Title: Letter from Joshua Perry to Jeremiah Perry, May 18, 1839: Electronic Edition.
Author: Perry, Joshua
Editor: Erika Lindemann
Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Erika Lindemann and Ann Marie Speno
Images scanned by Mara E. Dabrishus
Text encoded by Sarah Ficke
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 12K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-03-15, Sarah Ficke finished TEI/XML encoding.
Part of a series:
This transcribed document is part of a digital collection, titled True and Candid Compositions: The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students in North Carolina
written by Lindemann, Erika
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Miscellaneous Personal Papers, 1802-1976, (#3129), Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Joshua Perry to Jeremiah Perry, May 18, 1839
Author: Joshua Perry
Description: 2 pages, 3 page images
Note: Call number 3129 (Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Topics covered:
Education/UNC Curriculum
Education/UNC Student Associations
Education/UNC Student Life
Examples of Student Writing/Letters and Letter Writing
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Transcript of the personal correspondence. Originals are in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
DocSouth staff created a 600 dpi uncompressed TIFF file for each image. The TIFF images were then saved as JPEG images at 100 dpi for web access.
Page images can be viewed and compared in parallel with the text.
Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
Letters, words and passages marked as deleted or added in originals have been encoded accordingly.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see Dr. Erika Lindemann's explanation under the section Editorial Practices.

Document Summary

Perry tells his father that he has not neglected his studies or been disorderly by stomping during evening prayers, as faculty members have charged.
Letter from Joshua Perrylink opens in a new window to Jeremiah Perry, May 18, 18391
Perry, Joshua



Page 1
Chapel Hill, May, 18,th 1839

Dear Father

The astonishment with which I met, in the perusal of you letter, induces me to write to you immediatly. I find in your letter, that I am accused of neglecting my studies, and also of disorder, both of which charges, I deny, and can prove at any time to be false, by those to whom I recite and also by my whole class. I have consulted Govenor [David] Swainlink opens in a new window concerning the affair, and he says, that he knows nothing against me. As to being disorderly, I am verry certain, how that originated; some three or four weeks ago Swainlink opens in a new window was absent from the hill, and one evening at pray;s, something took place, which created a great laughter, and Old [Elisha] Mitchelllink opens in a new window , (to be smart) got up, and spoke verry harshly, and in return, nearly every fellow in college commenced stamping; and those whom he did not see, he reported on suspicion.2 The honors were distributed among the senior class this morning, and as usual with great partiality. Joneslink opens in a new window & Malsbylink opens in a new window , who were entitled to the first honor, have both met with injustice.3 Joneslink opens in a new window , I suppose, has4 not missed more than three words this session, and Malsbylink opens in a new window has done equally as

Page 2
well, though Joneslink opens in a new window being a member of the Dialectic society, gets first, and Malsbylink opens in a new window , because he is a member of the Philanthropic society gets only second. Various acts of partiality ofhave thus been confered on the Dialectic Sosiety, and daily observation proves to me, that the Faculty are a set of rascals. I hope when you recieve this, that you will have no further doubts as to the dissolute course which, some of the Faculty would have you believe, I have been pursueing.

I still remain your faithful Son

J Perrylink opens in a new window .


Envelope page

Endnotes:

1. University of North Carolina Miscellaneous Personal Papers, 1802-1976, SHC. The letter is addressed "Jeremiah Perry Esqr / Louisburg/N,Carolina." A circular stamped postmark appears in the upper left corner. "CHAPEL HILL N.C." appears inside the circumferance of the circle; "MAY 19" in the center. The amount of postage, "10" cents, has been written in the upper right corner.

2. Faculty minutes for May 3, 1839, contain the following report: "The following students vizt. Messrs. Blair R Briston, of the Sophomore, and Ashelink opens in a new window Chambers, Cunningham, Gilmer and Perrylink opens in a new window of the Freshman, having been detected in disturbances at Prayers this evening, by answering in an unnatural tone of voice, stamping &c. it was voted by the Faculty that Dr Mitchelllink opens in a new window should write to the Parents of such of them as he in his discretion should think proper" (3:260, UA).

3. For an account of the reaction to the Senior Report of May 1839, see selection from Faculty Minutes, June 1839.

4. Perrylink opens in a new window wrote h on top of wh.