Jacob Atkinson letter to Charity Rotch, near Wheeling, August 6, 1816

              B-234-1  
	  
				Near Wheeling  August 6,1816
	Charity,
		       While I lived near you in Ohio, we became
	friends, or at least, you often expressed a friendship for
	me, and as I thought, viewed the Sincerity of the pro-
	fession by many, by a great many acts of kindness
	for which I always felt & often expressed the most heart-
	felt gratitude- the only return in my power to
	make.   
	   I am extremely happy in the reflection, (altho I never
	have nor do I know set up a claim to your friendship) 
	that I have done nothing in word or deed to
	forfeit it.  But I have it only second hand & gratuitously
	from one of your neighbors that instead of
	entertaining anything like friendship for me, you
	feel a resentment the most keen and desolating.
	   The idea of not having a persons friendship is not
	so grievous as that of loosing it without a cause.
	It is quite presumable that a considerable resolution
	has taken place in your mind in regard to me
	yet I will not presume it to have taken place without
	some real or immaginary cause whatever it may be.