Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 26 February 1823
To Charles Willson Peale
Monticello Feb. 26. 23.
Dear Sir
Your favor of the 8th has been recieved with the Polygraph wire you were so kind as to send me. your friendly attention to my little wants kindle the most lively sentiments of thankfulness in me.1 the breaking of an ink-glass, the derangement of a wire, which cannot be supplied in a country situation like ours, would render an instrument of cost and of incalculable value entirely useless; as both of my Polygraphs would have been, but for your kind attentions.
It must be2 a circumstance of vast comfort to you to be blest with sons so capable of maintaining such an establishment as you have effected.3 it has been a wonderful accomplishment, is an honor to the US. and merits their patronage.
The fractured bone of my arm is4 well reunited, but my hand and fingers are in discoraging5 condition, rendered entirely useless by a dull oedematous swelling, which has at one time been threatening, and altho’ better, is still obstinate. it is more than three months since the accident, and yet it indicates no definite term. this misfortune with the crippled state of my right hand also renders me very helpless, and all but incapable of writing. ever and affectionately yours
Th: Jefferson
RC (TxU: Thomas Jefferson Collection). Dft (MHi); on verso of top half of reused address cover of Edward Wiatt to TJ, 29 Oct. 1821; endorsed by TJ as a letter to “Peale C. W.”
Writing from Monticello on 7 Mar. 1823, Virginia J. Randolph (Trist) reported to Nicholas P. Trist regarding TJ’s arm that “Grand-Papa’s hand still continues to swell, and the enlargement about the wrist he thinks is occasioned by the dislocation of some of the small bones, and will be permanent. the bandage is still used in the day, but nevertheless his arm & hand are both much better” (RC in DLC: NPT).
1. Dft: “thankfulness to you.”
2. Preceding two words interlined in Dft in place of “is.”
3. Word interlined in Dft in place of “made.”
4. Sentence to this point reworked in Dft from “my <arm> broken bone is.”
5. Preceding five words interlined in Dft in place of “is in bad.”
Index Entries
- bandages search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Correspondence; fatiguing or painful to search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Health; broken arm search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Health; injured in fall search
- medicine; bandages search
- museums; Philadelphia Museum search
- Peale, Charles Willson; and Philadelphia Museum search
- Peale, Charles Willson; and polygraph search
- Peale, Charles Willson; and TJ’s health search
- Peale, Charles Willson; letters to search
- polygraph; and C. W. Peale search
- polygraph; repair of search
- Trist, Nicholas Philip; correspondence with V. J. R. Trist search
- Trist, Virginia Jefferson Randolph (TJ’s granddaughter); correspondence with N. P. Trist search
- Trist, Virginia Jefferson Randolph (TJ’s granddaughter); on TJ’s health search