Cornelia J. Randolph to Virginia J. Randolph (Trist)

As sister Ellen is writing to mama my Dear Virginia, I will write also by this opportunity, to you, for I suppose you will expect a letter in return for the one you favour’d me with when you were here. we arriv’d here in safety after a journey pleasant enough, for the weather was very fine except being rather cold, [. . .] mornings & evenings, but we were well wrapt up, having a cloak apiece of grand papa’s besides our own things, the roads were not so good as we expected to find them, owing to a much greater quantity of rain having fallen in Buckingham, & Campbell than in Albemarle. the first day we were out till [. . .] past seven oclock in the evening. I should have been very well pleas’d at Mr Patterson’s is if I had not made a very ridiculous blunder from forgetfulness & inattention. [. . .] On the road we stopt at Noah Floods to breakfast, & [. . .] found that to be the best house on the raoad to stop at meals; & at night we were better accomodated at Hunters than we were any where else. Since I arriv’d here I found that in my hurry & confusion I left several things at Monticello which I intended to have brought, & which I wish you would send by papa if he comes to Linchburg as he said, or by brother Jeff if he should come, a little roll of tape, a corset lace which Joe had to tag, & a slip of homespun [. . .] to put gores & bone-case to my corset; the tape I believe is in mama’s setting room & the homespun in the appendix. I wish also you would send me a little darning cotton as I am afraid what I have will not last me till I come home, I have so many strings to twist out of it. There is a little English dictionary which mama gave me some time ago, & which I offer’d to Aunt Marks but as she did not like it, I intended to give it to Daddy but could not bring it with me, it is very small & if papa or brother Jeff can bring it I wish you would send it; & now I have only one more [. . .] commission to trouble you with, [. . .] which will probably be the last while I am here, I left no less than five letters throwing about the house, & I want you to collect them & put them away till I [. . .] return, one from Elizabeth, [. . .] one from yourself & another from Harriet in the nursery; one another from Elizabeth in [. . .] the setting room; & one from sister Ann in your room. Adieu my Dear Virginia give my love to mama & sister Jane & all the rest of the family & kiss the Children At Monticello & Carlton not forgetting Dear little Tim. I am afraid [. . .] mammy did not like my not telling her good bye when I came away tell her1 I did not forget it but I could not go up stairs after grand papa call’d me to go.

pray burn this scratch.

RC (NcU: NPT); in Cornelia J. Randolph’s hand; unsigned; addressed: “Miss Virginia Randolph.”
1Preceding two words interlined.
Date Range
Date
October 25, 1816
Collection
Repository