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Washington
Feb. 8;—noon—
(sitting up on the side of my bed.)
Dear brother,
I have just rec'd your note of 5th1
Dear, dear, dear sister Matty2—
O how I have been thinking of you, & shall all day—I have not now the use
of my limbs to move from one room to the other—or else I should come on
immediately to St. Louis—I can but send you my love, dear, dear
sister—
Your unhappy, sorrowful, loving brother
Walt
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Correspondent:
Thomas Jefferson Whitman
(1833–1890), known as "Jeff," was Walt Whitman's favorite brother. As a
civil engineer, Jeff eventually became Superintendent of Water Works in St.
Louis and a nationally recognized figure. For more on Jeff, see Randall Waldron,
"Whitman, Thomas Jefferson (1833–1890)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes
- 1. Jeff's letter to Walt is
not extant, but in a letter written on the same day to Mrs. Whitman, Jeff
expressed fears for Martha's recovery, and urged that Whitman come to St. Louis. When he wrote, Jeff was unaware of the
seriousness of his brother's paralysis. [back]
- 2. Martha Mitchell Whitman (d. 1873) known as "Mattie,"
was the wife of Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Whitman, Walt Whitman's brother. She and
Jeff had two daughters, Manahatta and Jessie Louisa. In 1868, Mattie and her
daughters moved to St. Louis to join Jeff, who had moved there in 1867 to assume
the position of Superintendent of Water Works. Mattie experienced a throat
ailment that would lead to her death in 1873. For more information on Mattie, see Randall Waldron, "Whitman, Martha ("Mattie") Mitchell (1836–1873)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]