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Correspondence
Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 19 March 1864
Brooklyn
March 19th /64
Dear Walt,
The enclosed letter from George 1 I should have sent you before but have been so busy that I have neglected it There is nothing particularly new at home with the exception that Mother is not well. She has been very unwell for the last few days. She has a very steady and severe pain, she thinks a gathering or enlargement, in the right side of her chest. For a day or two she was almost helpless. Night before last Mat made her a poultice of elm and it seems to have done her good. I can not get her to allow herself to be taken care of or to take care of herself. She has been very foolish in house cleaning, she has done more work—whitewashing and cleaning—than any man ought to have done. Yet all the talking that Mat and I could do was no avail. I am really fearful that she has permanently hurt herself. If she does not get better by tomorrow I shall have the doctor to see her Its very provoking to have Mother kill herself so persistently. She is much worse I think than she used to be. She has an idea that she cannot afford to have anything hired. Im in hopes that you will make and carry out the idea of coming to New York. 2 I cannot imagine what it is that ails mother. I hope nothing serious
In regard to the house I belive its settled that we all stay as we are. I sent for Brown 3 to come up and see me the other evening. He said that if he had to pay more rent he would have to move. That he should like to stay but that he would move rather than pay more I thought the matter all over—I did not want to take the whole house—I did not want to move—it would not make but a difference of abt a $ per month so I told Brown he could stay and I would bear the increased rent. As it now stands it is as follows Mother pays $85 per year, I pay $147 per year and Brown $168 per year. I took out an agreement for Mothers and my names at $19 33 per month
Did you get my letter enclosing $5 from Mr Lane. 4 Why do you not write me? is there any reason? I was in hopes that I would hear from you sometime ago.
I wrote you to write me a letter to show Mr Worthen 5 of New York. I think we could get some money through him.
Mattie and the babies are quite well. The children are both growing finely If Mother does not get better in a few days I will write you again
Yours truly Thos J. Whitman
About the Text
The text presented here is derived from Dennis Berthold and Kenneth Price, eds., Dear Brother Walt: The Letters of Thomas Jefferson Whitman (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1984). For a detailed description of discrepancies between this electronic edition and the print source, see our statement of editorial policy .
The manuscript of this letter, dated March 19, 1864, is held in the Trent Collection of Walt Whitman Manuscripts, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library .
For more information on the letters of Thomas Jefferson Whitman, see Dennis Berthold and Kenneth Price's introduction to the print edition.
Notes
1. Jeff's letter was written on the verso of George's letter to his mother, March 6, 1864 (see Jerome M. Loving, ed., Civil War Letters of George Washington Whitman [Durham, N.C.: Duke Univ. Press, 1975], p. 111). (Back)
2. In his letter to LVVW of March 2, WW indicated that he wanted to return to New York to see the family and to bring out his new book of poems, Drum-Taps (Edwin Haviland Miller, ed., Walt Whitman: The Correspondence [New York: New York Univ. Press, 1961-77], Vol. I, p. 201). (Back)
3. See Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 3 April 1860. (Back)
4. For Lane, see Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 13 January 1863. (Back)
5. See Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 15 December 1863 and Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 11 March 1864. Worthen sent twenty dollars to WW on May 23, 1864 and expressed his hope "to send more from time to time" ( Correspondence , I, 368, 369). WW replied on May 24 (?) and wrote Worthen again two years later on December 20, 1866; both of these letters are lost ( Correspondence , I, 368, 369). (Back)
Whitman Archive ID
duk.00311