© 2015 Christy K
Robinson
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| In William Dyer's own hand: "to one most dearely beloved." |
In petitions the attorney William Dyer wrote to the General
Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony, he described his imprisoned wife in loving
terms. William also mentioned their children and the entire family’s grief at
being deprived of Mary by Massachusetts’
unlawful, unjust policies.
William appealed to the members of the court as husbands and fathers, to
show compassion both to the prisoner and especially to an honorable,
Christian woman who was obeying Christ's command (Matt. 25:40) to love
one another by visiting the sick and imprisoned.
These are some of the ways William described his wife of 26
years to men he detested, but to whom he must needs be courteous (intentional
use of “court” in courteous) and persuasive, if he was to secure the release of
Mary. If William used these terms in a professional communication to his enemies, imagine how he must have spoken to Mary in their home.
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| "...my deare yokefellow" |
·
tender soul
·
Christian
·
a tender woman
·
came to visit her friends in
prison
·
my wife
·
my deare yokefellow
·
mine and my family’s want of her
will crye loud in yo' eares
·
my dear wife
·
husband … to one most dearely
beloved
·
oh do not you deprive me of her…
Pity me, I beg it with tears
To read a full transcription of two letters William wrote,
as well as an explanation of words and phrases lost to most of us in the 21
st
century (Bonner, cobhole, Dr. Bostwick, etc.), purchase the Kindle or paperback
of
Mary
Dyer: For Such a Time as This. <-- Click the
highlighted link
. The first of two letters begins
on page 227.
***************
Christy
K Robinson is author of
these sites:
·
Discovering
Love (inspiration)
·
Rooting for
Ancestors (history and genealogy)
·
William and
Mary Barrett Dyer (17th
century culture and history of England and New England)
and of these books:
