The Letters of Abigaill Levy Franks, 1733-1748

257 Pages·2004·1.61 MB·English

by  Edith B. Gelles

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I the letters of
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Abigaill Levy Franks
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S t h e l e t t e r s o f
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E Abigaill Levy Franks
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Edited and with
an Introduction by
Edith B.Gelles
yale university press • new haven and london

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B PublishedwithassistancefromtheAnnieBurrLewisFund.
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O Copyright©2004byYaleUniversity.Allrightsreserved.
RS Thisbookmaynotbereproduced,inwholeorinpart,
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T includingillustrations,inanyform(beyondthatcopying
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E permittedbySections107and108oftheU.S.Copyright
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E Lawandexceptbyreviewersforthepublicpress),
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s SetinGalliardOldstyletypebyTsengInformationSystems,
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
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17 Franks,Abigail,1696-1756.
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ThelettersofAbigaillLevyFranks,1733-1748/editedand
withanintroductionbyEdithB.Gelles.
p.cm.
Rev.ed.of:TheLeeMaxFriedmancollectionofAmerican
Jewishcolonialcorrespondence.1968.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn0-300-10345-x(alk.paper)
1.Franks,Abigail,1696-1756—Correspondence.2.Frank
family.3.Jews—NewYork(State)—NewYork—History—
18thcentury.4.Jews—NewYork(State)—NewYork—
Correspondence.5.NewYork(N.Y.)—Biography.I.Gelles,
EdithBelle.II.Franks,Abigail,1696-1756.LeeMaxFriedman
collectionofAmericanJewishcolonialcorrespondence.
III.Title
ct275.f69458a42004
974.7'1004924'0092—dc22 2004042245
[b]
Acataloguerecordforthisbookisavailable
fromtheBritishLibrary.
Thepaperinthisbookmeetstheguidelinesforpermanence
anddurabilityoftheCommitteeonProductionGuidelinesfor
BookLongevityoftheCouncilonLibraryResources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Preface ix
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1 EditorialMethod li
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ListofAbbreviations liii
FranksGenealogy lvi
LevyGenealogy lviii
Illustrations lxi
TheLettersofAbigaillLevyFranks,1733–1748 1
Bibliography 161
Index 181

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I Preface
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AbigaillLevyFrankswouldbestunnedtoseeherlettersinprint.
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tohaveapublicpersonaapartfromthemeninherlife.Inthatpatri-
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n archalworldregulatedbysocialprescriptions,men’sactivitiesdeter-
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F mined women’s identities. It was unusual and most often frowned

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7 uponforwomentowriteforpublication.Letterswereonerespect-
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ableoutletforwomen’sexpression,becauseletterswereexpectedto
beprivatelyread.AbigaillFranksdidnotsuspectthatI,ahistorian,
oryou,readers,wouldbecomethebeneficiariesofherletters.Shedid
not consider that wewould inspect her letters with an agenda that
differedfromthatofthesontowhomshewrote.Bywriting,shewas
engaging in a personal relationship; we read her letters for pleasure
andasahistoricalsourceforinsightsintoherworld.
WhenwereadAbigaill’sprintedlettersmorethantwoandahalf
centuries after their composition, they project a different sense of
timeandcontinuity.Weknowtheoutcomeofherstorieswithoutthe
lapses that her immediate correspondents experienced.We evaluate
herlettersbydifferentstandards,knowingorseekingtoknowheras
ahistoricfigure.Forus,theprivatelywrittenlettershavebecomea
publicdocument.
Somemayreadsolelyforthepleasureofimmersingthemselvesin
another person’s life or socialmilieu.Other readers,whose motives
areprimarilyliterary,lookforstylisticconventionsthatunderpinned
theeighteenth-centuryletter-writinggenre.Theymaycomparethese
letterswiththoseofotherepistolaryheroeswhoseworksarenowcol-
lected,MadameSévignéorLadyMaryWortleyMontagueorAbigail
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