Joseph's Letter to his Children

In May 1916, looking towards his 80th birthday, Joseph wrote a letter to his surviving children in which he expressed “his thankfulness for the many blessings with which I have been surrounded during life, for the happiness of my home life and unbroken love of all my children”. He stressed the importance of the family unit and the direction it provides, hoping that his six groups of grandchildren will benefit from their parents’ values and guidance “that far beyond success in study, or wealth, or the good opinion of the world, or distinction in any career, you desire that they may be good and true men and women, honourable and unselfish.” Joseph took much pride in his belief that the homes created by his children had encouraged both they and their children “to shun the danger of self centred lives, and to be ready to labour for the welfare of others.”

Image: From originals held at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.