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 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 the potential for growing crops at Valle Crucis and tells the Bishop of her disappointment concerning the exchange rate on 5000 Francs given to her by the Bishop on his return from Europe. January 21, 1866. 3p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about recent gifts received by the Ursulines and the purchase of several lots in Columbia for a future convent. March 5, 1866. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the long delay in getting furniture for the convent, the Bishop's declaration on Lenten dietary restrictions, and a troublesome lay sister. February 13, 1866. 8p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about a visit from General Preston and other news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. February 21, 1866. 8p
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch commenting on the disappointing donations the Bishop has received while fundraising in that "great commercial emporium of the North." Madame Baptiste also takes issue with a Tribune reporter who has written disparaging comments about the Bishop during his trip to New York. March 15, 1866. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She writes that the Bishop's former slave, Daniel, is in a "half-starved condition" and has been visiting the convent for handouts. She mentions that she has read about former Union prisoners who praised Bishop Lynch for his kindness during the war and writes of her fears of a cholera epidemic that "will no doubt decimate the whole country this summer." April 29, 1866. 8p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing springtime at Valle Crucis. She writes that the sisters have created a "month of May altar" and have decorated it with a small statue saved from the convent on the night of the Columbia fire. May 16, 1866. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about recent inquiries concerning the burning of Columbia and their convent during the war and asks the Bishop for permission to publish their account of the events. April 6, 1866. 4p.
Copy of a letter sent by Madame Baptiste to Senator Manning petitioning the U.S. congress for $150,000 to rebuild their destroyed convent and academy. April 9, 1866. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing her plans to travel with a couple of the Ursuline sisters to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to help start an academy. Madame Baptiste writes that she has yet to tell the sisters which ones she has chosen to accompany her to Alabama. September 2, 1866. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch describing her plans to travel with a couple of the Ursuline sisters to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to help start an academy. August 23, 1866. 6p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the purchase of a second piano for the convent, the efforts to find housing for a local priest and a "Mr. Jones" who is travelling north soliciting funds for the Ursulines. January 18, 1866. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about legal papers that need to be formalized before hands can be hired to work at the convent grounds in Valle Crucis. December 24, 1866. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the Ursuline sisters' annual retreat, the start of the school year and plans to set up an academy in Alabama. August 4, 1866. 7p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch enclosing a free railroad ticket their sister, Madame Baptiste, received from the president of the railroad company. John also writes about news from the Ursuline Convent, informing the Bishop of a theft of corn from the convent's fields. September 24, 1866. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about plans for the Ursulines in Valle Crucis to help open a parochial school in Alabama. July 29, 1866. 3p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes to the Bishop that the crop and livestock yields seem to meet the expenses encountered in maintaining them, exclaiming, "I had no idea planting was so remunerative." December 28, 1866. 8p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about soliciting funds for the convent and academy. She asks the Bishop for the addresses of the Visitation Convent in Paris and Empress Eugenie, who have sent aid to other American convents in the past, writing "we can do nothing more in this country." December 30, 1866. 4p.
Long letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch keeping him apprised of the news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste asks the Bishop to help them procure more lay sisters "small in person - healthy and between 18 and 21" and choir sisters aged "18 to 30". She also discusses plans with the Bishop to open a day school in Columbia but doesn't know if they will be able to secure a building before the start of the school year. 12p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about finances and the start of the school year at the Ursuline Convent and Academy in Valle Crucis and of her upcoming trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. To get to Tuscaloosa, she informs the Bishop, she will have to travel "via Montgomery per R.R., Selma per steamer, to Marion per R.R. and to Tuscaloosa per stage coach for 60 miles." 12p.
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.
Madame Baptiste writes to Reverend J. W. Cummings describing the current status of the Ursulines in Columbia and encloses a letter for her brother, Bishop Patrick Lynch, who is expected soon in New York. October 28, 1865. 3p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch eagerly wishing his return to America. One of two similar letters sent from Madame Baptiste on this date. October 28, 1865. 3p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch eagerly wishing his return to America. One of two similar letters sent from Madame Baptiste on this date. October 28, 1865. 3p.
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 about new boarders at the academy and her worry about finances concerning the purchase of the American Hotel for the convent. February 7, 1864. 3p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She informs the Bishop she is sending a Miss Preston, fiancee to General Hood, to Richmond to see the Bishop while he is visiting there. February 21, 1864. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about paying taxes and the need for more teachers, and revisits the idea of purchasing the Barhamville school as a future site for the Convent and Academy. March 7, 1864. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about their anniversaries as Bishop and Mother Superior and wonders if the Bishop is "as tired of superiority as I am!" She also writes of a local murder in Columbia and a visit to the convent by the wife of "pirate Semmes." March 10, 1864. 8p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the mental state of one of the sisters and of general news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. January 26, 1864. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning the recent death of Archbishop Hughes in New York. Madame Baptiste laments that the obituary of the beloved Bishop in a New York paper is anti-Southern "when it speaks of his going to France at the request of Seward and succeeding in dissuading the emperor from acknowledging the Southern Confederacy." February 2, 1864. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch requesting his "Lenten regulations" for the season. She also writes of putting most of her money in the stockpiling of provisions "before the new currency comes in." February 10, 1864. 4p.
