[Letter] 1851 February 21, Hall, Cooperstown [to] My Dear Child [Sayd] / [James Fenimore Cooper].

A portion of the right recto-side of the letter has been cut away, possibly to harvest Cooper's autograph; the verso area that was cut bears Fenimore's signature. See also additional letters and manuscript fragments from Cooper in the collection.

Cooper states that he has been ill with a congestion of the viscera, not unusual for his time of life. He professes himself touched to have gotten the recipient's letter. Cooper mentions his favorite dish which "my wife says it is enough to kill me, but to me seems to bring me to life." Cooper also passes along a message to cousin Nina from Dick Cooper at Annapolis regarding the illness of Jack Hamilton. He mentions that he will be in Buffalo soon, and discusses the preoccupations of his daughters tending to "poor women" one another. In the last portion of the letter, Cooper discusses being "assailed" to site for pictures which he characterizes as a "great annoyance." He compares his "bad" books to those of other men who do not endure such "persecution" as he does. This letter is addressed to Cooper's niece Sadie [referred to as "dear Sayd" in the body of the letter] to whom he wrote many letters (several of which are represented in the collection). Cooper, the 11th of 12 children born to the man who founded Cooperstown and built Ostego Hall, is remembered for his books of sailing and wilderness adventure, including the Leatherstocking Series featuring Natty Bumppo, the most well-known of which is _Last of the Mohicans_ (1826). In addition to enjoying the life of a country gentleman in New York, Cooper also traveled and wrote extensively in Europe.