From your letter of the 20th: which I have just received, I am in doubt whether even this letter will not reach New-York, too late to meet you—I wrote you last Thursday a letter directed to Washington enclosing one hundred Dollars for defraying the expences of your Journey—I hope you have left such directions, that the letter will be transmitted safely to you— The house which I expected to...
I have just received your letter of 24. Decr: and lament that the expression of my anxiety to hear from you should in any respect have been understood by you as implying any idea of complaint as if you had been negligent in writing—I never had such intention, and have always been convinced of your attention in writing regularly. It gives me great pain to find by your letter that your health &...
My project of coming from Washington to this place, by the way of Annapolis was disappointed, by the badness of the roads, which prevented the arrival of the Stage from Annapolis in Season for us to take it the 4th:—so I took my passage on the usual way to Baltimore, Thursday and arrived here by the new line of Packets last Evening—To-morrow, I shall pursue my journey to New-York, where I...
14From Thomas Jefferson to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 8 August 1807 (Jefferson Papers)
I have duly recieved your letter of the 28th. of July expressing a wish that your brother could find some emploiment in New Orleans in which his knolege of the French & Spanish languages might be made useful. it would have been pleasing to me to have been able to point out such an emploiment, & more so to add that any such was within my powers of appointment. but the only appointments I make...
I have just this morning received your kind favour of the 2d: instt: which at once confirmed my apprehensions, and in some degree relieved my anxiety—From the time that the Saturday pass’d over untill now I have had an aching heart, and although I learn from your letter that you had been very ill, yet to know you were on the recovery, and had pass’d what I had long looked forward to as a very...
The day after I wrote you from Baltimore, that is to say on Thursday, I came to this place; though in the Night at Baltimore I was taken so ill, that I was afraid I should be obliged to postpone for a day or two the completion of my journey—I am however now as well as usual. The expedition with which I travell’d has given me two days more here than I expected when I left you—But they have been...
I have been expecting to hear from you these two or three days, and begin to feel some anxiety to learn how you all have been since I left you. Yesterday was the day at which the Session of Congress commenced, and a Quorum of both houses appeared—The President’s Message has just been read, and is very long—But it gives no information on the subjects of the highest importance to the Nation—the...
Last Evening I received with heart-felt pleasure your letter of the 25th: ulto: which was the first line I had from you since my departure—It has been a long time on the road, and should have reached me sooner— The information respecting the children was delightful—George’s reluctance at his french lesson he must overcome—No French—no Horse—I am glad John has begun seriously upon his...
I received your Letter of december 6th on the 14th and was very glad to hear of your safe arrival at washington; the journey at this Season when the days are so short must always be fatigueing. It must have been less so to you than it would have been with the children, tho I doubt not you must miss them very much. they are very well. John is as thick as he is long, has out grown his cloaths....
I have duly recieved your letter of the 28th. of July expressing a wish that your brother could find some emploiment in New Orleans in which his knolege of the French and Spanish languages might be made useful. it would have been pleasing to me to have been able to point out such an emploiment, & more so to add that any such was within my powers of appointment, but the only appointments I make...
I address you jointly and congratulate you upon the fine weather we have had since you commenced your journey I hope e’er this day, you have reached washington in safety , with your dear little Boy; for whose Safety, I was not a little anxious through so long and fatigueing a journey. We had the pleasure to receive a Letter from you, informing us of your arrival at New york— The week after you...
You will receive I presume at the same time with this a letter from me written yesterday at Quincy, in the ardour and satisfaction of Hope. This morning on my coming into Boston, your letter of the 23d: so lovely by its tender sensibility, so admirable by its resignation and fortitude, yet so distressing to me by the affliction in which it was written, and the marks of suffering apparent even...
I wrote you yesterday that little Walter had been again very ill the night before; but was better—He continued so untill the Evening—Dr: Weems had been sent for the night before last; but was gone to Alexandria, to attend Mrs: Merry, who is ill of a fever—On his return he came to Mr: Hellen’s, and pronounced that the child had the hives, but did not think him in any danger—He was so well that...
Since I wrote you last, which was on the 1st: of this month I have not heard from you—I enclose you now a letter from Eliza, who is unwell with a bad cough—Mrs: Hellen is also this day quite unwell—The rest of us are in usual health. Since Messrs. Bollman and Swartwout have been committed to prison, without bail, on a charge of high Treason, we have not heard any thing material from Burr—It is...
Since I wrote you last, when we were in the midst of a hurricane from the Northwest, untill this moment, we have had the coldest spell of weather I ever knew in this place—On that day as I wrote you, the windows were blown in and broken down here at the capitol—Houses or at least one House was unroofed—Carriages were overset; and Mr: Quincy undertaking to walk home was so much overpowered by...
