Hugh Holmes to Thomas Jefferson, 6 December 1818
From Hugh Holmes
Winchester Decr 6th 1818
Dear Sir
I was much surprised to find the newspapers announcing you as labouring under dangerous dissease, when you were convalescent at the time I had the pleasure of seeing you last at Monticello—If the sympathy of individual friends is grateful to a suffering patient what must that of a nation be? believing from experience that such is the effect as one of your friends I beg leave to add my share and an hope and prayer for your speedy recovery—
I had intended when last at Monticello to ask the favor of you to give me a letter to your friend in France to make choice of some Nice wine for me but your situation then forbidding you to write I did not mention the subject to you—If you are now enabled to write or when you shall be it will greatly oblige me to receve such a letter which I will give to mr Cassenove of Alexa who will import the wine for me—
with much respect and great regard
Hh Holmes
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 14 Dec. 1818 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to James Eastburn & Company, 2 Apr. 1819, on verso; addressed: “The honble Thomas Jefferson Esqr of Monticello Milton Albemarle Va” by “mail”; franked; postmarked.
Reports by newspapers following TJ’s trip to Warm Springs indicated that he was seriously ill and even that he was near death (Alexandria Herald, 16 Nov. 1818; American Beacon and Norfolk & Portsmouth Daily Advertiser, 20 Nov. 1818).
Index Entries
- Cazenove, Anthony Charles; as merchant search
- Holmes, Hugh; and wine from S. Cathalan search
- Holmes, Hugh; letters from search
- Holmes, Hugh; visits Monticello search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Health; death of rumored search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Health; staphylococcus infection search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Travels; to Warm Springs search
- Monticello (TJ’s Albemarle Co. estate); Visitors to; Holmes, Hugh search
- Nice; wine from search
- staphylococcus; TJ infected with search
- Warm Springs (Bath Co.); TJ visits search
- wine; for TJ’s friends search
- wine; of Nice search