1From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 25 December 1762 (Jefferson Papers)
This very day, to others the day of greatest mirth and jollity, sees me overwhelmed with more and greater misfortunes than have befallen a descendant of Adam for these thousand years past I am sure; and perhaps, after excepting Job, since the creation of the world. I think his misfortunes were somewhat greater than mine: for although we may be pretty nearly on a level in other respects, yet I...
2From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 20 January 1763 (Jefferson Papers)
I have been thinking this half hour how to begin my letter and cannot for my soul make it out. I wish to the Lord one could write a letter without any beginning for I am sure it allways puzzles me more than all the rest of it. And to tell you the plain truth I have not a syllable to write to you about. For I do not conceive that any thing can happen in my world which you would give a curse to...
3From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 15 July 1763 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of May 30’th came safe to hand. The rival you mentioned I know not whether to think formidable or not as there has been so great an opening for him during my absence. I say ‘has been’ because I expect there is one no longer since you have undertaken to act as my attorney. You advise me to ‘go immediately and lay siege in form.’ You certainly did not think at the time you wrote this of...
4From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 7 October 1763 (Jefferson Papers)
In the most melancholy fit that ever any poor soul was, I sit down to write to you. Last night, as merry as agreeable company and dancing with Belinda in the Apollo could make me, I never could have thought the succeeding sun would have seen me so wretched as I now am! I was prepared to say a great deal: I had dressed up in my own mind, such thoughts as occurred to me, in as moving language as...
5From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 19 January 1764 (Jefferson Papers)
The contents of your letter have not a little alarmed me: and really upon seriously weighing them with what has formerly passed between αδνιλεβ and myself I am somewhat at a loss what to conclude. Your ‘semper saltat, semper ridet, semper loquitur, semper solicitat’ &c. appear a little suspicious, but good god! it is impossible! I told you our confab in the Apollo: but I beleive I never told...
6From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 23 January 1764 (Jefferson Papers)
I received your letter of Wednesday the 18th instant; in that, of this day, you mention one which you wrote last Friday, and sent by the Secretary ’s boy; but I have neither seen nor heard of such a one. God send, mine of Jan. 19 to you may not have shared the same fate; for, by your letter, I am uncertain whether you have received it or not; you therein say, ‘you hope to have received an...
7From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 9 April 1764 (Jefferson Papers)
This letter will be conveied to you by the assistance of our friend Warner Lewis. Poor fellow! never did I see one more sincerely captivated in my life. He walked to the Indian camp with her yesterday, by which means he had an opportunity of giving her two or three love squeezes by the hand, and like a true Arcadian swain, has been so enraptured ever since that he is company for no one. Betsy...
8From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 25 May 1766 (Jefferson Papers)
I received your last by T. Nelson whom I luckily met on my road hither. Surely never did small hero experience greater misadventures than I did on the first two or three days of my travelling. Twice did my horse run away with me and greatly endanger the breaking my neck on the first day. On the second I drove two hours through as copious a rain as ever I have seen, without meeting with a...
9From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 17 April 1767 [document added in digital edition] (Jefferson Papers)
Your welfare, That of m’rs Page, and your heir apparent give me great joy: but much was I disappointed at not seeing you here today. surely you will visit the city some time in the co urt: do not let family attachments totally rusticate you. in answer to the interrogatories of your letter , I left my wife and family well; I have been in constant health myself and still continue . I left well,...
10From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 21 February 1770 (Jefferson Papers)
I am to acquaint Mrs. Page of the loss of my favorite pullet; the consequence of which will readily occur to her. I promised also to give her some Virginia silk which I had expected, and I begin to wish my expectations may not prove vain. I fear she will think me but an ungainly acquaintance. My late loss may perhaps have reac[hed y]ou by this time, I mean the loss of my mother’s house by...
11From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 31 October 1775 (Jefferson Papers)
We have nothing new from England or the camp before Boston. By a private letter this day to a gentleman of Congress from General Montgomery we learn that our forces before St. John’s are 4000. in number besides 500. Canadians the latter of whom have repelled with great intrepidity three different attacks from the fort. We apprehend it will not hold out much longer as Monsr. St. Luc de la Corne...
12From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, [ca. 10 December 1775] (Jefferson Papers)
De rebus novis, ita est. One of our armed vessels has taken an English storeship coming with all the implements of war (except powder) to Boston. She is worth about £30,000 sterling as General Washington informs us, and the stores are adapted to his wants as perfectly as if he had sent the invoice. They have also taken two small provision vessels from Ireland to Boston; a forty gun ship blew...
13From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 17 May 1776 (Jefferson Papers)
Having arrived here but lately I have little to communicate. I have been so long out of the political world that I am almost a new man in it. You will have heard before this reaches you of the naval engagement in the Delaware. There are letters in town it is said from General Sullivan which inform that the lower town of Quebec is taken and a breach made in the wall of the upper; but I do not...
14From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 30 July 1776 (Jefferson Papers)
On receipt of your letter we enquired into the probability of getting your seal done here. We find a drawer and an engraver here both of whom we have reason to believe are excellent in their way. They did great seals for Jamaica and Barbadoes both of which are said to have been well done, and a seal for the Philosophical society here which we are told is excellent. But they are expensive, and...
