your letter arrived my dear Sister just as I was preparing to spend this evening in writing to you and in addition to the pleasure of hearing from you again after so long a silence, ( & even mama has neglected us of late) I am rejoiced to have an opportunity of answering it immediately...

I was very much disappointed at not receiving a letter from you by Brother Charles as I expected you would write. your little maid was born the 2nd of november I wish you would write us word what you want her named & I will try & persuade Betsey to let us name it I have read the little...

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...

brother Jeff came home last night & my first enquiry of course was about “the morals of Christ” which I had sent you, (not knowing if I was doing right or wrong) he did not mean that it should have been sent & desires that you will keep it & return it to him by some safe opportunity....

my visit to Montpellier last week my dear sister prevented me from writing to you in regular turn as I should have done had I been at at home, I was sorry for it at the time but feel very well pleased at present to...

Virginia was too unwell to write to you in her turn last sunday my dear sister and though she wished still to have written by some of the mails this week she continues so much indisposed and is so constantly suffering from nausea and disordered stomach that she finds it impossible. she desires me...

I got your letter when it was a week old my dear Virginia & you have now got mine which was written 4 or 5 days before brother Jeff set off, his journey was defered several days longer than he intended but I did not think it worth while to take the trouble of writing my letter over because...

Mama & Cornelia both say that they are going to write to sister Ellen My dear Virginia & therefore I shall address my letter to you if you are so fortunate as to be able to desylpher a sccratch penned by candle light & in my incorrigible hand which you know of old—we all feel very...

I am very glad for your sakes my dear Virginia to hear that you are at last “coming to the sweet” of your visit to town tho’ every day lessens the chance of my going down to partake of the gaieties which Cornelia tells me are just beginning my fate is fixed I am afraid & there seems very...

Brother Jeff sets off on saturday my dear Virginia and I will remember my promise of writing to you first altho I daresay mama has written to you if she has written to either of you I have not seen her since you left home but heard from her to day I am to send the horses down to morrow as she...