Letter from Sherman M. Booth to Amos Townsend Jr.
Description
A letter from Sherman M. Booth acknowledging a letter from Lewis Townsend. In his letter, Booth outlines his time spent teaching the Africans commenting that they are very fond of working, and while one class is reading, the others go out to cut wood. Booth also looks after their clothes, shoes, etc. and has written to newspapers in order to correct "misrepresentations, etc... respecting the Africans." He writes that the girls live nearby and come daily to sing and read. He feels it is too soon to have them travel to New York as Lewis Tappan wants and feels Tappan expects too much of them. Writing on April 1, Booth discusses correspondence between Tappan and John T. Norton regarding "Cinque's refusing to talk at the Hall, when the ladies were assembled" to make clothes for the Africans. He says that he has spoken with the them and they "manifested great sorrow & promised to do everything I required of them if I would stay with them." Booth feels Norton does not see the Africans often and is not as familiar with their daily habits and dispositions; the Africans have improved and are well placed with families. Booth writes that there was "some opposition talk to having the Africans reside here when we first came" but such prejudice has dissolved. He mentions that A.F. Williams has done much of the work, rather than John T. Norton, as Tappan writes. Booth writes of his astonishment at hearing Kinna pray one evening.