Letter from an unidentified uncle of... (1839)

NRA-L-000477 / 1839

Letter from an unidentified uncle of Charles to J. M. Frachon, 15 October 1839

An unidentified writer, who identifies himself as Charles's uncle, writes to J. M. Frachon about travel, Charles, Babet's health and a proposed journey to Nîmes.

Neruda Archives
NRA-L-000477

NRA-L-000477 image 1 showing the folded address panel to Joseph Frachon in Annonay with several circular postal marks, manuscript routing, folds and a small green seal remnant. — **Image 1**Address panel and postal evidence.

NRA-L-000477 image 2 showing the first page of a long French family letter dated at Voiron, written in dark cursive on lined cream paper. — **Image 2**Letter text — Page 1.

NRA-L-000477 image 3 showing the second densely written page of a French family letter on lined cream paper with fold lines and postal embossing. — **Image 3**Letter text — Page 2.

NRA-L-000477 image 4 showing the closing page of a French family letter with final lines, a signature, family greetings, folds and a green seal remnant. — **Image 4**Letter text — Page 3 and signature.

Archive Record

Identifier: NRA-L-000477
Date: 1839-10-15
Original date: Voiron ce 15 8bre 1839
Type: Family correspondence
Language: French / fr
Sender: Unidentified correspondent
Recipient: J. M. Frachon
Places: Voiron / Annonay, Ardèche
Extent: 4 documentary sides: Address panel and postal evidence; Letter text — Page 1; Letter text — Page 2; Letter text — Page 3 and signature; 4 digital images.
Citation: Neruda Archives, NRA-L-000477.

Rights & reuse

Reuse is welcome. Publicly available images may be reused for non-commercial purposes with attribution, and automated machine use is permitted with provenance. Commercial republication requires prior written permission.

Full rights & reuse terms

Publicly available images, transcriptions, translations, metadata and descriptions may be copied, shared, reproduced and republished, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes, provided that Neruda Archives is clearly credited and the relevant item identifier and stable URL are preserved. This permission includes non-commercial scholarly, educational, editorial, exhibition, website and social-media use. Automated machine use, including crawling, indexing, text and data mining, retrieval, embeddings and AI training by commercial and non-commercial systems, is permitted, provided provenance is retained where technically feasible and the item identifier and stable URL are preserved in source records or associated documentation. Commercial publication, commercial reproduction, resale, advertising use, paid access to a database or dataset and bulk redistribution of images require prior written permission. For the avoidance of doubt, permission is not required merely because an AI system or its operator is commercial. The images displayed and downloadable on this page are public access copies, and the permissions above apply to those files. Access to non-public source scans (preservation masters) or files specially prepared for print, where available, requires prior written agreement. Attribution may not be removed or replaced by false or misleading attribution.

Transcript and English translation

working scholarly aid

Address panel

Original transcript

A Monsieur
Monsieur J. M. Frachon.
a Annonay
ardèche

Address panel

English translation

To Monsieur
Monsieur J. M. Frachon.
in Annonay
Ardèche

Letter text — Page 1

Original transcript

Voiron ce 15 8bre 1839
Excuse moi mon cher ami si je ne t'ai pas Ecrit de lyon.
je n'ai pas Eu un moment a moi pendant le Tems que j'y ai
passé. j'avois plusieur personnes a y voir. quelques Commissions
a y remplir. Et a cela s'ajoute que j'ai trouvé un Mr.
Et une dame de nismes a st. Etienne. (mr Tourvaloux)
qui sont venus avec moi a lyon. et que repartant Eux
pour nismes le lundi nous ne nous sommes pas quittés
pendt. leur sejour. nous Etions logés dans le même hotel.
Ton fils charles a dû Te donner de nos nouvelles je
l'en avois prié. je fus a son magazin en descendant de
voiture. desqu'il me vit Entrer il vint a moi le voiant
ne changeant pas pour moi je ne le reconnus pas. mais
l'acceuil qu'il me fit me dispensa d'interroger qui il etoit.
il est charmant. ta Tante te rajoute je
t'en fais mon Compliment bien sincere nous avons
passé ensemble tout le Tems dont il a pû disposer il
m'avoit annoncé le desir de m'accompagner a la voiture
a notre depart. il etoit sorti du magazin a Cet Effet
de mon Coté je m'y Etois rendu pour le prendre. il en Etoit
sorti. je trouvai le chef de la maison. qui m'observat
que nous nous Etions croisé. dans le peu de mots que
nous Echangeames dans la Conversation, je reconnus que
Ton fils y Etoit bien vû et Consideré. je leur observai
qu'il devoit me pardonner l'indiscretion que je Commettois
de distraire de ses affaires charles pendt quelques heures
un tel jour. mais que j'etois son oncle. ils me repondirent
par des paroles tres flatteuses pour Ton fils et pour moi
Ton fils fera son chemin. et tu en auras satisfaction
il ira voir son frere. je lui en ai parlé, il y pensoit.

