A Blessing from 1853

Tony Cooke

In going through some very old family photos and letters, our daughter Laura recently found a letter from 1853 that was written by my great-great uncle to my great-great grandfather. They passed away long before I was born, and while much of the letter had to do with miscellaneous family news as well as the price of crops and pork, the closing sentiment caught my attention.

In case that’s a little hard to read, here’s the transcription: “I still wish you all health, happiness, and prosperity through this troublesome world of distraction, and after death a full fruition of glory among the saints in paradise. Your Brother until death…”

Never having heard details about ancestors that far back, I was touched to hear such a beautiful expression of faith and love. In a sense, it is somewhat of a condensed “epistle.”

• An expressed desire for his brother’s health, happiness, and prosperity.
• A recognition of the many distractions in our troubled world.
• Acknowledging that after death, we anticipate glory among Heaven’s saints.
• An expression of brotherly love and devotion until death.

There is much spiritual truth in those few words, and I thought you might enjoy them.