Rachel Todd letter to Charity Rotch, Hartford, September 10, 1823

              B-311-24  
			        Hartford September 10th 1823
		
                        How  mysterious are the ways of providence, &
	truly,how past finding out,How o'erspread with clouds & dark
	-ness, must this day be to thee, my endeared Charity,And oh!
	how inexerable thy loss;few,very few,meet with so great a loss,
	for there are very few such men as was thy dear husband.
	    How strange to us,shortsighted mortals, that one whose life
	was so valuable,& whose Character was so much esteemed,so
	much beloved &  admired,should be cut off, as it were, in the
	midst of his days,& removed to the eternal world- Yet know-
	ing as we do, that all things are ordered in wisdom,& that what-
	ever is, is right, we must hold our peace,& and remember that altho
	clouds & darkness are round about us, yet there are many pre-
	cious consolations, that our loss is his gain,we have no
	reason to doubt-- Now chearing the thought,my beloved friend,
	that while we mourn his departure from our presence, he is en
	-joying the happiness of heaven in mansions of bliss where all
	pain,sorrow,& affliction are wiped away forever,& forever.
		We were much shocked on monday evening in look-
	ing over the Obituary notices in one of our papers,to find that
	of our dearest friend T.R. among the number- but as there was a 
	similar report in circulation about a year since which proved
	to be incorrect, we could not but hope this might be so- we re
	-mained in this state of suspense untill Tuesday evening,when