On going yesterday into Boston, I received Mr: Hellen’s letter of the 22d: of last Month, with the few lines which I am afraid you must have cruelly suffered in writing; and also your’s of the 24th: which at least administered the consolation of knowing that you were as well as you could expect—My great concern is that in the tender effort you made when thus severely ill to write, was too...
I yesterday enclosed you a letter from Adelaide, under a blank cover, because I was all the morning writing to my brother, and when I came to enclose the letter to you, it was so late that I had not time to add a line with it—I now send a letter from Kitty for Caroline, and must tell you that we are well; excepting Mrs: Boyd’s child which continues in the same State of illness from time to...
Your Letter did not reach me untill several Weeks after it was written, & as I had a few days before addressed a letter to Mr Adams, I presumed upon the reception of that, your minds would be rendered less anxious, but notwithstanding this, I should immediately have replied to your polite friendly letter, & to your questions, respecting Master George, if we had not been so unhappy as to have a...
Since I wrote you last I have been a little affected with the rhumatism in my shoulder, so that I did not attend at Mrs: Erskine’s Ball—I had also something of a cold, and was disinclined to be out so late at Night as a Ball necessarily imports—Your Mamma and the Girls were there: the company was numerous and the party very agreeable. We have this day received a Message from the President,...
I did not expect to have written you this day from this place; for as I have before mentioned to you, my present occupations confine me so closely and continually that I cannot spare the time to come out here every week; but yesterday afternoon, Dr: Waterhouse having occasion to come as far as Mr Baxter’s, within a mile of my father’s house took me with him; and I expect to return this Evening...
I cannot suffer this day to pass without wishing you and our dear children many and many happy returns of it though my fingers are almost too numb to write—The year has introduced itself with great severity; though with delightful weather—My thermometer this morning stood at 9. which is precisely the lowest point to which it descended through the whole course of last Winter. The Senate...
Inclosed you have a Letter, to mr Rutledge which you may if you like send to your Brother if you think it will be of any service to him. We yesterday received a few lines from mr Adams of the 14th from which I learnt you were all in tolerable Health, I want to know if his cough has left him, and whether he has any thing of the Rheumatism in his Limbs. I would have him pay particular attention...
Last Evening I received your truly kind & affectionate letter of the 1st: instt: and most sincerely reciprocate every sentiment of kindness it contains—It is impossible for me to enjoy life without your affection, and the assurance of possessing it must always be grateful to my heart—So great and so numerous are the blessings for which I ought to be impress’d with the favour of Providence,...
I shall begin my Letter by putting your mind at ease respecting your children, who are both very well. George I saw yesterday quite in Raptures; his uncle Cranch had made him a little Sled with a small box upon the top; similar to one which Dexter had made John; and which employs half his time. Sometimes to draw about miss Juno, who seems to like the ride very well, and sits in it as grave and...
I write you a line from the Stage–Office: having just this moment arrived, and intending in half an hour to start in the Mail–Stage for Philadelphia—The weather is so fine, and the roads are so good, that I am afraid of losing the advantages they offer, and recollect the admonition to take time by the forelock—I hope to be in Philadelphia, to–morrow morning before day light; and shall pass the...
Since I wrote you, which was last Thursday, I have received three letters from you, which call for a particular Answer—I must however defer it untill to-morrow; for at this time we are in the midst of a debate on the Bridge question; to which I must give all my attention—The weather too is so cold that I am scarcely able to write in my seat—My thermometer stood this morning at 6. degrees. I am...
I am still without any letters of intelligence from you or any of my friends at Boston and Quincy, since my departure—I presume you waited to hear of my arrival before you wrote—My letter of 28. November, the day after my arrival must have reached you before this time. I enclose you two letters from Eliza, who is at Mr: Boyd’s—I dined there, day before yesterday; and all our family were to...
I have not received a line from you since I wrote you on Monday—Your mother however has had a letter from Catherine, mentioning that you had on the day she wrote, given Charles an Emetic for his cough—I endeavour to controul my anxiety as much as possible. I now write you a line merely to tell you that your sister Hellen’s youngest child is better—They have now great hopes of its recovery—And...
The day before yesterday, after having taken a very satisfactory view of the solar eclipse, I received your letter of the 9th: the last lines of which, mentioning that you had recovered so far as to go down stairs again, were as cheering to my heart, as the first beams of the great luminary after his total obscurity, had been to the senses—The deed though executed with superabundant caution,...
I wrote you last Monday a few lines enclosing a letter for Caroline, and intended further to have written you the following day—But we were four whole days engaged upon the Bridge Question, untill 4 O’Clock or later, and having taken a part in the debate my attention to it was so much engross’d that I could not find time even to answer your other letters which I regularly recieved down to the...