An unaddressed letter from Robert W. Leake. The tone is of a letter written to a close, personal friend. The recipient appears to have lost family members recently, with Leake saying, "The sacrifice there made merits my highest esteem..." It is unclear whether or not this was a reference to the American Revolution, as the letter was not dated. Leake also addressed an apparent accusation of an innapropriate relationship, stating "The intimacy between her you mention and me / except a few youthful sallies / never exceeded the bounds of common civility on my part." Leake also addressed the recipient as "my Tyler," perhaps a member of the Tyler family in Newcastle, England.  Leake, it seems, had not been in contact with the recipient for some time, possibly because of a strained friendship. "Your silence was like a dead weight upon me, it depressed me and cast me down..."

Identifier
NYSA_A4016-77_V10_F98d

Date Original
circa 1770

Language
English

Source
New York State Archives, New York State Engineer and Surveyor. Records of Surveys and Maps of State Lands, 1686-1892. Series A4016-77, Volume 10, Folder 98, item d.

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