Preserving the Hayward Letter

Last year, the Old Bridgewater Historical Society was able to successfully raise the funding necessary to preserve the original "Bridgewater Deed" signed by Myles Standish, Constant Southworth, Samuel Nash, and the Wampanoag Sachem Massasoit.  

This year, we want to continue that success by crowdfunding to raise money for the "Hayward Letter," written in August 1652 by a concerned mother in England. The story goes that her son had traveled to Bridgewater, MA, and she had not heard from him.  Concerned and fearing the worst, she took her letter to the docks in England and begged a friend to try and find her son to deliver it.  The letter did make it to her son, John Hayward, who was one of the earliest settlers of Bridgewater. Many thousands bearing the surnames Hayward, Haward, and Howard claim descendancy from him today.  

The 366-year-old letter has become extremely brittle and breaks at the smallest touch.  The Society feels that it is imperative to save this timeless proof of a mother's love before it is nothing more than dust.  

The letter is addressed on the outside to:

For her loving son, John Hayward, this:-- 

In case he be dead, to George Hayward in New England.

The letter, full of wonderful motherly guilt, reads:

Loving Son: --                           London, Aug. 16, 1652.

Having a fitt opportunity by a friend to send to you, I could not, out of my motherly care to you and your brother, do less than write these few lines to you to certify you that both I and your sister are in good health, praysed be God, and that I earnestly desire to hear from you both.  Your sister desires to be remembered to you both, and she and I have sent you some small tokens of our love for you.  I have sent George 3 bands and a handkerchief, and an handkerchief to yourself, and I have sent you a shilling to you to pay for writing of a letter, if by long silence you have forgott.  I wonder, son, you should so forgott your mother, whose welfare she tended more than anything in the world.  Your sister hath sent you a book of your father's to you and a bible to George.  Did we conceive you were alive we would have sent you better tokens.  Child, with my blessing to you both, desiring to hear from you and whether you ever intend for England, and how your cousing Sarah doth, with my daily prayer to the Lord for you, I rest.  

Your Loving Mother, 

Mary Hayward. 

The Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA, will perform the preservation.   Upon completion, the document will be encapsulated in polyester film and placed into an archival folder.

100% of the project amount is for the preservation of the document.  In the event that the Society raises more than their goal, excess funding will be used for the Society's normal day-to-day operating expenses.