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.
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 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 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.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She mentions that the Bishop's slave, Isaac, who has been working at the Convent, has asked that his children be moved to Mr. Kitt's place, recently acquired by the Bishop, so that he could see them more easily. February 14, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch detailing her fears of an imminent attack on Charleston. She writes that if the Bishop "should get even a scratch" she would be at his side but later admits that "I respect too much our rule of cloister to think of going without necessity." February 19, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch recounting Easter news at the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She also writes of recent successes against the Union navy claiming, "the iron-clads are far from proving either invulnerable or even very advantageous." April 9, 1863. 2p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch asking him to obtain the permission of "Col. Northrop" to purchase flour from Richmond. March 7, 1863. 2p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the conduct of "low, vulgar" soldiers who visited the convent and is sorry to hear that "deserters claim your attention, excepting for their souls' sake." She also writes the Bishop for advice on three controversial applicants for noviciate. One "has been by no means pious" and "read infidel works" and a second was born illegitimate. The third has had in the past "criminal intercourse" but has never had a child, though Madame Baptiste concedes, "she deserves no credit for that." March 6, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes about obtaining provisions for the winter and her continuing trouble with one of the sisters. October 5, 1863. 6p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch detailing the death of a local man and the unfortunate consequences surrounding an orphan the man and his wife were taking care of. October 16, 1863. 8p.
Letter from John Lynch to Bishop Patrick Lynch about procuring provisions for the Ursuline Convent and Academy and about news of the war. John writes that the man hired to obtain the provisions fears impressment of the supplies and requests that the Bishop provide him an endorsed certificate that proves the goods are for the convent should any Confederate officers stop him. John also mentions the movement of troops through Columbia on their way to Tennessee where "Genl Lee and the President have planned a campaign against Rosencrantz (sic)". September 18, 1863. 4p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Sister Mary Charles Curtin about the sister's request to join the Ursuline Convent. Madame Baptiste informs her that the rules of the Ursuline Order make it difficult to accept someone who has already "professed" in another order writing that "a secular fresh from the world is preferred.....as it is more difficult to eradicate preconceived ideas of right, than to implant true ones for the first time." She also cautions the sister about the difficulty of moving from an active and worldly community to a contemplative and cloistered one. September 15, 1863. 3p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch about plans to obtain winter provisions, the burgeoning number of boarders including many Protestants and the renovation of a house on the grounds to accommodate some lay sisters. September 9, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch asking for his advice on accepting a nun from the Sisters of Mercy as a noviciate in the Ursulines. September 19, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the war. Madame Baptiste writes about the Convent's plans should the "yankees" come to Columbia and asks the Bishop where to stash their furnishings. She also suggests erecting a large cross on the grounds so that the enemy will spare them but notes, "I fear the rabble of Columbia who stoned us, as much as the yankees." July 21, 1863. 8p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. She hopes that the Bishop will invest $12,000 in the nearby Barhamville Academy to fulfill their long desire to remove the convent and school from downtown Columbia. She also mentions that she is expecting the daughters of several well known people, including that of Mayor Monroe of New Orleans and Confederate General Hindman. August 23, 1863. 8p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch about the defense of Charleston. She fears the inevitable union assault will last longer than the recent siege at Vicksburg and finds it astonishing "how coolly" people can talk about Charleston "being taken by the enemy." July 25, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes about purchasing provisions and asks the Bishop for advice on investing the "thousands of Confederate money" she expects as the pupils arrive for the new school year. July 31, 1863. 4p.
Letter from Madame Baptiste to Bishop Patrick Lynch with news from the Ursuline Convent and Academy. Madame Baptiste writes about the record number of boarders they have received for the school year and her continued efforts to get rid of a troublesome sister. She also writes that should (Union General) Rosecrans' troops eventually come to Columbia, she would ask him to spare the convent by reminding him of the Ohio Ursulines' close relationship with his brother and of her own prayers once offered to the general "when by a sad accident, he was almost deprived of life." 10p.
Madame Baptiste writes to Bishop Patrick Lynch concerning new boarders and day scholars at the academy and writes at length about her ongoing conflict with another Ursuline sister. 12p.
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.
