Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning news at the Ursuline Convent and academy noting that "our pupils are diminishing weekly on account of the heat." July 8, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch discussing a visit from their siblings, John, Hugh and Anna, and the arrangements being made for the Ursuline academy's upcoming Distribution Day. July 14, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch asking him to procure newspapers from Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis and New York so the sisters can read about Distribution Days and exhibits from other Catholic academies. She laments that the South Carolinian newspaper did not publish their recent events and jokingly comments that it's "a very good index that they fear our power." July 27, 1859. 4p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the American Hotel on Richardson and Blanding Streets in Columbia as a potential site for relocating the Ursulines. John describes the hotel in detail and includes a small sketch of the lot it resides on. July 28, 1859. 3p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of the latest news at the Ursuline Convent and school in Columbia. November 6, 1858. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes that several parents have sent remittances for the school year but she fears "few will be able to return if the war continues." July 6, 1861. 4p.
Madame Antonia writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch in Rome imploring him again to speak to the general superior of her order concerning issues at the Carmelite Convent in Baltimore. She mentions the evacuation of Richmond, General Sherman's stay in their hometown of Cheraw and the Ursulines' move from their burned out convent in Columbia to the Bishop's plantation two miles away. April 9, 1865. 8p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch in Rome about the ongoing recovery effort after the war and the destruction of the Ursuline Convent. She is soliciting funds to rebuild and has written Washington with their case demanding reparations. The Ursulines have accepted the offer of General Preston to reside in his house while he is abroad and are using the Methodist College for additional space. July 17, 1865. 4p.
Letter from Madame Antonia in Baltimore to Bishop Patrick Lynch in Rome describing the events surrounding the destruction of the Ursuline Convent in Columbia by Sherman's troops. She also mentions the recent assassination of President Lincoln and writes "what the consequences may be no one can imagine." April 20, 1865. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch in Rome from Valle Crucis, the Bishop's property outside of Columbia, having moved the convent and academy from temporary housing at Methodist college and Gen. Preston's mansion. Since Valle Crucis is too remote for day schoolers and too small for large numbers of boarders, she writes of setting up a satellite institute in Macon, Ga., until their convent can be rebuilt in Columbia. She mentions the pardon granted the Bishop and hopes that he will soon return to America. September 25, 1865. 2p.
Letter from Anna Lynch in Cheraw to Madame Antonia Lynch in Baltimore with news from the family. She writes of the losses suffered by their brother, Francis, the relocation of the Ursulines and their sister, Madame Baptiste, to the Methodist College in Columbia and the return of their nephew Conlaw to Cheraw as a "paroled prisoner." June 15, 1865. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing the elaborate preparations made by the noviciates and sisters for her namesake feast day. June 26, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the decision of a sister to leave the Ursulines and comments on some property that may be appropriate for building a new convent. June 6, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about a young boy who "despite the contradictions of a stepmother, and the labors of a blacksmith, thinks of becoming a priest." She also writes at length about a candidate for lay sister for the convent claiming, "I do not know what to think of her." June 2, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent and academy. She again mentions the property that may be available for building a new convent but is warned by her brother, John, that its location may cause the order to lose its day pupils. The Ursulines' current location is not tenable because of the proximity of "gross shops" and "beer houses" and they are frequently disturbed by "profane language" and "midnight carousals." June 21, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline convent and academy including the purchase of books for their library and her desire to rent a piano for several months. May 16, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch discussing a new candidate for the Ursuline sisterhood. According to Madame Baptiste, the 58 year old woman has changed her opinion "respecting widows and old ladies becoming nuns." July 8, 1866. 4p.
Short letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the ongoing effort to solicit funds for a new convent including writing a letter to General Sherman to "recommend our cause at Washington." May 20, 1866. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the upcoming school year at the Academy. She writes about the number of boarders, teachers, reference books, finances and provisions. She also comments on the "blockade paper" her letter is written on and mentions a deserter that the Bishop had attended to prior to his execution. August 29, 1862. 8p.