Letter text — Page 1

English translation

Voiron this 15 October 1839
Excuse me my dear friend if I did not write to you from Lyon. I did not have a moment to myself during the time I spent there. I had several people to see there. some errands to run there. And to this is added that I found a Mr. And a lady from Nîmes at St. Etienne (Mr Tourvaloux) who came with me to Lyon, and who leaving for Nîmes on Monday we did not leave each other during their stay, we were staying in the same hotel. Your son Charles must have given you news of us I had asked him to. I went to his store upon stepping out of the carriage. as soon as he saw me enter he came to me seeing him not changing for me I did not recognize him. but the welcome he gave me excused me from asking who he was. he is charming. your Aunt adds I give you my very sincere compliment we spent together all the time he could spare he had announced to me the desire to accompany me to the carriage at our departure. he had left the store to this effect. on my side I had gone there to pick him up. he had gone out. I found the head of the house. who observed to me that we had crossed paths. in the few words that we exchanged in the conversation, I recognized that your son was well regarded and respected there. I observed to them that they must forgive me the indiscretion that I was committing to distract Charles from his business for a few hours on such a day. but that I was his uncle. they answered me with very flattering words for your son and for me. Your son will make his way. and you will have satisfaction from it. he will go see his brother. I spoke to him about it, he was thinking about it.

Letter text — Page 2

Original transcript

Reçois ainsi que Ta femme nos sinceres remerciements
de tout l'embaras que nous vous avons Causé. que je
voudrois trouver une occasion de vous en temoigner ma
reconnoissance. nous n'oublierons pas les 15 a vingt jours
que nous avons passé aupres de vous.
l'indisposition de babet nous a peiné comme
a vous. elle n'aura pas de suite nous en sommes
persuadés mais il faut Cependant y songer. pour y
mettre un Terme et la ramener a la santé.
voyez le docteur desgrand. J'allai lui parler de
notre avis. nous pensons qu'un Exercice tempéré
beaucoup de distraction. et une temperature du midi
Conviendroit a babet. s'il partage notre opinion.
voici le moyen d'execution il faut que babet vienne
passer l'hiver avec nous avec sa mere si ma
sœur ne peut venir de suite elle viendra plus tard
mais il faut qu'elle nous la Confie nous en
aurons le plus grand soin. tu n'en doute pas —
indépendamment des liens de parenté qui nous unissent
ne suis je pas son parrain. et ne merite je pas
ta Confiance. ma petite fille ou mon fils iront
toujours en promenade, mde. fargetta nous secondera
par ses distractions, a nismes on peut promener
presque tous les jours. &c &c &c
si nous sommes assez heureux que de voir realiser
nos projets babet se rendroit a valence, le jour que
nous y serons pour nous Embarquer nous ferions le
voyage ensemble. ou bien voici un autre moyen de
le lui faire faire et a ta femme. Ton fils
va s'en retourner bientot ils seroient leur compagnon
de voyage d'annonay a nismes. Et au lieu de revenir

Letter text — Page 2

English translation

Receive as well as your wife our sincere thanks for all the trouble we have caused you. that I would like to find an opportunity to show you my gratitude, we will not forget the 15 or twenty days that we spent with you. the indisposition of babet pained us as it did you. it will have no consequence we are convinced of it but we must nevertheless think about it. to put an end to it and bring her back to health. see doctor desgrand. I went to speak to him of our opinion. we think that moderate exercise a lot of distraction and a southern temperature would suit babet. if he shares our opinion. here is the means of execution she must come spend the winter with us with her mother if my sister cannot come right away she will come later but she must entrust her to us we will take the greatest care of her. you do not doubt it — independently of the family ties that unite us am I not her godfather. and do I not deserve your confidence. my little girl or my son will always go walking, mde. fargetta will support us with her distractions, in nîmes one can walk almost every day. etc etc etc. if we are happy enough to see our plans realized babet would go to valence, the day that we will be there to embark we would make the trip together. or else here is another way to have her do it and your wife. Your son will return soon they would be their travel companion from annonay to nîmes. And instead of returning

Letter text — Page 3 and signature

Original transcript

a annonay. il partiroit de nismes pour paris. passant
par Clermont. Cela n'alongeroit presque pas sa
route. reponse s'il Te plait de suite je combinerai
notre depart de maniere a ce que tu Connoisse le jour
fixe que nous serons a valence pour prendre
le bateau a vapeur.
Tu Connois ma franchise et mon Cœur.
je supprime toutes les phrases et te fait sincere
la presente invitation.
Tous ici se portent bien on voudroit
bien Ty voir. lauze jouit de la meilleure santé
je verrai son mari, on l'attend pour jeudi ou
samedi.
nous nous reunissons tous et vous
Embrassons.
[Signature]
nos Compliments a toute ta famille.

Letter text — Page 3 and signature

English translation

to annonay. he would leave from nîmes for paris. passing through Clermont. That would hardly lengthen his route. answer please right away I will combine our departure in such a way that you know the exact day that we will be in valence to take the steamboat. You know my frankness and my heart. I suppress all the phrases and sincerely make you this present invitation. Everyone here is doing well we would very much like to see you here. lauze enjoys the best health I will see her husband, he is expected for Thursday or Saturday. we all join together and embrace you. [Signature] our compliments to all your family.

Discovery Terms

Family correspondence
Travel
Health and medical advice
Business apprenticeship
Frachon Family Correspondence

Transcriptions and English translations are provided as working scholarly aids, not as replacements for the images of the original documents. Some readings may remain uncertain, especially where handwriting, spelling, damage, abbreviations, names or places are difficult.

Some transcriptions and translations may be prepared with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by Neruda Archives before publication. Better readings, corrections and alternative translations are welcome when they are supported by the manuscript image, context or reliable sources.

When suggesting a correction, please include the item ID, the relevant line or image area, the proposed reading or translation, and the evidence for it.

Suggest a better reading or correction

Relevant line or image area Proposed reading or translation Evidence or reason

Your name Your email

Your name and email are optional. Personal data is used only to assess, document and, where possible, respond to this correction. See the Privacy Notice.