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the place and have a garden by he time Ma and Pa came down.? His regret was deepened by the realization that ?it looked so fresh and pretty and Ma I knew would like it so much better as the parlour and dining room was made considerable larger.?
In the letter to his sister, Samuel at one point seems to confess to being in the depths of depression, saying, ?I will try and cast all in to forgetfulness and try and [illegible] to disperse the dark and threatening cloud that seems to o?er hand our fortune, all my labor last year proved fruitless.?
But then, pivoting in the extreme, Samuel became positive: ?I will not look on the dark side of the book of fortune, but will buckle on my armor and battle my way through this broad Universe [illegible] and clear away all imposing obstacles.? He concluded his letter by telling Rachel of the ripe strawberries that he had recently eaten, and his Irish potatoes, radishes, lettuce and peas.
Within a few days of Samuel?s letters, his father wrote two very poignant letters to his wife, Sarah. Both list New Orleans in the dateline. In the first, Andrew Jr. stated, ?Our beautiful Little Residence there is all burned down and now lies in ashes....? Evidently very distraught, he asked repeatedly, ?What shall become of us?? and ?What shall we do?? along with the exclamations, ?Alass, alass, alass.?
In Andrew Jr.?s second letter, after expressing similar thoughts of dejection, he too turned positive: ?I shall go to Clifton ? & do the best I can - I intend to put Ned and Phill - with a good carpenter - Mr. Johnson - and rebuild - this summer and hope by the Smiles of Providence - to have all ready for us by the fall....?
While there is little detail about construction in the subsequent letters, it is apparent that Andrew Jr. was optimistic about the date of completion. In a letter dated December 1, 1858, Samuel mentioned to his mother that the new building was progressing.
By February of 1859, Sarah had returned to Clifton and wrote to son Andrew III that ?our house is not near finished. Your Pa thinks it will be completed in one month, but I think there will not be sufficient time in three months....? She went on to say that she liked the building very much.
Sea Song Plantation
In a letter dated July 27, 1859, Sarah mentioned to daughter Rachel that they are very comfortable in the new home. She wrote of fruit, shrimp and alligators, of the ?city folks? and ?old residents [who] live like nabobs.? She described ?two good dairies built under the house, which I shall find a great convenience. They are airtight, and I think will be cool.?
8	Long-term slaves of the Jackson family. Husband and wife, they had been brought down from the Hermitage.
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