My dear friend, much do I regret to hear of your increased illness—yet, let us hope for the best—we cannot think of loosing you—
With great regard Lavinia F. Whitman 2337 N. 18th— Dec. 20th—Correspondent:
Lavinia Fanning Watson Whitman
(1818–1900) was the eldest daughter of John Fanning Watson—author of
Annals of Philadelphia (1830) and a well known
historian of Philadelphia and New York City—and his wife Phebe Barron
Crowell. In 1846, Lavinia became the first woman to sponsor a United States Navy
ship when she christened the sloop-of-war, the USS
Germantown, in Philadelphia. She married Harrison Gray Otis Whitman, a
son of Maine Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ezekial Whitman.