Letter from Madame Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste reports that the "Charleston refugees" do not like Rev. O'Connell, and suggests if the Bishop wanted to make a change in the priest assignments in Columbia now is the time "to break up this nest of (blank)." September 10, 1862. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about arrangements for a reception for one of the sisters that is to be presided over by a Bishop McGill. April 21, 1860. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bp Patrick Lynch informing him that a Mrs. Cohen would like to see him regarding an issue with her husband, a recently paroled prisoner of war. Madame Baptiste also boasts of the continued numbers of boarders being welcomed to the school but notes that one of the parents believe "our school will stand a poor chance when peace is proclaimed." January 2, 1863. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with updates on the number of boarders at the academy and relates how one potential boarder from Georgetown has been denied passage by the Yankees. January 26, 1863. 2p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about her concerns over the war. She has heard that the British Consul in Charleston intends to leave and fears it is in anticipation of a Union attack. She recounts the story of a Catholic saint who, in a time of war, was able to summon a storm of gnats to disrupt the horses of the enemy and asks the Bishop, "can you not do something like that for Charleston?" She also asks the Bishop about investments, fearing that the Confederate currency might one day be worthless. February 5, 1863. 2p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with updates on boarders at the academy and asks the Bishop to inquire if Mother Theresa, of the Sisters of Mercy in Charleston, has space for three "half orphans." January 13, 1863. 2p.
Ash Wednesday letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of their fasting plans for Lent and asking his advice concerning the sale of the copyright of the "Ursuline Manual." February 22, 1860. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about several recent visitors to the convent, including one woman, a mother of a boarder at the academy, who has come to retrieve her daughter. The mother, Madame Baptiste writes, has been "implicated for running off negroes to the yankees" and Madame Baptiste fears that both "may be hanged." January 15, 1864. 3p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch admonishing him for his forgetfulness concerning the profession of vows for two sisters at the Ursuline Convent. January 2, 1867. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch discussing renovations on the property at Valle Crucis, new pupils and new curricular materials, and the Bishop's upcoming trip to New York. February 3, 1866. 4p.
Copy of a letter sent from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Verot concerning the Ursulines' plans to open a satellite institution in Macon, Georgia. February 12, 1866. 2p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent in Columbia, including the potential recruitment of two lay sisters to help in housekeeping so the convent doesn't "have to pay servant's hire." She also mentions stocking up on stores and that she has ordered two tons of coal, "two thirds anthracite and one third bituminous", from Charleston. October 26, 1858. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy and of the prospects of the new school year. July 11, 1863. 6p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch regarding negotiations to accept the pupils of "Barhamville" into the Ursuline Academy. July 1, 1863. 5p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and a proposition to house the Sisters of Mercy from Charleston if they should come to Columbia to nurse the sick soldiers hospitalized there. October 17, 1861. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy including a recent ceremony for nine child "aspirants." May 31, 1860. 4p.
Letter from Ellen Spann to her uncle, Bishop Patrick Lynch, requesting his presence at the Ursuline Convent to celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist. June 14, 1860. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the upcoming Distribution Day at the Ursuline Academy and hopes to establish a firm date to notify the parents. The children, she adds, are "complaining so much of heat weakness that we are anxious to liberate them from their studies...and not have them getting sick on our hands." June 12, 1860. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of the latest news at the Ursuline Convent and school in Columbia. December 4, 1858. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of the latest news at the Ursuline Convent and school in Columbia. November 19, 1858. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of the latest news at the Ursuline Convent and school in Columbia. November 17, 1858. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about his upcoming trip to visit the Ursulines in Columbia for the confirmation of the students. May 12, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of the news of the Ursuline Convent and academy in Columbia including that she is in "good humor" after receiving $1000 for tuition and board from a Mrs. Gaffney. May 3, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch enclosed in her letter of April 8, 1859. Madame Baptiste writes about a controversy concerning a parish priest's insistence that communion be received at the parish church only and not in the chapel of the Ursulines. April 10, 1859. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch informing him of preparations being made at the American Hotel in order to make it habitable for the opening of the academy. September 2, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste is worried about the number of teachers she has compared to other academies claiming she is "the best English and Music teacher but am exhausted and unfit for other duties." September 1, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the Ursulines' preparations for the Easter season and the health of their family. April 23, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch telling him about a French woman who had given her a gift as a "pretext" for being considered as a lay sister in the Ursuline Convent. She also asks the Bishop to speak to their sister-in-law, Henrietta, about "her neglect of duty as a wife and housekeeper" for staying in Charleston so long instead of her home in Cheraw. February 24, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and congratulates him on the one year anniversary of his consecration. March 14, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch asking him to send a Paschal candle and candlestick holder for the Easter season and informs the Bishop of the latest news at the Ursuline Convent. April, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy and mentions an unspecified court case involving orphans that was recently lost by Bishop Lynch. She also sends news of their brother John's new child that they have named James writing, "I cannot bear to call the name so soon" after their brother James' death. July 31, 1860. 6p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She also asks him to edit some errors concerning the start date and expenses of the Academy that appeared in the "Miscellany", specifically to "change to $10 for drawing crayons, etc." August 5, 1860. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent and a disagreement over the cost of some of the renovations at the American Hotel. November 16, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch recounting news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes how the mayor, as promised, has checked up on them one night in John Lynch's absence. October 5, 1859. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch in answer to his query about boarding some of the Sisters of Mercy. At first she thinks it is a godsend to receive well trained individuals in the convent but soon realizes that they are probably "disaffected, fastidious members" and writes that "in my opinion no Religious should travel for her health." October 7, 1859. 4p.
