I have always observed my dearest Mother, that your letters have a secret charm, a spell, by which vapours and blue devils are speedily expelled; in whatever mood I may be, to hear from you is like a dose of æther to an hysterical patient; I am at once animated revived, & things & persons...

I have waited with impatience for nearly two a month expecting to hear from some one of the family (yourself excepted) respecting my final arrangement for the winter; The house is very much crowded at present, but we experience no inconvenience from it, having a room in another, house I never see...

I have been prevented from writing to you, my dear sister, by mama’s intention of doing the same thing, & she was prevented by the accident of visitors coming in several times just as she had begun her letter; this was the reason you did not hear from us as soon after our arrival as we...

Since I wrote to you Dear sister Mr Donnelson has come back to Washington; how the president will settle matters about his private secretary I do not know, but Nicholas is very unwilling that any thing should be said about his having been chosen. therefore, though it is improbable that you should...

Mr Bailey left us yesterday morning and by him Joseph will receive the thermometer & Oliver Cromwell, and Nell a little present from her Aunt Trist. I have been am very much mortified at not having been able to go out to get some trifle for each of my darlings but for the last month I have...

it seems a long time since we have heard from you my dearest sister, and I believe that we on our parts have not been very regular in writing to you of late. I spent the week before the last, which is now just ended, in Charlottesville with Cornelia and she I think wrote you from there. she is...

It is a long time dearest Ellen since I wrote to you, or have written regularly; and I so seldom write to any one else, that although the list of my correspondents is an appalling one if they were at all particular with me yet they are mostly indulgent kind friends glad to hear from me when I can...

I will at least begin a letter to you, my dearest mother, although I scarcely know when I shall have time to finish it, perhaps now, perhaps not until next time week. my baby has been very unwell for several days and this morning I sent for Dr Warren whose prescription seems already to have...

I doubt not your anxiety to hear from our new comer will make a letter welcome altho. it dates but two days after the one announcing his first arrival: Ellen is quite well, and her infant—although he did make his appearance three weeks too soon is thriving—being what mrs Christian calls “an...

At 8 oClock this morning, (Decr 29,) Ellen gave me a Son!—They, the mother and child, are both perfectly well: her troubles were not quite so speedily over as in the case of Bess, but they did not last long (not half an hour,) and were not of a very distressing kind: She has been well through the...