As I have prevented Virginia from writing, Dear Sister, I must write to you myself in spite of the drowsy & stupid feelings which oppress me mama will I believe write very soon to Mrs Coolidge; she has been staying with Mrs H. Smith in the country & was there when Mrs C.s letter arrived;...

Mary & myself have been here (at Mr Garrett’s) some days, Dear sister & intend remaining for a week or two; now that we have done with the manuscripts we are at liberty to pay visits to our friends here which we have always...

We arrived here in safety on the tenth, my Dearest Nicholas, & found James alive, but having been for several days on the very brink of the grave. for three days he was in a raving delirium, and he has, in living through it all, showed more constitution than either his...

The books, Dear Nicholas, are all packed & Ben went to day to have the boxes nailed up & directed to you, & tomorrow they will set off to go in waggons as far as Fredricksburg. if the steamboat is running they will be put on board, but if not the waggons will go on to Washington. The...

I have been so very much occupied, dear Nicholas, this winter that I have not had time to write to my friends. Mary & myself have been correcting the manuscripts for publication, & we scarcely keep ahead of the printers. we devote about as much time every day to them as you do to the...

We thought this morning, dear sister, that aunt Marks was dying, I did not think she had more than a few minutes to live. They had taken her up as usual to dress her & had completed what was absolutely necessary when she became so faint,...

We have such a press of work of all kinds, dear sister that I can scarcely spare time to write but I must try even if I can only do it ...

I have the head ach, dear Virginia, & do not know whether I can write as long a letter as usual, but will not defer writing as tomorrow I shall be employed all day closely. I read your Louisiana schemes with pain & yet would not say no to them; the abandoning Monticello altogether would...

Mr Gilmer was obliged to stay one day here my dearest Virginia & that gives me an opportunity of writing to you which I will do if it is only to tell you how much I have thought of you all since I left you; every thing else I suppose Martha has told you for she was going to write to you...

I have been just a fortnight at this place my dear Sister, during which I have received one letter from Tufton but though the girls promised faithfully to forward all your letters and mama’s to me during my absence, it is now nearly four weeks since I have had a word of intelligence from you in...