156

    To Sarah Savage Thatcher

    Philadelphia        27 January 1798

    My dear,

    Owing to the imaginary importance more than any thing real, in the Business that have occupied Congress, for the last week,1 I have had my whole attention so much that way as hardly to put pen to paper during that time—Yesterday we adjourned over till monday, & in this interval I will endeavour to pay of[f] all my old scores—

    It gave me more pleasure than I can express, the evening before last, to recieve a Letter in your own hand— it is dated the 14th. inst. on the day our dear little Anner Lewis was three weeks old—I had supposed you would call her by that name—it was my Mothers name, & I am glad you adopted it—

    I cannot tell you how very much I want to see, & hold, & kiss our dear baby—It seems to me I was never half so figited in my life to see any of our other children that were born in my absence from home as I am to see Anner Lewis—

    You must not grieve too much at the death of your father; he had reached that age which very few have passed2—And which it is not probable either of us shall come near to; fix your mind then on some period short of that which your Father measured, & make up your account to leave this world. Letters from Mr. [Henry] Bass informed me of his first sickness, & one from Joseph [Savage] of his death on the night he died—I hoped, however, that you would not hear of his sickness or death till you had recovered from your expected illness—I was glad to hear the Doctor [Samuel Savage] reached Weston [Massachusetts] in season to see his Father while he retained his senses—And I shall rejoice if his and Joseph meeting together at that time & place and under all the affecting circumstances of a fathers death shall tend to re-unite them in brotherly & family Love—

    [. . . .] A Kiss to all the children; & two to Anner Lewis.

    Your affectionate

    * * *

    ALS, TFP. Addressed to Biddeford, franked. Omitted text relates to household finances.