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Whitney mentions his recent marriage (29 February 1841) to Sarah Anthony, whose father, now deceased, operated a soap and candle manufactory in Charleston.

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The author discusses the affairs of family and friends in Boston, expresses his support for a war with England, and comments on the "bad state of society" in St. Louis, including crime and race relations.

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Whitney discusses business affairs and future travel plans.

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Richards describes hunting deer with friends in Audubon, Illinois.

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Whitney chides Richards for the brevity of his recent letters, and reports the birth a son, Frederic Anthony. He reports the dissolution of his business partnership, intending to proceed "on my own account", despite a lack of funds. In response to an inquiry from Richards about relocating to Charleston, he states that ". . .there is nothing in your line of business going on here there are numbers of vacant stores with high rents. . . ."

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The author discusses the market for veneers in Boston, the unseasonably warm weather, a physical attack against a mutual friend named Bill Allen, and the failing of the Cairo Bank. The bank failure worries the author, who remarks that it issued more than half the circulating notes in the state and that it will be hard to raise money as a result of the failure. The author also discusses the possibility of running a steam boat route from New Orleans to St. Louis.

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Richards discusses travel plans to Boston and the status of Illinois banks. He also describes the activities of a man named "Honest Jim" who has begun a candidacy for the state legislature.

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In her first surviving letter from Illinois, Irene Richards provides her sister Elisabeth (b. c.1804) with a thorough overview of her new domestic and social life. She describes her daily routine, her small home (comprising a parlor, kitchen, sleeping room, and cellar), and speaks a great deal of diet and food preparation.

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A letter jointly written by George and Irene Richards and directed to Irene's mother, Rebecca Austin Lincoln. George discusses married life and compares the rich produce of Illinois with the meager produce of Boston. Irene discusses her social life, her cooking, and her diet.

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Irene discusses her home, her neighbors, and general domestic activities, remarking that she would not exchange her house "with a king or a princess." She also comments on the weather and her health, and inquires about the preparation of yeast for "yankee bread."

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Irene writes that "my time has about arrived"; four days later, George announces the birth of a son (Henry Lincoln Richards).

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In a jointly written letter, George Richards reports on family news, especially son Henry, while Irene describes George's prior invitation to the Lincolns to move to Illinois, an invitation Bradford Lincoln "refused decidedly".

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George discusses the development of his infant child and describes reactions to the birth within the local community. He describes recent events in adjoining Macoupin County (the "State of Macoupin"), and goes on to comment on the difficult economic circumstances then prevailing in Illinois, especially following the legislature's passage of a "stay law" making it difficult for Richards to collect outstanding debts. He contemplates a return East.

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Irene Richards discusses gardening, her social engagements and private occupations in Hillsboro, the health of her family, and the development and activities of her son Henry.

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The author, possibly George Richards' sister Katherine, writes of Hillsboro and the West, saying that Irene Richards resides ". . .in the pettiest little cottage, in the pleasantest part of one of the most delightful villages in Illinois." She also describes baby Henry and inquires about friends in Massachusetts.

Scope and Contents The author describes the development of her child and comments on the possibility of her family moving from Massachusetts to Illinois, saying ". . .I would like to have them with me but not here. [T]is no place for an old man like father nor such an one as mother. [I]t makes my heart ache when I think for an instant as their living here. [T]is good for young strong beginners, but for an old man or a young man without strength, it is no place at all." Irene goes on to describe how life in...

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Irene mentions recent social activities, the development of her child, and a friend who intends to move from Hillboro into Iowa Territory.

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Irene reports on her social life.

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Personal and social news, from George Richards in Hillsboro to Irene in Boston.

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News of daughters Susan (b. c.1845) and Alice (b. c.1850), from Irene Richards to a travelling George.

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News of family and friends, to George in Hillsboro.

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Whitney writes from Columbia of the "sickness" then prevailing in Charleston.

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Richards upbraids a relative of Irene's over a financial matter.

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Augustine Lincoln's response to the above.

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A letter written enroute to Charleston, where George and Irene were travelling for the latter's health.

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The author discusses work plans for the summer.

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Writing from Conneaut on Lake Erie in the Ohio Western Reserve, George Richards tells his brother of letters received; of his pleasure in reading a newspaper from his native Boston; and of the mild weather and bountiful produce of the area, especially black walnuts.

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George writes Henry of the novelty of life in southeast Missouri, describing local idioms of speech, a slave auction, encounters with black people, and "shocks of earthquakes". He notes his intention of settling in Illinois once he raises the money to buy land.

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George inquires about circumstances in Boston and discusses life in Missouri and the West generally, including his work as a builder and the season's crops.

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George speaks of a recent illness and of his continued determination to buy farmland in Illinois.