The Dorr Letters Project

Abby H. Lord to Thomas Wilson Dorr:
Electronic Transcription

Introduction

In this letter, Abby Lord, one of the most famous of the female Dorrites, informs the People’s Governor about a clambake at Chepachet, a village in northern Rhode Island. Dorr’s final stand against the Charter authorities took place at Chepachet in late June 1842. Lord details gossip about the supposed willingness of male Dorrites to accept a new constitution produced by the Charter government. Several years later, Abby and her husband Henry would play a crucial role in the Dorr Liberation Society.

Letter

Providence Oct 2 1842
Thomas W. Dorr
Gov. of R.I. 
Sir,

I am happy to hear throug the medium 
of Mrs. Parlins letter that you are in better 
health than when we left you and that you
wish to be remembered to your friends here &
assure you are not forgotten by them. We were
at Acot’s Hill at the Bake I cannot de‸scribe my 
sensations while gazing from the top the hill to 
think of all the suffrage party had suffered in 
trying to gain their rights. To act or not to act 
was the question I hope the men have made up 
their minds upon the question but I am not very 
‸sanguine upon the subject I have heard some men that
call themselves suffrage men say that if they made 
a constitution at Newport that was tolerable
they would vote for it I told them that I 
considered a man that voted for it after he had 
voted for the People’s Constitution as much of a 
Traitor as Benedict Arnold. it is not my 
place to advise you sir, but I hope you will 
not put to much confidence in those that talk 
so much and act so little. I would not by 

any means lessen your confidence in the 
suffrage men as a body. I believe almost 
all them are ready to act. I saw Justice 
Hazard and on my own responsibility asked 
him for your private letters. Mrs. Parlin was with 
me at the time he said the counsel had them 
but if we would call again he would tell us 
more about them he expressed himself your 
friend and said he wished to keep friends 
with the Ladies for he did not know whose 
hands he might fall into if the people’s con-
stitution should be established. 
my husband sends his respects to you and hopes 
to have an interview with you before long 
if there is any way in which he or I can 
serve you we shall be most happy to execute 
your commands. 

I send you some late papers.
Please give my respects to Col. Walker and
Mr. Hoskins and his family and Mr. Buffums
family and all of our N.H. friends. I was 
much gratified with my visit and shall not
soon forget it. 

Most Respectfuly
Yours
Abby H. Lord
His Exenlency
Thomas W. Dorr

Questions

What can you learn about Dorr’s health from the letter?

Why do you think Chepachet was chosen as a site for a clambake?

Who is the “Mrs. Parlin” referred to in the letter?

For more on the constitution that was adopted in the fall of 1842 see the video of Dr. Patrick T. Conley in the video section of website. For more on the history of Dorrite clambakes see Erik Chaput’s article, “Let the People Remember” (resource section of website).