John Lynch writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about ongoing renovations at the Ursuline Convent and his discussions with various contractors. He relates that the current night watchman wants to quit after half a month because of "(having) nothing to do, and lonesomeness" and John wants to hire in his place a Patrick Brennan, though he fears Mr. Brennan "might take in his pocket a companion." October 14, 1859. 2p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch about court costs associated with an unspecified suit and the lack of cleanliness of the recently purchased American Hotel which John had been given possession of by the sheriff. September 1, 1859. 2p.
Letter from Madame Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch touching on a variety of topics. She writes of acquiring a piano and "Erhard" harp for the community and muses at length at why there have been no attempts at peace with "Napoleon (III) mediating now." She mentions inoculating the children at the academy for smallpox and describes an awful barrel of flour the Bishop had sent to Columbia. She tells of the horrible condition of the "negroes" in Lancaster writing, "I never have patience with the yankees, except when I think of the abolition of slavery." January 28, 1863. 8p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch wishing him a happy Christmas season and informing him of news at the Ursuline Convent. December 21, 1863. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy, including a lengthy description of her troubled relationship with one of the sisters at the convent. September 8, 1861. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about preparations for the upcoming school year at the Ursuline Academy. She also mentions how the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland, attempting to help nurse Confederates afflicted with typhoid fever in Virginia, "were refused a passage by Lincoln's men." August 27, 1861. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing how the sisters are embroidering a flag for the "Kirkwood Rangers" of Camden. August 24, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the arrival of a new sister, "our little Cincinnati postulant," and the scolding letter she had to write to their brother, John, about his drinking. June 10, 1859. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about family matters and news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste describes how the sisters are sewing banners and flags for various companies noting "is it not queer for nuns to be engaged preparing flags for war?" She also thinks that business would return to normal if "other states would hurry and come out of the Union." January 8, 1861. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning a new "noviciate" being welcomed into the Ursulines of Columbia. Madame Baptiste is concerned that given the precarious financial status of the convent that the new noviciate will not realize the sacrifices she must make given that she has previously known "many conveniences." She also suggests that the noviciate pay her own travel expenses to Columbia and possibly pay her board during her term. September 29, 1858. 2p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent in Columbia and that she is "glad to hear of our boxes, which we began to fear were gone to the fishes." September 29, 1858. 2p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the premium associated with buying "specie" and asks the Bishop to procure for her $500 in gold. She also mentions that the tenants at the old convent are trying to get out of paying rent but that she does not pity their situation as "Mr. Fry is not sober (and) we teach their daughter gratuitously." March 19, 1862. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch asking him to procure civilian passes to Charleston for two friends of the convent that Madame Baptiste feels indebted to. One lady wishes to visit her husband who, Madame Baptiste says, "got permission from Gen Beauregard to send us two tierces of rice, when he refused to do the same for any one else." September 23, 1863. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She muses on the anniversary of her vows and begs the Bishop to tell her all about President Davis' visit to Charleston. She writes about obtaining a new cow for the convent "having disposed of one that was no account." November 8, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing a conflict between the Catholic Church in Columbia and the Ursuline Convent. She writes at length about her dislike of the "Irish priests" in town and of their rudeness towards the Ursulines and begs the Bishop for help. She ends with the request that the Bishop burn her letter once it is read. December 6, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the prevalence of sickness within the convent and the necessary employment of a secular teacher in the academy. She also admonishes the Bishop for not moving out of range of the Union shelling in Charleston, "although the Spanish Consul has offered you his house above George Street." November 24, 1863. 3p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about festivities at the convent during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the acceptance of new boarders at the academy, and a new "worldly" postulant who desires to join the Ursulines. December 9, 1863. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about a photograph she received from General Beauregard as a thank you for her prayers for the safety of Charleston. She implores the Bishop to stay safe during the renewed shelling of Charleston and in a postscript writes, "we're afraid that we lost our Habit stuff in that vessel taken by the yankees." November 19, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy, including a humorous anecdote of one of the local priests running through the convent to get altar breads. December 17, 1863. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch discussing the Ursuline sisters' opinions on purchasing the American Hotel for their new convent versus buying another place or building from scratch. July 29, 1859. 4p.
