# Thomas Jefferson to William Dickson, 20 April 1810

CITATION: “Thomas Jefferson to William Dickson, 20 April 1810,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0295. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, p. 340.]
URL (original): https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0295
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DATE FETCHED: 2026-09-14
TRANSCRIPTION: scholarly edition text (Princeton, Papers of Thomas Jefferson / Madison Papers, as published on Founders Online); text below is verbatim from the fetched page, including the editors' source note and footnotes. Superscripts are flattened by the HTML-to-text conversion (e.g. 'Oct r' = Oct^r, '11 th' = 11^th).

---- VERBATIM TEXT (Founders Online page) ----

Thomas Jefferson to William Dickson, 20 April 1810 
To 
 William Dickson 
 Monticello 
 Apr. 20. 10. 
 Sir 
 Your favor of Feb. 20. came safely to hand together with the miniature of Governor Lewis & watch string. I immediately sent them to his mother, not doubting that the person who of all others possessed the greatest portion of his affection was the one for whom his wishes would have destined it. the deplorable accident which has
 placed her in the deepest affliction, is a great loss to the world also; as no pen can ever give us so faithful & lively an account of the countries & nations which he saw, as his own
 would
 have done, under the guidance of impressions made by the objects themselves. 
 Accept the assurance of my great esteem & respect. 
 Th:
 Jefferson 
 PoC ( DLC ); at foot of text: “Doct r W m Dickson”; endorsed by TJ. 
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Dickson, William; and M. Lewis’s effects search 
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Lewis, Lucy Meriwether search 
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You Are Looking At Source Project Jefferson Papers Title Thomas Jefferson to William Dickson, 20 April 1810 Author Jefferson, Thomas Recipient Dickson, William Date 20 April 1810 
Reference Cite as “Thomas Jefferson to William Dickson, 20 April 1810,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0295. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson , Retirement Series, vol. 2, 16 November 1809 to 11 August 1810 , ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005, p. 340.] 
More between these correspondents 
 Preceding From Dickson to Jefferson [20 February 1810] All All correspondence between Dickson and Jefferson