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Letter from John Murray to James Murray, 10 December 1761, Murray Papers, Box 3, N-YHS Elizabeth Murray became a widow in 1759, when her first husband, Thomas Campbell, died from measles. She remarried in 1760, when she was 33 years old. Her second husband, 70-year-old sugar merchant James Smith, entered into a prenuptial agreement with her that guaranteed her both wealth and control over property. In the opinion of her family, Smith’s generosity was an important factor in Elizabeth’s decision to marry. In 1761, as James’s health began to fail, Elizabeth announced that she would never marry again and planned to devote her time and resources to benevolence. She urged her brother John, a doctor in Norwich, England, to move to American with his wife and children. In this letter, John explains both her offer and his reaction to it. |
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Letter from John Murray to James Murray, 10 December 1761, Murray Papers, Box 3, N-YHS. Page 1
