Courtesy, New Jersey Historical Society.
Copybook of Mrs. Stockton, MG 1221

This poem was written by Annis Boudinot ( 1736-1801) at the age of 16. She wrote in the neoclassical style that was popular in 18^th century England. Annis grew up as the privileged daughter of prosperous descendants of French Huguenots. Though little is known of her childhood, her early years were lived in Philadelphia until the family moved to New Brunswick in 1751. She received some education, was well-read, and familiar with the poetry of her day. In this poem she invites a young woman friend from New York to get away from the noise of the city by visiting her in the countryside of New Brunswick. Friendship is the theme of many of her later poems. After her marriage to Richard Stockton, a prominent lawyer and landowner, the couple made their home at Morven, an estate in Princeton.

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