Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters

I hope you have not been made uneasy my dear sister, by not hearing from us as often as usual, I did intend to have written a week ago but was constantly busy & for nearly a week past I have been paying leave taking visits to all my friends and acquaintances in the neighbourhood. tuesday we dined with Mrs Dunglison & spent that night at her house & the next day was taken up from breakfast till dinner & from dinner again till dark, visiting & shopping, at the University, and in Charlottesville. we returned in time to the University to spend the the evening with Mrs Emmet, the next morning went to look at the library for the last time & got to Col Carr’s to dinner. friday I went from Dunlora to Bentiva[r] to see Clarissa Carr & Saturday was again spent in paying visits in Charlottesville & dining at [. . .] Mr Davis’s. we came home in the evening & to day, (Sunday) Mr Garrett & John Carr came to to take leave of us. so that I really have not had a moment to myself for the for a week past. we were to have set off on our journey on tuesday next, but mama has determined to wait one day longer because brother Jeff is obliged to be absent on business just at this time & cannot get back in time to see her if She goes earlier than wednesday. mama is better than she was when I wrote last, but she still has occasional returns of pain in the stomach & seems to dread the fatigue & bustle of unpacking the furniture & getting [. . .] fixed in our new home, which contrary to her usual wish, when any thing of the sort is to be done, she would willingly avoid & would be very glad to find it all over when she arrives. this I hope may be the case, for if every thing goes on smoothly & no delay takes place in its voyage down the Rivanna to Richmond, or from Richmond to Washington, the furniture will be landed four days sooner than we shall. Benjamin has made a bargain with Mr Wills by which he gives up to him his share of the engagement he had entered into with brother Jeff. to deliver books to the suscribers he procured to my grand fathers works, & with the money he receives for his bargain, about $ 1000. (I believe) he expects to be able to support himself at the university until he has studied the profession of medecine. Willie Eppes (who is also a medical student) & himself occupy the same room. Willie brought a letter from his mother, recommending him to brother Jeff’s care & was entered as his ward. he seems to be a quiet industrious well disposed boy & is well thought of at by the professors—Susan Garrett was married on wednesday last. the wedding was entirely private, no one was at it but Mrs & Miss Johnson, Mr & Mrs Southall & Miss Winn, no body else knew even the day it was to take place, at least no body else was let into the secret, but every body guessed & conjectured & knew just as certainly as if they had been told. Dr Johnson hoped to steal away unnoticed from the University under cover of the twilight, but his motions were too closely watched & the moment he set his foot on the Step of the carriage which waited to convey him to his bride expectant, he was saluted by [. . .] cheers long and loud, from a body of Students who had assembled near his pavill pavilion for that express purpose. we called on Susan to take leave two days after but did not see the Dr. she looked very pretty and interesting. I wish her husband was a little better looking. I daresay its a very prudent match, but—there really is no accounting for tastes, or for some choices, unless [. . .] on the score of prudence—of all our old neighbours nobody enquires for you so often or with such an appearance of cordiality as Mrs Brockenbrough, her eldest son is just recovering from a long fever & has had several relapses & her youngest a pretty little boy of two years old has been near dying but is now getting better. Mrs Long has given her husband another son & is far too well pleased with her London residence to pretend any regret for the friends she has left behind her—Virginia & Cornelia left Edgehill a fortnight ago under Lewis’s escort. he went no farther than Richmond with them. Martha Smith had a son born the night they arrived at Mrs Adams’s & as they had gone there by her invitation. expecting to occupy a part of her room it was fortunate for them that Mrs Adams had a spare room for them. they did not find the town by any means as much crowded as they had been led to suppose it would be. they had been told that¹