Page 46 - Family cookbook v30_Neat

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to share them all, but I will give you a taste of
the types of things they wrote about.

Thomas inquired about practical matters such as

the status of their inheritances from General

Washington’s and Betty Washington’s estates.
He also asked several times for help in selling his
shares of the Pacific Navigation Company.

He often inquired about the welfare of various

family members including Ann’s brother Robert

Lewis, who had not answered any of the many

letters that Thomas and Ann sent. He wrote,

“Let us know whether he is alive and if so
The location of the family farm in Barren County, Kentucky
whether his thirst for strong drink continues.”

In one of the letters, Thomas goes into great detail about a religious revival that is sweeping the nation. And in
another letter, he spoke of his many blessings and quoted the Bible enthusiastically.

The days passed one after another in a rhythm of raising crops and children. They bought and sold land and

made provisions for their family. This comfortable routine came to an end in 1835 when Ann was diagnosed
with breast cancer, and at age 47, she died of the same disease that took her great grandmother, Mary Ball

Washington. Her obituary, written by Thomas is quite interesting and sheds more light on their lives and their

love for each other. One of the
things I found most interesting
about it is that in the beginning

Ann practiced a different faith

than Thomas. She seemed to be a
free‐thinker, and the fact that

Thomas wrote about it indicates
that perhaps he supported that

quality. Thomas lived another 19
years and during this time, he was

married two more times. He died
in 1854 at age 70.
The family graveyard where Ann and Thomas are buried