LONG ILLNESS OF UNCLE HENRY MAYFIELD

February

Uncle Henry Mayfield continues seriously ill.

March

Uncle Henry Mayfield continues very ill. Mother is desirous that Aunt Wilson should go over to York to see him;

Henry Mayfield is better but cannot leave his room.

walked through the town & up to Wilsons to give Aunt intelligence of Henry who is not any better;

May

Letter from Mother this morning; Henry continues very ill and has two doctors in constant attendance on him, neither of whom holds out much hope;

Letter this morning from Mother of good length. Uncle Henry Mayfield continues to grow worse & is so weak that Mother does not think he can hold much longer;

Letter this morning from Father. Henry grows weaker & Mother's being continually with him will prevent his coming to us in London;- damped thereby, but resolved not to defer it now all is arranged as I might have to put up with a shorter holiday, & Father still have no better chance;

July

down to see poor Uncle Henry Mayfield, who looked very feeble & ill, apparently beyond recovery

September

Monday morning letter from dear Mother, Henry grows weaker, a harassing cough has now come on him which if not stopped threatens soon to shake the life out [of] his rickety tenement for it, Mother's time & thoughts are all his now & she pursued her mission as a holy duty;

A letter from Mother on Wednesday morning announces the release by death of poor uncle Henry Mayfield 49from his sufferings; he died at 1/2 past 4 on Tuesday afternoon. Mother being with him, & Father away at Selby; and so terminates his foresight & thrift & his worldliness fell from him in his latter days & showed as good a heart beneath as ever beat in the breast of man; conscientious & upright in all his dealings, he goes without a stain on his business character; for such faults as are contrary to the world's morality, God & him must settle; let no worldly carper throw his stone. God be with him; he & I were always friends, no harsh word even passed between us;- he has left me his executor cojointly with Father & I will see to his poor children; in his last hours he made no secret of his not having married to the mother of them, who has behaved always as affectionately as if she were his wife.- Up at Aunt Wilsons who had heard the sad news from Mary; inserted the death in the papers; wrote to Mr. John Mayfield at Hagley, his Uncle; to Mrs. Silvers & Mrs. Tringham; also to Mother with a few words of condolence; wrote to Uncle Cox as to Mr. Needham's calling on him & also to Mr. N. now at Manch. At Hilbourne's in evening; Jones down.

Monday morning; letter from Mother who still feels deeply the loss of poor Henry & Father's behaviour; letter from Father also Henry's widow(?)is to keep in the business, slightly reducing it;

October

Wednesday morning letter from Mother enclosing one from Uncle Joseph by which it appears he is desirous to do all he can to promote the misery of Henry's widow & children, having discovered that she & he were not married. Wrote back in evening to Mother saying Joseph had better be written to & that Aunt M must regulate her administering to his Will or no, by his proceedings;

To Uncle Henry Mayfield's Will

To Uncle Henry Mayfield's Death Certificate

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