15From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 5 August 1776 (Jefferson Papers)
I am sorry to hear that the Indians have commenced war, but greatly pleased you have been so decisive on that head. Nothing will reduce those wretches so soon as pushing the war into the heart of their country. But I would not stop there. I would never cease pursuing them while one of them remained on this side the Misisippi. So unprovoked an attack and so treacherous a one should never be...
16From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 20 August 1776 (Jefferson Papers)
We have been in hourly expectation of the great decision at New York but it has not yet happened. About three nights ago an attempt was made to burn the two ships which had gone up the river. One of the two fire-rafts prepared for that purpose grappled the Phenix ten minutes but was cleared away at last. A tender however was burnt. The two ships came down on Sunday evening and passed all our...
17From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, [3 June 1779] (Jefferson Papers)
I received your letter by Mr. Jamieson. It had given me much pain that the zeal of our respective friends should ever have placed you and me in the situation of competitors. I was comforted however with the reflection that it was their competition, not ours, and that the difference of the numbers which decided between us, was too insignificant to give you a pain or me a pleasure [had] our...
18From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 12 July 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
The bill for draughting the militia of the several counties is not yet passed: however, from what I have heard of it’s contents, it will not give the Executive a power to commute the demands for infantry into cavalry. Perhaps it would not be prudent to do so, because Genl. Washington (who knows best what he wants) has called for infantry, not cavalry, because it is very doubtful whether...
19From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 10 October 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
The Pot-clay, a Cherokee chief having lately died, his friend delivered to Majr. Martin a silver badge which he said had been given by the Governor of Virginia and therefore desired should be returned to him. It’s size, figure, and inscription is as below. To give you a better idea of it I inclose a reversed impression of it on paper. To shew you how little I think you have a right to refuse...
20From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 29 October 1780 (Jefferson Papers)
This badge has renewed with us all the story of the consultation of Doctors on the case of the broken leg which was cured in an instant by binding with rope yarn. Madison was with me the day I received your letter, which I read to him and produced the figure and inscription of the badge. He laughed so that it was long before he could speak to me. He then told me that he had at one time a...
21From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 18 April 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favour of the 13th. desiring a suspension of the Act for raising new levies has been duly received and laid before the board. They think they cannot with any propriety suspend an Act after the Terms are all past by which it should have been carryed into execution. It would only answer the end of a remission of Penalties which would be an Abuse of the suspending Power given them by the...
22From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 11 November 1784 (Jefferson Papers)
This will be delivered you by Colo. Le Maire. You knew him when in our service, and that he was one of the few who merited what was done for him. He returns to Virginia to obtain the land given him for his special services and what is due to him as an officer. He is reduced to extreme poverty and I am afraid will meet with difficulty to subsist till he can obtain his grants unless he can find...
23From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 20 August 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
I received your friendly letter of Apr. 28. by Mr. Mazzei on the 22d. of July. That of the month before by Monsr. Le Croix is not come to hand. This correspondence is grateful to some of my warmest feelings, as the friendships of my youth are those which stick closest to me, and in which I most confide. My principal happiness is now in the retrospect of life. I thank you for your notes of your...
24From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 4 May 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
Your two favours of Mar. 15, and Aug. 23. 1785. by Monsieur de la Croix came to hand on the 15th. of November. His return gives me an opportunity of sending you a copy of the Nautical almanacs for 1786. 7. 8. 9. There is no late and interesting publication here or I would send it by the same conveiance. With these almanacs I pack a copy of some notes I wrote for Monsr. de Marbois in the year...
25From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 12 January 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter with several others was put into my hands just as company was coming in to dinner yesterday, and it was not till late in the evening that I was free to open them, or I should not have deferred the answer till this morning.—I will certainly join you in the note you desire, but at the same time must ingenuously say that were the payment to fall on me, it would be impossible for me to...
26From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, [1] January 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
You have probably seen or heard of some very abusive letters addressed to me in the publick papers by a mr Martin of Baltimore, on the subject of Logan’s speech, cited in the Notes on Virginia. I do not mean to notice mr Martin, or go into the newspapers on the subject. but I am still anxious to enquire into the foundation of that story, & if I find any thing wrong in it it shall be corrected,...
27From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 6 June 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of Apr. 26. & May 28. is duly recieved, and I sincerely thank you for your kind interest in the injurious slanders against me in the public papers. with respect to Logan’s speech I am preparing materials, not to answer mr Martin, but to state to those who have read the Notes on Virginia, the exact fact respecting Logan, whatever it shall turn out to be. for as yet I have not...
28From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 24 January 1799 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you a copy of Gerry’s correspondence after his companions left him, and of mr Pickering’s commentary on it. you will see reason to suspect (especially after what the papers say of a British alliance ) that the Executive has taken some step on the presumption that France would declare war, to support which it is necessary to have it believed she will still make war. yesterday they...
29From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 23 March 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
Your’s of Feb. 1 did not reach me until Feb. 28. and a press of business has retarded my acknoleging it. I sincerely thank you for your congratulations on my election, but this is only the first verse of the chapter. what the last may be nobody can tell. a consciousness that I feel no wish but to do what is best, without passion or predilection, encourages me to hope for an indulgent...
30From Thomas Jefferson to John Page, 20 February 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
I pray you, in the first place, that the contents of this letter may be inviolably secret, until promulgated by some public act. in my letter of March 2d . I mentioned to you that the Mint had been left at Philadelphia merely because taken up by the legislature too late to decide on it. the subject is now resumed, and there is no doubt the institution will be suppressed. this of course...