December 20 Friday – The Springfield Mass. Union ran a correspondent’s article about Twichell’s church, which included a description of Sam in attendance on Dec. 15.

Livy and Sam wrote from Hartford to Jane Clemens and family. Livy wrote of Christmas and gifts sent and her joy at plans for Jane Clemens and Annie Moffett to come for the holidays.

“Your eldest son & daughter are exceedingly cosily situated, & Orion is as happy as a martyr when the fire won’t burn” [MTL 5: 254-5].

Horace Bushnell (1802-1876), minister of Hartford’s North Church of Christ, wrote: “You balance yourself over much. I am the one who is principally in fault—neither you nor Twichell. I had no right to be joking my poverty so hard as to make it appear that I cannot buy a five dollar book” [MTP].

December 20–22 Sunday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Joseph Twichell about Horace Bushnell, enclosing Bushnell’s letter. Sam had written a “(bogus) protest [not extant] of the Publishers against the proposed foreign copyright”—a sarcastic piece that he wanted to read to Twichell. Sam was reacting to a bill in Congress for more comprehensive copyright protection [MTL 5: 255].