anything he could do. I took his advice, and immediately removed my family to Gloucester. My wife continued very ill for several months. I finally took her into the country and traveled about with her for several weeks. She recovered quite rapidly and when we arrived at our home in Gloucester, she was apparently, as well as she ever was in her life. Our children were all well; I still continued my business in Boston. This was unpleasant, as I was obliged to be so much of my time, absent from my family. After living a few months in this way, my wife's health continued so good, that I began to think of moving my family to Boston again. Our Little William grew finely, and promised to be a fine, healthy child. On account of his mother's illness, we were obliged to put him in the care of a nurse, but our hopes and expectations in regard to him were soon blighted. He was seized with an illness that prevailed at the time, and on the 25th of January 1818, he was taken from us. My wife bore up under this affliction much better than I thought she would. On the April following, the 25th day, in the year 1818, your father George Barnard Sargent was born, not exactly your father then, but the boy that was to be your father. My wife soon recovered from her confinement, and never appeared in better health. A short time after, I hired a small house in Boston of Deacon Foster, directly opposite the head of Columbia Street, and there we again began housekeeping, with our children all well and everything about us snug and comfortable. But this was too much happiness to last long. My wife's health again began to fail; I took her to Gloucester and placed her under the care of her father, Doctor William Coffin. Amelia, Mary Frances and little George went to Gloucester with their mother; John and Epes I placed at school in Hingham. My dear, my greatly beloved wife's health continued daily to decline, until at last there was no hope of her recovery. I was continually with her during the last days of her illness. On the 14th of July 1819 her pure spirit took its flight, to join the dear, departed ones in the realms of bliss. No one ever left this world mere deeply lamented; all that knew her loved her most sincerely; she was too pure and too good for an inhabitant of this earth. I deplored her loss most sincerely, but she was relieved from a painful and distressing illness, and, although deeply distressed, I submitted with humble resignation, in the full belief that we should meet again, never more to part. John and Epes were to contented and well taken care of in the family of Mr. Lincoln at Hingham, that I thought best, a short time after the death of my wife, to place Amelia and Mary Frances in the same family with their brothers. Little George continued with his grandfather and grandmother in Gloucester. I broke up housekeeping and boarded for a time in Franklin Street, Boston, after that in Essex Street. My life was far from being a pleasant one, separated as I was from my children. However, my time was very much engaged in business through the week, and on Saturday afternoons, I seldom failed of visiting my children and passing Sunday with them. I mean those that were at Hingham; little George I did not see often. I knew, however, that he was well and had the best of care taken of him. Thus I lived until July 2nd 1821; then I was married to Mary Otis Lincoln. She had long had the care of my children and was greatly attached to them, and they to her. We took a house on Fort Hill, Boston, and went to housekeeping; little George had now become quite a stout boy and came home to live with us, so now we were all together again, very happy and contented. — On the 21st of November 1822 an event took place that made us very happy, the birth of a daughter. We named her Hannah Dane. For a while all things went well with us, and I had begun to hope the remainder of my life would be passed in tranquility and happiness, but the bright sunshine of life did not last long, the dark and heavy clouds of adversity came over us and shut out the bright sunlight of prosperity. Many losses, crosses and disappointments in business compelled me once more to take to my old occupation again. I obtained an interest in a Brig; her name was the "Romulus", and put up for freight for St. Petersburg, to stop at Copenhagen. Many friends came forward and made shipments by me, and I succeeded in obtaining a full and valuable cargo, all, or nearly all of which, was consigned to me. Levilt Ham's, Esq., formerly consul at St. Petersburg made a large shipment, and took passage with me. Apt. P. Gibson, Esq., consul at the time at St. Petersburg also took passage with me. They were both pleasant, gentlemanly, kind and agreeable men. My cabin was fitted up in good style and furnished with a good stock of provisions, and many luxuries which added to the agreeable company of my two agreeable passengers, made the passage pass off quite pleasantly. It was summer and the weather was fine; we had nothing that could be called a gale of wind the whole passage. But I have not told you how hard it was to leave home and all that was dear to me, to begin again, to encounter the storms and hardships of a sailor's life.  

"Yet, I thought it but vain te repine at my lot,

Or bear with cold looks on the shore.

So I packed up the trifling remnants I'd got,

But a trifle, alas! was my store.

A handkerchief held all the treasure I had,

Which over my shoulder I threw,

Away then I trudged with a heart rather sad,

To join with some jovial ship's crew.

The sea was less troubled by far than my mind ,

And when the wide main I surveyed,

I could not help thinking the world was unkind

And dame Fortune a slippery jade.

So I vowed if once more I could take her in tow,

I would let the ungrateful ones see,

That the turbulent winds and the billows could show

More kindness than they did to me".

 I soon with a stout heart braced myself up to the work, and all things went on prosperously. We arrived safe at Copenhagen, where I landed part of my cargo, which I left with my good friend, George Ryan, Esq., for sale, and after stopping there a few days, sailed for St. Petersburg, where I arrived in safety, called immediately on my old friends Steiglitz & Company. They were delighted to see me once more, and treated me with the greatest kindness and hospitality. Into their hands I placed my cargo, to be sold and a return cargo provided. All of which in due time was accomplished and I sailed for home to stop at Copenhagen to settle my business, and sailed for home and arrived safe on or about the 14th of November 1823; found my family all well and once more rejoiced to see me, On the 2lst of the same month, our James Otis was born. All things were new going on again pleasantly; my labours were well rewarded and I was in the full enjoyment of many, very many blessings, which I think I was truly thankful for.

Our happiness was again interrupted by my being obliged to depart on another voyage to Russia, the spring following, but I returned again at the usual time in the fall, in good health, after a successful voyage, and found all at home well. My wife, during my absence, moved from Fort Hill to a house in Columbia Street, where our Catherine Osborne was born July 27th 1825. The year following I made another successful voyage to St. Petersburg. On my return, I bought a home in Kneeland Street and moved my family into it.

Your affectionate Grandfather,

Epes Sargent.